The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) is calling for remaining food delivery companies to urgently get behind standards in the gig economy in the wake of Menulog shutting down.
With the app no longer to be available in two weeks’ time, the TWU is calling for workers to be prioritised and paid for their work, including a fair exit payment.
The TWU campaigned for over a decade during successive Coalition governments for standards in the gig economy, which was pushing workers outside of Australian workplace protections.
Now with new laws introduced last year by the Albanese government enabling the Fair Work Commission to set standards in the gig economy, the TWU is calling on delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Hungry Panda and Easi to get on board to ensure there are decent standards in place as quickly as possible.
Menulog had supported legislation to put gig economy standards in place, but the TWU says the standards didn’t arrive quickly enough for the platform. Its exit follows the collapse of Deliveroo and Foodora, both companies which rallied against decent protections for transport gig workers.
“This will be a shock to the thousands of food delivery riders who rely on Menulog for income. We will be working to ensure those workers receive pay for their work and fair exit payments over the coming weeks,” TWU national secretary Michael Kaine says.
“In the gig economy, workers are still languishing with below-minimum wage rates, no sick leave or superannuation and pressure to rush to make a living and avoid being deactivated.
“We urgently need standards in the gig economy to stop the relentless downward spiral. New laws introduced by the Albanese government will significantly level the playing field – but DoorDash, Uber Eats, Hungry Panda and Easi now need to come to the table to ensure we get standards in place as soon as possible.”