The Transport Workers' Union is seeking an urgent meeting with Deliveroo's administrators on workers' entitlements and data protection following news that the gig behemoth will exit Australia.
The TWU has called a meeting with its Deliveroo rider members devastated over the sudden loss of their jobs.
The TWU has previously exposed worker abuses at Deliveroo including unilateral pay cuts, a rating system that puts deadly pressure on workers to rush, and the unfair sacking of rider Diego Franco after the algorithm determined he wasn't delivering food quickly enough.
Deliveroo has always been the outlier of the gig industry in Australia, railing against reform supported by Uber and DoorDash to level the playing field for companies while lifting standards for workers under deadly pressures.
TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said workers must be the priority for administrators while the Federal Government must urgently act on its commitment to gig reform and fair standards for all transport workers.
"This will be a shock to the thousands of food delivery riders who rely on Deliveroo for income. The TWU has sought urgent consultation with administrators on what entitlements might be clawed back for food delivery riders who stand to lose their jobs in the blink of an eye. These are workers that have been ripped off minimum wage and other rights, and put under deadly pressure to prioritise speed over safety when delivering food.
"Deliveroo's sudden and cowardly act treating workers as callously in exit as it did in operation highlights the urgent need for the Federal Government to enact gig reform. Transport workers were hit first and hardest by the gig tsunami and are now being left high and dry by Deliveroo at the first indication that it can't rely on exploitation to make profits.
"Workers are reliving the Foodora departure of 2018, following the pressure of the TWU's successful unfair dismissal case on behalf of rider Josh Klooger and an investigation by the ATO. It is clear that urgent regulation is necessary to stabilise this industry and ensure workers are treated fairly, can work safely, and have secure jobs," Kaine said.
In 2018, Foodora's administrators found its workers had been misclassified and were in fact employees, with parent company Delivery Hero later paying $3 million in backpay.
