Kevin Abela, Section Secretary for Food and Hospitality at the GWU, weighs in on the current strike
The General Workers’ Union (GWU) has weighed in on the ongoing strike by Wolt couriers, warning that the current commission-based payment system used by many delivery platforms is “in itself illegal.”
“While I fully understand the couriers’ claim, in itself it is completely wrong,” Kevin Abela, Section Secretary for Food and Hospitality at the GWU told BusinessNow.mt.
“It is wrong not in terms of money earned but in the very nature of the payment they received. Let’s understand that the very fact that many couriers are still being paid a commission is in itself illegal since they should be earning a basic wage irrespective of the value of the orders being delivered.”
Mr Abela confirmed that some couriers had approached the GWU for assistance following the recent changes to their pay structure. “Talks were held with the representative of the association who in turn after obtaining details from Wolt reassured us that ultimately the per hour/day earning did not have any material change,” he said. “Yet I reiterate that this method of compensation should not be made.”
He explained that the GWU’s food and hospitality section is “actively negotiating with the association a comprehensive MOU which will give these employees full employee status and rights associated with such status.”
According to Mr Abela, this forthcoming Memorandum of Understanding will pave the way for collective agreements between the GWU and individual operators in the sector. These agreements, he said, will ensure couriers receive “a basic wage irrespective of deliveries made, a working week of 40 hours, overtime payments for any hours worked over the 40 hours, no deductions for fuel, mobile connectivity etc. from wages, [and that] wage payments [are] to be made only directly to bank accounts irrespective of the date of joining with the company (no cash payments).”
The GWU’s intervention follows widespread unrest among Malta’s food delivery riders, with many striking to protest a sharp decline in per-delivery earnings.
The Government has previously announced plans to formalise the employment conditions of couriers through unionisation and collective agreements aimed at curbing abuse within the gig economy.
