Uncertainty and lack of control in the first month of riders hired at Glovo

BarcelonaAfter ten years of using false self-employment, this is the first summer in which Glovo's delivery drivers are already hired as employees, a decisive transformation of the model that is taking time to implement. The new operation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, has started at forced marches and several sources from the workers explain to ARA that, so far, this first month has been marked by uncertainty and internal chaos, which have ignited discontent among the workers. riders"There's disorganization, but above all there's uncertainty. The migration from the self-employed to the salaried model has brought many technical problems," notes Franz Morales, a former delivery driver and head of the new work realities team at CCOO Catalunya. The company, for its part, notes that the change has been very rapid and has been implemented in more than 900 cities.

For example, riders Those linked to the CGT (Working Council of Workers) in Barcelona criticize the platform for modifying schedules without prior notice, but also for the fact that rest periods between workdays are often not respected or the maximum hours planned for the week are exceeded. "Especially the first two weeks were the most chaotic, with many changes. My first week I didn't choose schedules. They were assigned to me automatically, I don't know if by a person or an algorithm," explains a courier, referring to the incidents. These couriers have obtained contracts that reach a maximum of 30 hours per week (plus 7 additional hours), some after rejecting previous offers of 14-hour contracts with which they could not financially sustain themselves.

Glovo has decided to split salaries into two payments, so couriers are paid on the 10th and 25th of each month. Due to the agreement chosen by the company –the state-owned courier company- has been outdated since 2006, the salary scale is completely outdated, and delivery workers receive the minimum interprofessional wage (SMI), which is now €16,576 per year in 14 installments. Although the vehicles continue to be provided by their couriers, Glovo now pays them for mileage, five euros per month to compensate for phone use for work, and some incentives provided for in the agreement.

Collapse in human resources

Another recurring complaint about this transition period is that the company only has a few hours to personally address any problems that arise. riders. In Barcelona, this office remains open three days a week for two hours a day, considering that Glovo delivery drivers in the capital number in the thousands. "Two hours of service are insufficient given the current situation. Emails are completely overloaded," emphasize sources from the CGT (General Consulate of the City of Barcelona), who met with the company in early July to discuss these problems.

The overload of service has also made it difficult for some delivery drivers to resolve issues such as the employee platform crashing and being unable to start delivering despite having accepted the contract. This past week, some riders Barcelona residents received a rather disconcerting notice in which the company lamented the tragic news of his death. Finally, one of the operations managers—the middle manager Glovo is hastily hiring to liaise with the staff—acknowledged that it was a technical error that left their accounts temporarily blocked. "There's some commotion regarding management issues. There are people who request vacation time and don't get a response," explains Fernando García, UGT union representative at Glovo in Madrid.

More than 14,000 delivery workers

Regarding these incidents, a spokesperson for the Catalan company recalls that the change in operations "has occurred in a very short time, in more than 900 cities across the country and with more than 14,000 delivery drivers who have accepted the contract with the platform." "Our main objective has been to offer delivery drivers the best possible experience and for the service to continue operating normally for restaurants and users," he adds.

One of the company's internal concerns in this new phase with contracted delivery drivers is that delivery times for their orders will increase too much, which will anger customers. As ARA has been able to verify, Glovo has already sent an email to its staff explaining its new policy to avoid delays. The rules are quite ambiguous and only warn that there will be an "average time per service," which will be communicated and adjusted periodically based on the area, volume, and type of vehicle. Delivery drivers can report unforeseen situations—an accident, bad weather, or an incident at the restaurant—through the app, but the company will monitor their performance and discipline them if necessary.

Precisely, the sanctions have already generated some tensions between the riders. "There has been some controversy because it's not clear that the agreement is being properly enforced. People are accustomed to a dynamic that Glovo itself has accustomed them to: they've been working for years without set schedules and they log in whenever they want. Now we have to find a balance between both parties, and that will take months or years," García emphasizes. According to the agreement, minor infractions are punishable by a written warning; serious infractions by a suspension of employment and pay of 1 to 15 days; and very serious infractions by a suspension of 16 to 120 days or dismissal.

Some were also surprised that with the arrival of the labor model, one of the filters that Glovo used to control the rental of accounts by undocumented migrants, which has become widespread on the platform, has also disappeared. In recent months, the facial recognition system that required delivery drivers to show their faces to verify their identity and prevent this type of fraud has been deactivated.

The next step in the normalization of labor relations at Glovo will be the calling of union elections. The first were scheduled to take place in Pamplona this Friday, August 8, but an arbitration ruling ultimately delayed them due to a discrepancy over the number of voters. "It's a process with the normal obstacles, given that Glovo employs almost 15,000 workers and is suddenly one of the largest companies in Spain in terms of number of employees," concludes García.