Unions have warned food delivery riders are being forced to take risks with their health to win work due to severe competition for orders.
Police Scotland has warned that couriers are modifying e-bikes to make them faster, with officers seizing 233 in Scotland in the 12 months to September 2024.
Customised vehicles present a danger to the drivers and the public if they're used on the pavement, but many turn to them in order to ensure they have enough orders to earn the money to live on.
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University recently gave evidence to MPs after detailing how pay based on the number of deliveries completed and fierce competition is encouraging delivery riders to take risks.
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Dr Pedro Mendonca interviewed delivery riders and found over 80% of couriers reported engaging in risky behaviour on the road; 40% worked 40 hours or more per week; and 62% were dissatisfied with pay rates.
The research found 88.1% of workers in the platform food delivery sector were not unionised, with 60% saying they had limited to no opportunity to express their views about work and only 0.5% receiving responses on on working conditions from food delivery companies.
Paul McLaughlin, GMB Scotland organiser in the gig economy, highlighted mounting evidence of low pay, insecure earnings, unsafe conditions, and increasing competition for riders to deliver orders more quickly to win work.
He has written to Holyrood’s Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee urging MSPs to investigate before introducing new protection for riders.
The union said the Scottish Government’s Fair Work guidelines, promoting effective representation for workers and fairness and respect in workplaces, must include platform work.
GMB said, while employment law is reserved to the UK Parliament, many of the consequences of platform work fall within the responsibilities of the Scottish Parliament.
It has urged the Holyrood committee to take evidence from riders, unions, researchers, platform operators, regulators and others to detail the reality of platform work in Scotland and establish what can be done to improve conditions under devolved powers.
Mr McLaughlin said: "For too long, multinational tech companies have been allowed to claim delivery riders and drivers are self-employed without employment rights.
“It is a fiction when they are being tracked, ranked, and paid on the basis of the company’s algorithms that they cannot see and cannot challenge.
“The company is protected but every risk is the workers' alone.
"Countries across Europe are already moving to protect low-paid and unprotected platform workers while multinationals continue to resist effective reform.
“The damaging impact of management by algorithm and artificial intelligence may be most obvious in platform work but is spreading fast and far beyond one sector.
“It demands urgent investigation and effective regulation.
“It is beyond time for Scotland to begin ensuring these workers are protected like any other.”
Fair Work minister Tom Arthur said: “The Scottish Government believes that workers should be paid a fair wage for a fair day’s work. Workers should not be put a risk, just for turning up and doing their job. We continue to use Fair Work to drive success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society, and despite not having powers over employment law, Scotland has made significant progress.
“I am concerned that there is a lack of provision in UK legislation relating to issues raised around gig workers, which is something that we have raised and will continue to raise with the UK Government.”
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