Life as a Food Delivery Worker: Invisible and Exploited
In the UK, thousands of migrant workers are struggling to make ends meet in the food delivery industry. Despite their long hours and low pay, many riders feel invisible and exploited by platforms like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat.
The reality is stark for these workers. Many have had to turn to multiple jobs just to survive, including cleaning toilets to supplement their meager income from delivering food. The low earnings mean that riders often have to choose between eating or putting money aside, leaving them feeling constantly anxious about how they will pay the bills.
"Sometimes men open the door naked," says Marina, a Brazilian woman who juggles two jobs to support her 12- and 18-year-old daughters. "One man I delivered food to tried to pull me inside his house. Another slapped me across the face in the street."
These incidents are not isolated, with many riders reporting similar experiences of harassment and assault from customers. The trauma is taking a toll on their mental health, with some feeling like they have been "deleted" as humans from the business model.
"It's a very modern kind of slavery," says Mohammed, a Syrian refugee who works as a Deliveroo rider. "The slave driver is the app that sends us our orders."
Working conditions are harsh, with riders facing long hours, rain-soaked streets, and poor visibility, which increases the risk of accidents. The platforms claim to care about safety, but many riders feel that their concerns are ignored.
"We offer a flexible way for thousands of couriers to earn while being able to choose when, where, and for how long they work," says Uber Eats. But this flexibility comes at a cost, with riders often forced to take on multiple orders just to make ends meet.
Ahmed, a Turkish migrant who works as a delivery rider, echoes Marina's sentiments. "For a single person renting one room it is just about possible to survive on delivery rider income," he says. "But I don't see anyone who has a family being able to afford to rent a flat on this money."
The exploitation of migrant workers in the food delivery industry is not unique to these platforms, however. A recent study by researchers at Birmingham University found that the UK's food delivery sector is a "testing ground" for a new model of migration governance.
"The UK food delivery sector has become a 'testing ground' for a new model of migration governance," says Professor Nando Sigona. "This work is advertised as 'flexible' and 'empowering', but in reality, it fuses work automatisation, digital surveillance, and immigration enforcement."
As the situation continues to deteriorate, unions are stepping in to fight for better working conditions and rights for delivery riders. The GMB has a voluntary agreement with Deliveroo, which guarantees that riders will be paid at least the national minimum wage plus costs for their time on an order.
For now, many riders like Marina are forced to continue juggling multiple jobs just to survive. But they refuse to be ignored or erased from the business model. "We are human beings and we are doing hard, honest work," says Marina. "My older daughter has started college and is studying health and social care. I hope that by supporting my kids with my food delivery riding, I can help them break the cycle of poverty and ensure they won't have to do this work."
In the UK, thousands of migrant workers are struggling to make ends meet in the food delivery industry. Despite their long hours and low pay, many riders feel invisible and exploited by platforms like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat.
The reality is stark for these workers. Many have had to turn to multiple jobs just to survive, including cleaning toilets to supplement their meager income from delivering food. The low earnings mean that riders often have to choose between eating or putting money aside, leaving them feeling constantly anxious about how they will pay the bills.
"Sometimes men open the door naked," says Marina, a Brazilian woman who juggles two jobs to support her 12- and 18-year-old daughters. "One man I delivered food to tried to pull me inside his house. Another slapped me across the face in the street."
These incidents are not isolated, with many riders reporting similar experiences of harassment and assault from customers. The trauma is taking a toll on their mental health, with some feeling like they have been "deleted" as humans from the business model.
"It's a very modern kind of slavery," says Mohammed, a Syrian refugee who works as a Deliveroo rider. "The slave driver is the app that sends us our orders."
Working conditions are harsh, with riders facing long hours, rain-soaked streets, and poor visibility, which increases the risk of accidents. The platforms claim to care about safety, but many riders feel that their concerns are ignored.
"We offer a flexible way for thousands of couriers to earn while being able to choose when, where, and for how long they work," says Uber Eats. But this flexibility comes at a cost, with riders often forced to take on multiple orders just to make ends meet.
Ahmed, a Turkish migrant who works as a delivery rider, echoes Marina's sentiments. "For a single person renting one room it is just about possible to survive on delivery rider income," he says. "But I don't see anyone who has a family being able to afford to rent a flat on this money."
The exploitation of migrant workers in the food delivery industry is not unique to these platforms, however. A recent study by researchers at Birmingham University found that the UK's food delivery sector is a "testing ground" for a new model of migration governance.
"The UK food delivery sector has become a 'testing ground' for a new model of migration governance," says Professor Nando Sigona. "This work is advertised as 'flexible' and 'empowering', but in reality, it fuses work automatisation, digital surveillance, and immigration enforcement."
As the situation continues to deteriorate, unions are stepping in to fight for better working conditions and rights for delivery riders. The GMB has a voluntary agreement with Deliveroo, which guarantees that riders will be paid at least the national minimum wage plus costs for their time on an order.
For now, many riders like Marina are forced to continue juggling multiple jobs just to survive. But they refuse to be ignored or erased from the business model. "We are human beings and we are doing hard, honest work," says Marina. "My older daughter has started college and is studying health and social care. I hope that by supporting my kids with my food delivery riding, I can help them break the cycle of poverty and ensure they won't have to do this work."
. They're literally working their butts off just to make ends meet and no one cares about their well-being. It's crazy how platforms like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, etc are making money off them without even treating them as human beings. Riders are getting harassed, slapped, and even assaulted on the job and still we're expected to be grateful for some "flexible" work opportunity 
. The fact that they have to juggle multiple jobs just to survive is just heartbreaking. When will someone step up and say enough is enough? We need better working conditions, fair pay, and respect for these workers 
The food delivery industry is literally treating migrant workers like dirt 
They should also look into improving safety conditions and addressing mental health issues. This is a modern slavery issue, plain and simple 
i mean theyre already working like 12 hour shifts on rainy days with bad visibility no wonder they gotta do multiple jobs 
and its just not fair that they get taxed & penalised for being late or taking breaks 
u know what's crazy? the other day i tried making these crazy-delicious chicken tikka masala and it was SOOOO good!!! 
anyway, back to this food delivery worker thing... isn't it wild that they're struggling so much? 
i mean, don't get me wrong, i love a good meal from my fave food spot as much as the next person 
deliveroo/ubereats etc need to step up their game and prioritize rider safety and mental health over profits 
like marina from brazil her story is wild she's got 2 kids & has 2 jobs just 2 make ends meet & still gets harassed & assaulted by customers like it's no big deal for the companies tho 
they're all about that flexi work but really its just a way 4 them 2 exploit ppl 
u gotta be mad 4 these riders 
but seriously though its not cool that these people are being treated like dirt 
my friend's cousin works as a food delivery driver and she said its super stressful and long hours too 
it aint right at all. platforms gotta step up & take responsibility for the way they treat these ppl. we cant just ignore the exploitation anymore 
and then dealing with harassment and assault from customers? like what's wrong with ppl who think its ok to touch women without consent? 
theyre literally delivering food like its nobodies business but theyre still struggling to make ends meet & even then theyre worried about getting harassed or assaulted on the job 
it aint right that platforms are makin money off these workers while they barely scrape by. and the thing is, its not just the customers who r the problem, its also the systems in place that perpetuate this exploitation 
and then wonder why the migrant workers feel invisible and exploited 
its time for some real change, not just a few token gestures 
We need unions stepping up to fight for better working conditions and rights ASAP 
.
. At least there's hope that things will change and these workers can get the respect they deserve 
.
Delivery workers are literally burning the midnight oil just to pay the bills but no one cares about their well-being 
. Sources on how many migrant workers are in this industry would be helpful, btw 
, it's time we start treating our food delivery riders with some respect and dignity 
. It's not too much to ask, right? 
these platforms are just profiting off poor people's back, it's like, no respect for workers whatsoever 
. and don't even get me started on the whole 'deletion as human being' vibe