In recent years, delivering products via couriers has become massive in our country. More and more people who own a bicycle, scooter or car decide to work as a courier or delivery person. They treat it as a basic source of income or as additional work. There are plenty of job offers for couriers and suppliers, their number is probably unheard of in any other profession. At the same time, the requirements for education and experience are small. Deliverers seem to be very important for the country’s economy, and the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns have made it even more visible. At the same time, more and more companies decide to sell their goods and products with delivery to homes, offices, parcel lockers. Along with this, new models of work and new ways of exploiting workers are emerging.
Companies such as Wolt, Uber, Pyszne.pl, Stuart, Glovo are children of evolution in the delivery market, but at the same time a new form of exploitation. This is a kind of work, relatively new in our country, but not at all new in the world. It is based on the so-called sharing economy (gig economy) and the functioning of all services provided by the company via a global electronic platform.
These companies arrived in the country about 10 years ago and offered employees “free choice of hours” and a salary with big bonuses. At the same time, they did not set too high expectations of employees. In fact, anyone who wanted to could work for them.
For many people, such work seems ideal: I decide when I work, the salary depends only on my commitment, apart from the basic work tool (bike, scooter, car) there are basically no other requirements. And even if I don’t have it, there are companies (so-called Partners) who will help me organize documents and the vehicle.
However, what initially seems like a great initiative, over time turns out to be simply exploitation. Platforms are a nebulous working environment that is constantly changing and does not provide any standards of work. We are not employees, we are “associates”, “subcontractors” or “partners”. Platforms do not guarantee anything, they are not responsible for anything. They do not provide the minimum wage, social and health insurance, do not care about the safety of employees, do not cover any expenses related to the performance of work. Even for work clothes we have to pay ourselves – and that’s the employer! They shifted all responsibility for the conditions to us. At the same time, they manipulate us by not applying clear and predictable remuneration criteria. Our position does not depend on our commitment, but on the ratings received by recipients of shipments and on the algorithm used by companies. The algorithm, which of course is the company’s biggest secret. The best example of this manipulation is the use of the famous “multiplier”. When recruiting a new employee, companies declare remuneration, e.g. PLN 15 for the delivered order and exceptionally attractive “multipliers”. But when one day the multiplier can be, for example, 150%, the next day it can even lower the rate! Who and when sets the multiplier? Algorithm! Employees never know when and what multiplier will be applied.