Talabat says riders refused to make deliveries in dispute over pay
Talabat said its operations in Dubai were disrupted on Monday night when riders refused to make food deliveries amid calls for higher wages.
The operator said riders, who are employed by third-party agencies, had announced they intended to refuse to work.
It said it had been liaising over action planned for yesterday, but a number of riders appeared to have brought that forward to Monday.
Images on social media appeared to show several dozen riders parked outside Talabat kitchens in the emirate.
The action, which would be illegal if classed by the authorities as a strike, follows a similar situation last week with Deliveroo, which reversed plans to cut the fee it pays for each food drop-off by nearly 15 per cent.
“Talabat is committed to ensure that riders can continue to rely on our platform in order to provide for their families, having decent stable gross monthly earnings of around Dh3,500 on average,” said Talabat UAE.
It said organisers encouraged riders to sign on for shifts remotely, then to remain at their places of accommodation.
Talabat uses about 20,000 riders nationwide. It was not known how many were involved in the action, but it appeared to be far fewer.
Riders said they were paid about Dh7.50 to deliver each order, and that the rising cost of fuel was hitting earnings.
The payment is lower than the Dh10.25 an order that Deliveroo pays, which it had planned to cut to Dh8.75. On social media, riders said they needed at least Dh10 an order to get by.
Talabat claimed compact operating areas allow riders to maximise their earnings by cutting out long journeys and waiting times.
“Until last week, rider pay satisfaction was well above 70 per cent and we haven’t updated our payment model recently,” the company said.
“We understand economic and political realities are changing constantly and we will always continue to listen to what riders have to say.”
Talabat is the Middle East delivery unit of Germany’s Delivery Hero and has operations across the Middle East.
In March, it struck a surprise deal with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to become its brand ambassador.
It is not known how much the Manchester United player was paid for the deal.
Deliveroo UAE says it is investigating claims that third party agencies made riders pay for their own visas, which is against federal law.
Riders said medical insurance, which is mandatory in Dubai and Abu Dhabi but not in the Northern Emirates, was not provided by some rider agencies.
Talabat’s riders say they are paid about Dh7.50 to deliver an order and the rising cost of fuel is hitting their earnings