Former Deliveroo rider Jeremy Rhind's wage theft case against Deliveroo will remain unresolved after the gig behemoth's shock exit of the Australian market, with the Federal Circuit Court suspending the matter pending de-registration of the company.
The case was brought by Rhind and supported by the TWU over underpayments of half the minimum wage after the rider calculated he was earning just $10.50 per hour at Deliveroo.
In the decision, Judge Neville reprimanded Deliveroo for the court resources spent on this case during a period that the company must have been aware of plans to vacate Australia.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said this shows the urgent need for fair and sustainable standards to stabilise the gig economy and ensure workers are not ripped off.
"This is another blow to Deliveroo riders who stood to have the company tested over wage theft. Jeremy Rhind bravely stood up and fought for what he and all workers deserve: to be paid at least the minimum wage in Australia. Instead, he calculated earnings of just $10.50 an hour, and we know he was far from the only rider to be significantly underpaid.
"This case, and Deliveroo's cowardly exit from Australia to avoid providing fair and safe pay and conditions for its food delivery riders, have both demonstrated the urgency with which we need enforceable standards in place.
"Deliveroo was the outlier, with Uber and DoorDash instead joining calls for regulatory reform to ensure fair standards across the industry. This regulation would prevent gig behemoths entering the market, ripping off workers and then exiting at their will, leaving workers high and dry and the economy worse off," he said.
