BEING A COURIER IS AN INTERESTING OPTION

The author of our new brochure “Platformizując Polskę” is Stanisław Kierwiak, a member of the board of the Confederation of Labor Trade Union at Pyszne.pl (Thank you!). You can find the brochure here , and today we are reminding you of our conversation from almost a year ago.

Hi Stanisław. You are a courier, but also the chairman of the Confederation of Labor Couriers Pyszne.pl. But before we ask you about that, let’s start from the beginning: how did you end up working for Platform? When?

I started working at Pyszne in February 2022. I was looking for an additional job at the time and courier seemed like an interesting option to me.

Do you like this job? Is there anything interesting about it at all?
I like it, it’s nice to wander around the city, visit new places and meet new people. Overall, I think the job itself is really cool.

And are there any dark sides to this profession?
The courier industry is currently a chaotic zone. There are no clear rules that would guarantee minimum standards. This causes a race to the bottom – companies systematically worsen working conditions.

Have you had any situations at work when other people (suppliers) helped you? Was there any situation when you were really afraid?
Many times other suppliers helped me, especially at the beginning of my job I had to learn a lot and my colleagues were happy to give me advice. I have never had a situation in which I felt threatened, but I have had dangerous situations on the road – fortunately, I did not get injured.

What happened that made you deal with union issues?

Quite soon after starting work I noticed many things that I considered unacceptable, they resulted from the huge advantage that the company has over individual employees. A trade union gives us a tool to reduce this power imbalance. Employees who stick together can do more.

What does the reality of unions look like? What does your business consist of?

We negotiate with the company, present our demands, collect information, intervene in individual cases of our members. We try to help every courier who contacts us. Sometimes there is a lot of work, fortunately we have committed members who help write letters, prepare graphics or video materials.

If you were to indicate the 3 most urgent matters to deal with in your work as a Platform Supplier, what would they be?

Normal employment conditions – i.e. no more intermediaries, risky tax optimization schemes, lack of standard entitlements such as paid leave.

Clear and transparent rules regarding the performance of work, operation of the algorithm, contacts with dispatch/support, etc.

Stability of working conditions and remuneration. No more worsening the situation of couriers by boiling a frog.

Your greatest success?
A year ago, in the winter, there was a strike by Pyszne.pl couriers, the main reason being that the company introduced a bonus for working in winter conditions only in three cities in Poland. The weather affects everyone equally, so it was widely considered unfair. Thanks to the mobilization of the strikers, this year the winter bonus was in all cities in the country.

And what makes union activity difficult?

The law regulating the activity of unions in Poland is not adapted to contemporary reality. It does not take into account, for example, the specificity of employment on a contract for services. In our opinion, the scandal is the lack of authorization for unions to conduct direct electronic communication with employees, e.g. via a mailing list.

As unionists, do you only deal with the situation at the employee-Platform interface? And have you ever intervened in a conflict situation between an Employee and a Customer?
There has never been such a situation. We have discussed the attitude of some resto towards couriers, we believe that there should be no situations where a courier is forced to wait outside for collection in bad weather (and the resto takes place inside) or, for example, is denied the opportunity to use the toilet. Fortunately, these situations are very rare.

The European Union has adopted the Platform Work Directive, which is to be implemented in Poland within two years. What do you think about it?
I see a great chance for the situation to improve, but I also have many concerns. Let me put it this way: we have been observing a systematic deterioration of working conditions in the courier industry for several years, the directive gives hope for stopping this process. There is not much of an alternative in sight, we cannot wait passively. We believe that we need to try to fight for a law in the government that will be as beneficial to employees as possible. Platform lobbyists have been operating in this field for a long time, we should not give it to them by default.

Finally, a practical question: If you could give some advice to people who are just starting out as a Supplier, what would you tell them? What should they pay attention to and what should they avoid?
All advertisements and promises from platforms and partners should be treated with caution. It is worth keeping in mind seasonal changes in the industry, in winter it is easy to get orders or working hours, but in summer it can be problematic – unfortunately stability and the uniqueness of earnings is very limited, which should not happen. The strategy of companies is often based on the lack of clear rules and information, it is worth talking to other couriers and finding out what the situation is like on a specific platform or in a specific city.

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