Wolt food couriers gathered in front of the company’s Birkirkara headquarters on Friday to ask it to raise their wages or employ them directly, so they do not have to pay commissions to fleet operators.
Couriers say they pay up to half of their wages to some fleets, with others asking for around a third or two-fifths.
And workers argue the problem has been made worse by recently reduced wages, telling Times of Malta that Wolt is now paying less for the same journeys than it was a year ago.
They would also like to see better working conditions extended to providing refreshment and toilet facilities, explaining many restaurants do not allow them to use bathrooms while waiting for an order.
The company responded that it was focused on maintaining its “independent model,” which it said the “vast majority” of couriers preferred, while insisting wages were up by a quarter between January and March compared to the same period last year.
“Our main goal is for them [Wolt] to raise their pay rate; either they take us directly, or they give us a good rate – whichever way they want to go, we need at least one,” said one courier who asked not to be named for fear of being penalised by his employer.
“If they take us directly, the money will directly come to us, and we won’t have to share any with the fleet,” he said.
He explained that most workers were paid an average of around €3 per delivery – depending on the distance travelled and the time of year – and were usually able to make three or four deliveries per hour, which could be higher in the peak summer months.
The worker stressed that those earnings were before commissions were paid to fleet operators, however.
Couriers said that while some fleets pay courier fuel costs, others do not, with Wolt not paying delivery workers for journeys to collect orders or for waiting times – both of which they would like to see change.
And they argue their situation has been made more difficult by the company lowering wages from the start of this year. They said that while a journey from Birkirkara to Marsascala used to pay between €10 and €12, that figure had now shrunk to around €7.
In a letter delivered to Wolt management yesterday, seen by Times of Malta, Bangladesh Malta Business Association (BMBA) secretary Nazmul Istiak – who is spearheading discussions with Wolt – said the organisation had received “numerous reports” of low pay rates and long working hours from couriers.
An attached petition, said to represent a “significant number” of couriers, demanded revised employment terms and delivery rates, provision of safety equipment, medical services and staff meals or vouchers and designated driver service points featuring toilets, rest areas and phone charging stations, among other changes.
Food couriers say they struggle to cover fleet charges. Photo: Matthew MirabelliA spokesperson for Wolt stressed the “vast majority of couriers globally prefer to remain independent, and we want to respect that choice,” adding that as a result the company did not provide employment benefits or amenities.
He rejected claims the company had reduced wages, saying earnings were up by “around 24%” in the first quarter of this year compared to the last, and said higher earnings for peak hours and earning “boosts” remained in place.
He said yesterday’s meeting between the company and a “small group of courier partners” was “constructive, with both sides agreeing to continue the dialogue moving forward”.
Last month, some 39 fleet operators began to be arraigned after an investigation carried out by the Department For Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) found they had breached employment laws governing food couriers.
The investigation allegedly found widespread breaches of the Digital Platform Delivery Wages Council Wage Regulation Order, brought in three years ago to give employee rights such as minimum wage, sick leave and overtime rates to workers. Others were charged with breaching the Employment and Industrial Relations Act.
The breaches meant workers missed out on hundreds of thousands of euros, the court heard.
