In Bordeaux, the delivery workers of Just Eat on strike to denounce their dismissals

Just Eat Takeaway deliverers were on strike this Wednesday all over France. They denounced the massive redundancy plan within the Anglo-Dutch group. Nearly 400 people are preparing to be laid off in 26 cities including Bordeaux by the end of the year. All this only a year after the announcement by Just Eat Takeaway to want to recruit 4,500 people on permanent contracts.

In Bordeaux, they have been up to 120 on permanent contracts in recent months. Today, there are no more than fifteen to continue working and fighting to the end to obtain the best starting conditions. This Wednesday, some of them gathered in the Place du Grand Théâtre at the call of Force Ouvrière before marching through the streets.

Is the salary possible in this sector?

Behind the current situation of this company, there is the question of wages in a sector where precariousness reigns. So is it really possible? Not all delivery people have the same opinion. There are those like Paul from Just Eat Takeaway for whom it takes a drastic decision: “We don’t want to get there, there is only one solution, it’s a government law to force all companies to make salaries because there everyone will be equal and competition will be healthy.”

For others, it is possible even without law and it is above all quite easy to do locally and by diversifying its deliveries. For Christopher, an employee of the Anglo-Dutch group, it’s all about communication to attract customers: “We never advertised our salary model. It’s a shame because I think the public would be very sensitive to that compared to Uber Eat and Deliveroo. People would turn to us a lot more, they say it every day.”

Finally, there are those who are convinced that the salary model is possible. This is the case of Jérémy Wick, a former delivery man at Deliveroo, he created his own company, Blackbird in Bordeaux, with the long-term willingness of his employees, because financially, he claims to be a winner: “We did the calculations with our accountant and it is more profitable with a constant volume of orders to have an employee than a freelancer who can work for several delivery people at the same time and sometimes not be available.”