Leigh Day announce potential legal action against Deliveroo

Law firm Leigh Day have announced that they are advising Deliveroo riders on a potential legal action against the food and drink delivery company over the rights of their workers, including the right to receive holiday pay and be paid at least the National Minimum Wage.

Deliveroo, a company which delivers takeaway food and drink from restaurants to customers and operates in cities throughout the UK, currently claims that is delivery riders are self-employed contractors and therefore not entitled to even the most basic of workers’ rights.

Lawyers from Leigh Day, who last year won a landmark victory in the employment tribunal against the taxi and transportation service Uber over the rights of their workers, said that a successful claim against Deliveroo could see substantial compensation for riders for alleged past failures to make appropriate payments.

Deliveroo riders are recruited by Deliveroo, a process which involves an interview, a trial shift and online tests, they are required to wear a Deliveroo-branded uniform and to use a Deliveroo branded box, they are given very specific instructions about how and where they work, they are subject to performance reviews and their terms and rate of pay are determined by Deliveroo.

Lawyers from the employment team at Leigh Day will argue that this means that they are not self-employed and are therefore being unlawfully denied employment rights and protections.

Annie Powell, a lawyer in the employment team at Leigh Day, said: “The idea that Deliveroo riders are self-employed contractors in business on their own account and that Deliveroo is a customer of each rider’s business is absurd.

“Deliveroo riders carry out the sole function of Deliveroo – to deliver food and drink from restaurants to customers – and are tightly controlled by Deliveroo in what is clearly a dependent work relationship.

“We will argue that Deliveroo has no reasonable grounds to argue that its riders are self-employed contractors and that it should immediately ensure that its riders are paid at least the National Minimum Wage and receive paid holiday.”