Image: Image: Transport Workers Union/Facebook.
By ROBBIE MASON
Unions have demanded urgent reforms for the gig economy following the death of a food delivery driver in Sydney on Saturday night.
A 22 year old motorcyclist died after a collision at 8 PM in Epping. Police have confirmed that the rider was working for UberEats at the time.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine indicated lifesaving transport reform is urgent. He described “band-aid solutions”, such as ergonomic bags and high-visibility jackets, as inadequate.
“Our thoughts are with the rider’s loved ones after this horrific tragedy,” Kaine said. “Although no sum of money can compensate for this loss, grieving families of transport gig workers are twice wronged – first from the absence of rights that causes pressure to rush and take risks to pay the bills, and second from the denial of rights like workers’ compensation.”
“The task of removing the deadly pressure on transport gig workers through reform to set fair, safe and sustainable standards in transport will soon be before Federal Parliament. We urge every politician to use their vote to pass this lifesaving reform into law without delay,” Kaine continued.
The death marked the twelfth time a food delivery driver has died on Australian roads since 2017, although underreporting remains an issue for workplace injuries within the gig economy. The number is likely far higher.
UberEats has previously failed to report, and even denied, workplace deaths. In 2021, UberEats claimed food delivery rider Burak Dogan wasn’t on the clock when he collided with a truck in April 2020 and died, despite his phone receiving job requests from Uber Eats at the exact time of his death, and afterwards as he lay dead on the road.
The Secretary for the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, said, “These workers deserve so much more. Working no matter what the weather or time to bring us convenience comes with a cost; employers are passing risks onto individuals in the pursuit of corporate profits.”
“No worker’s life is expendable for convenience,” she continued.
Transport gig workers in Australia have few industrial protections. Lacking rights to paid leave, compensation, unfair contract termination and a minimum wage safety net, food delivery workers are feeling the squeeze of Sydney’s cost-of-living crisis especially hard.
A McKell survey of over 1,000 transport gig workers recently showed that almost half of the nation’s food delivery drivers earn less than minimum wage. This number rises to 66 percent for those working full-time hours. 81 percent of this labour pool rely on food delivery apps as their primary source of income.
Recent research by the TWU and McKell has demonstrated a direct link between food delivery work and risky behaviours on the road. According to the report, more than half of food delivery riders reported feeling rushed in order to earn enough money and avoid deactivation from the app.
In April last year, a NSW parliamentary inquiry found that the state needs to commit to better protections for gig economy workers. The report revealed that working conditions for gig workers is worse in Sydney than global metropolises such as New York and London. The inquiry recommended a portable entitlement scheme and the establishment of a tribunal to set enforceable standards.
The Albanese government has proposed an overhaul for the gig economy. It plans to set minimum standards and give the Fair Work Commission authority to regulate “employee-like” workers.
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