Lieferando deliverers demonstrate in Vienna against terminations-diepresse.com

The deliverers of the Zuildenando food delivery service in Vienna demonstrated on Tuesday afternoon in Vienna against the termination of the entire workforce by the end of June with switching to free service contracts. Finally, the delivery fleet consisted of around 850 drivers. Today’s demonstration was organized by the Vida union and the « Riders Collective ». The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs agreed to the union a rapid implementation of the EU platform work directive.

In mid -March, Lieferando announced that his logistics model « be able to adjust to the Austrian industry standard » in the coming months. Unlike Foodora and Wolt, the delivery service mostly hired its drivers in Austria. « With the termination of our employee model, we will have to relieve around 600 drivers, with the exhaustion of all possibilities, » said Lieferando two weeks ago. « Another 65 employees at our locations in Vienna and the federal states are affected. » The dismissals have already been announced in the AMS premature warning system.

So far, as a driver, the choice of employer has had the decision whether you would like to work as an employee or as a freelancer. « This freedom of choice is now completely eliminated », since with Lieferando the last employer of this industry, who has hired the deliverers on a larger scale, according to the Vienna Managing Director of the Vida union, Susanne Haase, as part of the demonstration for APA. « Basically, we already reveal more to the other companies » not to have employed their employees according to the collective agreement, said Haase. Foodora and Wolt would also have argued with competitiveness and flexibility to the union.

Rapid implementation of EU platform work directive required

« At the moment we know how much we get at the end of the month. This is no longer the case, » said a « rider » in the demonstration. A central demand was the timely implementation of the EU Directive for platform work. This was decided in 2024. « The EU member countries have time to implement the directive by December 2026: But that has to happen faster, » said time, « said ÖBG President Wolfgang Katzian. With the implementation of this guideline, « the company would have to prove that someone is self -employed and not the other way around, » said Haase. Furthermore, employers would have to disclose their algorithms in the future, which assign the orders to the deliverers. As a result, it would have to be proven that rejecting an order does not have any disadvantages, said Haase.

« The recently announced mass terminations at Lieferando confirm how important it is to look at the topics of platform work and bogus self-employment, » emphasized Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) in a broadcast after a job discussion with Katzian on Tuesday. In the government program, a marriage that is possible to create the necessary legal framework is planned, according to the former deputy Katzians in the union association and now top politician.

Social plan is negotiated

Union and Lieferando are currently negotiating a social plan. « There is no result yet. The negotiations continue this week, » said the Vida union when asked about APA. It is about terminals, paid item search days as well as training and further education opportunities for the employees. According to Haase, the union wants to focus in the negotiations in particular on the further training. « There are expected notice periods that extend beyond the statutory six weeks so that Lieferando can maintain the operation until the current logistics company is liquidated, » said the union.

On the part of Lieferando, the APA said that it was « intensively » negotiated with the works council. One tries to « open, solution -oriented and trusting exchange », which is why it would take place in the exclusion of the public.

Collective agreement « quasi without workers »

The employees at Lieferando soon no longer benefited from the hard -fought collective agreement because the competition did not want to follow the example, Katzian regretted in a broadcast. « If they continue to be employed as self -employed, they probably work in sham self -employment, i.e. without minimum wages, without claiming paid exemption in the event of illness or vacation entitlement, without protection against dismissal and without a vacation entitlement. »

In Austria there has been a collective agreement (KV) for bicycle deliverers since the beginning of 2020. Since the beginning of 2023, the monthly collective agreement full-time gross income for bicycle messengers has been 1,730 euros (net 1,440 euros). For comparison: According to Statistics Austria, the risk of poverty in 2023 was 1,572 euros for one one -time budget per month. More recent numbers are not yet available. This collective agreement is now « borne to the grave ». You have « no longer have any workers in this KV, » complained Haase.

In the previous year, several food deliverer warning strikes took place to achieve higher wages and better working conditions. According to the union estimates, around 2,000 out of 5,000 bicycle messengers (« Ridern ») were recently employed in Austria, the rest was on the road as a freelance employee.

Platform work also topic in parliament

At the end of March, the Greens brought in a resolution in the social council of the National Council in view of the announced dismissals at Lieferando in order to urge the Federal Government and responsible minister for a rapid implementation of the EU directive for platform work. The prerequisites for the correct legal classification of the employees and the associated labor rights would create the fastest possible implementation, according to the Greens. The government should submit a legislative proposal to implement the directive by the end of September 2025 so that the necessary changes can come into force by early 2026. (APA)