While bicycle delivery men already face rain and cold to deliver orders, they are also increasingly confronted with racist or xenophobic behavior. Faced with the scale of the phenomenon, certain platforms such as Ubereats or Deliveroo implemented measures last spring. But for now, discrimination continues in the streets of Paris.
2 mins
It’s raining hard this Sunday afternoon in Paris. Ahmed took shelter under the awning of a restaurant while waiting for a delivery, but it is not the rain that bothers this young delivery man the most. “ Sometimes you walk into the restaurant and there are looks and words. Once I ordered the wrong order and gave the wrong one. The person called me by phone saying “Where are you? You thief, come back”. Sometimes we also receive bad reviews or reports even though we haven’t done anything. », Regrets Ahmed.
However, after too many reports, their professional account may be suspended. In 2021, Ubereats surveyed 30,000 delivery workers: one in five admitted to being a victim of racial discrimination. But this figure is underestimated, because many delivery people work illegally, because they are unable to acquire a license.
Also readFrance: racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia on the rise in 2023, according to a CNCDH report
Obtain employee status
For delivery people whose accounts are certified, the delivery platforms have promised measures, in particular to deactivate the accounts of customers and restaurateurs who commit offenses. But for Ludovic Rioux of the CGT transports, this is not enough. “ As long as there is no responsibility placed on the platforms that employ delivery people, this will not solve the problem. “, he laments.
Therefore, the union demands that delivery workers acquire employee status to benefit from the same rights as other employees.
Also readRacism in France: “Testing” has a revealing effect” which “allows us to go to court”