In a ruling issued on October 6, the French Court of Cassation upheld a 2022 judgment finding the platform Deliveroo and its executives guilty of concealing the employment status of individuals working as couriers for the platform. The court ruled that imposing the status of “independent workers” (subcontractors) on the couriers was entirely unlawful, as they were, in reality, under the strict control and direction of the platform. In doing so, the platform circumvented obligations mandated by French labor law.
This judgment is final and upholds all previously imposed penalties. Deliveroo France is required to pay a fine of 375,000 euros—the maximum penalty permitted by law for a company committing this offense. The platform has also been ordered to pay tens of thousands of euros in damages and compensation to the affected couriers and the trade unions that participated in the legal proceedings. Furthermore, Deliveroo is required to make the verdict public by publishing it on its own website and in the press.
The court also convicted individuals serving on the platform’s management team. Adrien de Schompré and Hugues Découflé were each sentenced to a one-year suspended prison term and a fine of 30,000 euros; they were also handed a five-year ban from engaging in business activities. Anton Battista received a lighter sentence: a four-month suspended prison term and a fine of 10,000 euros. #zentrale_international
And furthermore:
There is 1 month and 11 days left until the implementation of the Platform Work Directive.