Deliveroo Couriers Protest in Vienna Against Layoffs

Couriers working for the food delivery service Deliveroo staged a demonstration in Vienna on Tuesday afternoon to protest against the planned termination of their entire workforce by the end of June, as well as the shift to independent contracts. The delivery fleet, which previously consisted of approximately 850 riders, is now facing significant changes.

The demonstration, organized by the labor union vida in collaboration with the Riders Collective, highlights the growing discontent among couriers as they face job insecurity. In mid-March, Deliveroo announced intentions to align its logistics model with the Austrian industry standard over the coming months. Unlike competitors such as Foodora and Wolt, Deliveroo had primarily employed its riders on a permanent basis.

As part of these changes, the company indicated that it would have to lay off around 600 couriers and approximately 65 additional employees at its locations in Vienna and other regions. The layoffs have already been reported to the Austrian Employment Service's early warning system.

Negotiations for a social plan are currently underway between the union and Deliveroo. According to vida, there have been no conclusive results yet, but discussions will continue this week. The focus of these negotiations includes severance payments, paid job search days, and training opportunities for affected employees. The union anticipates that there might be notice periods extending beyond the legal minimum of six weeks, allowing Deliveroo to maintain operations until the dissolution of its current logistics company.

Since early 2020, there has been a collective agreement in Austria for bicycle couriers. As of early 2023, the gross monthly salary for full-time bicycle couriers under this agreement was set at EUR1,730 (net EUR1,440). For context, the poverty risk threshold, as reported by Statistics Austria for 2023, was EUR1,572 per month for a single-person household. More recent data is not yet available.

Last year, several warning strikes occurred among food couriers demanding higher wages and improved working conditions. According to union estimates, around 2,000 out of approximately 5,000 bicycle couriers in Austria were employed, while the remainder operated as independent contractors.

The situation has also caught the attention of political leaders. Towards the end of March, the Green Party submitted a resolution proposal to the Social Committee of the National Council in response to the layoff announcements at Deliveroo. The proposal aims to urge the government and relevant ministers to expedite the implementation of the EU directive on platform work. A timely implementation would establish the necessary legal framework for the proper classification of workers and associated labor rights. The government is expected to present a legislative proposal for implementing the directive by the end of September 2025, ensuring that the changes can take effect by early 2026.