The way we buy groceries has undergone a dramatic shift, driven by the pandemic and our insatiable desire for convenience. Meal kits arrive at our doorstep, and essential ingredients can be ordered in minutes. But this on-demand revolution raises a critical question: what impact does it have on the delivery workers fulfilling our orders?
In the final part of our three-part series, “The Price We Don’t Pay,” we delve into the risks associated with modern slavery in the food delivery and distribution sector.
We explore the factors contributing to exploitation and provide actionable steps for workers, businesses and consumers to create a more ethical supply chain.
The price of convenience: a delivery system at risk
The pandemic’s grip on everyday life forced supermarkets to adapt. Gone were leisurely browsing trips; sterile aisles and limited access became the norm. As anxieties rose, online grocery delivery thrived. Supermarkets embraced speedy on-demand services through partnerships with apps, a far cry from simple pre-booking.
This convenience remains popular, with rapid delivery promoted alongside healthy meal kits – a tempting alternative to takeaways. But amidst this grocery revolution, a vital question lingers: how has this demanding shift impacted the wellbeing of delivery workers?
Food delivery: a breeding ground for exploitation?
On the surface, grocery deliveries offer undeniable benefits: convenience, encouraging healthier eating at home, and potentially lower costs. However, often hidden in plain sight, the deliveries arriving at our doorsteps could be linked to exploitation.
Food delivery, like any good transported directly to our homes, relies on people to ensure orders reach their destinations safely. Unfortunately, the exploitation risk already present in UK farms, food processing, and manufacturing can extend further through exploitative practices within the delivery and distribution network.
There are long-standing reports of risks within the logistics industry, with the gig economy notorious for poor working conditions and compromised pay.
Recent strikes by delivery drivers serve as a stark reminder of these concerns for worker wellbeing. In addition to low and long working hours, one news outlet reported that delivery drivers often “work in dangerous environments, dealing with drunk people, bike thefts and racism.”
Common signs of exploitation in food delivery
Signs of exploitations across the food delivery sector can include:
- No access to ID or employment contract.
- Earnings below the National Minimum Wage.
- Workers experiencing abuse.
- Workers getting paid into someone else’s bank account.
- Living in job-linked accommodation.
- Forced to work on behalf of another driver without proper remuneration.
- Working excessively long hours while someone else takes a portion of your earnings.
- Feeling threatened or controlled.
Factors contributing to exploitation in food delivery
Here are some of the factors that drive potential exploitation:
Self-employed status
When ordering groceries online through a supermarket website, your delivery driver might be a direct employee. However, drivers working through food delivery apps are often self-employed and lack the same rights and entitlements as direct employees.
This lack of direct employment increases the risk of exploitation, as self-employed workers might not have access to company policies, grievance mechanisms, or confidential reporting channels (whistleblowing lines). This lack of protection makes them more vulnerable to exploitative practices.
Race to the bottom and its impact on working conditions
The lack of employment protections for self-employed delivery riders is further exacerbated by the intense competition between stores and delivery apps to win over customers. This fierce battle for your business, with promises of lower prices, faster service, and cheaper delivery fees, sets off a race to the bottom.
In this race, companies try to undercut each other, often by lowering delivery fees. This, in turn, puts a tremendous strain on delivery riders. They’re forced to accept lower pay and work longer hours just to keep up with their workload, squeezing their earnings even further.
These pressures directly translate into poor working conditions for riders. Paid per job, not by the hour, it becomes difficult to guarantee minimum wage, especially with recent cuts in delivery fees. These cuts leave riders with even less money, especially after covering expenses like fuel and bike upkeep.
These long hours aren’t just a choice – the system itself pushes riders to work longer just to make ends meet. This pressure can lead to exhaustion, safety concerns, and difficulty accessing basic necessities like proper breaks or healthcare.
Limited worker due diligence
The way deliveries are handled within the on-demand food industry can create blind spots for exploitation. Due diligence, which means checking things like someone’s right to work, can be difficult when drivers are self-employed. This difficulty is amplified by the solitary nature of delivery work.
One major challenge is the practice of sharing logins and accounts. This lets the main account holder delegate deliveries to others. The responsibility for due diligence, including verifying the right to work, then falls on the driver holding the main account, creating a gap in company oversight.
Three major delivery app companies are introducing a new system to tighten security checks among substitute riders, which might help address this issue. Having a clearer picture of who’s making deliveries could be a step towards reducing potential exploitation.
Similar risks exist for workers in traditional courier roles, where temporary and agency staff are often involved. If companies don’t carefully check the legitimacy of recruitment agencies or conduct thorough checks on workers themselves, exploitative practices can slip through the cracks.
Promoting ethical practices in food delivery
The good news is, there are steps businesses, workers and consumers can take to address these concerns and promote ethical practices within the food delivery and distribution sector.
- Know your rights: Workers can access the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline. This free, confidential service offers guidance if you witness exploitation or have concerns about your own working situation.
- Join a union: Several unions across London and the UK like GMB advocate for better pay and working conditions for delivery drivers. Consider joining one for support and collective bargaining power.
- Protect yourself with a contract: Always strive to have a contract or written agreement outlining your basic terms of work, including pay and working conditions. This document helps ensure you understand your rights and can be used as reference if needed.
- Spot the signs: Learn how to recognise signs of modern slavery and exploitation.
- Consider delivery costs: While low delivery fees might seem attractive, remember they could be a red flag for worker exploitation. Compare delivery fees across platforms and factor them into your overall grocery bill. Sometimes, choosing a slightly higher fee can support a company with a better track record on worker rights.
- Report your concerns: If you witness any of the signs, don’t hesitate to call the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline. Your report could make a difference.
- Look for transparency: Research the delivery platforms you use. Check their website for a modern slavery statement that shows their commitment to ethical sourcing and fair treatment of workers.
- Leave reviews and feedback: Share your positive experiences with companies known for ethical practices. Alternatively, if you have concerns about a platform’s labour practices, let them know through their customer service channels. Consumers’ voices can influence change.
- Raise awareness: Unseen can support you to educate drivers about modern slavery through targeted campaigns and training programmes.
- Simplify reporting: Integrate an Unseen widget into your delivery app. This one-click button connects drivers directly to our confidential Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline for reporting concerns, either by phone or web form.
- Join the Unseen Business Portal: Unseen provides access to exclusive data on potential exploitation and labour abuse within your driver or supplier network. If cases arise, our expert team works collaboratively to implement effective solutions, remediation plans, and preventative measures.
- Extend protections to all workers: Even if drivers are self-employed, they deserve a safe working environment and access to support. Extend key policies and processes to include drivers, so they understand how to report concerns and access assistance.
- Prioritise due diligence: Modern slavery considerations should be factored into your due diligence process when onboarding new suppliers, recruitment agencies, or other third parties. Ask targeted questions to understand their practices and the potential for exploitation.
For businesses operating in the food delivery sector and interested in implementing the above, Unseen offers free 20-minute consultation. Contact us on [email protected] to learn more.
Explore the series
Our series, “The Price We Don’t Pay,” delves deep into the hidden issue of modern slavery within the entire UK food chain – from farm to fork. Aimed to empower UK food businesses to tackle risks, each part tackles a specific sector:
- Part 1: The Price We Don’t Pay: Modern Slavery in UK Agriculture explores the broader issue of modern slavery behind the UK Seasonal Worker Visa scheme and how we’re working towards a fairer farming system.
- Part 2: The Price We Don’t Pay: Modern Slavery in UK Food Manufacturing explores exploitation within food production and how businesses can strengthen their practices.
