The Paris court imposed, on Tuesday April 19, a fine of 375,000 euros, the maximum provided for, on Deliveroo France judged for “concealed work”, during a first criminal trial in France of “uberization” with as the true status of its deliverers is at stake.
The court fully followed the requisitions of the prosecution who, during the trial last month, had requested the maximum penalty of 375,000 euros in fines against the platform, as well as a one-year suspended prison sentence against two former French managers of the company. “ The offense of concealed work “Is established, said the president of the 31st chamber of the judicial court when announcing the decision. A Deliveroo spokesperson said the platform was “considering” to appeal.
Deliveroo was also ordered to pay 50,000 euros in damages to each of the five unions (CGT, Union Solidaires, Sud commerces et services, Sud commerces et services Ile-de-France and Syndicat des transports Légères) which had brought as civil parties for “moral damage”.
The two leaders who officiated between 2015 and 2017 were also found guilty of “hidden work”. A third executive was found guilty of complicity in concealed work and received a four-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros.
This court decision must be displayed, in particular in front of the premises of Deliveroo for a month, said the court.
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Deliveroo is responsible for ” an instrumentalization and misappropriation of labor regulation “, with the aim of organizing a “ systemic concealment “of delivery jobs who should have been salaried and not self-employed, had estimated during the trial the prosecutor Céline Ducournau whose opinion was confirmed by the court. There ” fraud » set up was unique purpose of employing “to lower cost » its deliverersand no matter if some are ” satisfied of this status or feel free “, had indicated Ms. Ducournau.
(With AFP)