The life-changing injury suffered by a young Brazilian man on Dublin’s M50 last weekend is the latest in a series of incidents that raise serious questions about regulation – or lack of it – in the food delivery sector. João Ferreira was hit by a Garda car while he and fellow delivery riders were trying to assist a friend recover a stolen bike.
Food delivery workers, most of them migrants and some undocumented, operate on the margins of the mainstream Irish economy. Because of their visa status they essentially rent their right to work for platforms like Deliveroo from others. The bikes they ride are similarly often rented. Their precarious position renders them vulnerable to theft as well as to assaults, some racially motivated. Riders have told The Irish Times they feel the Garda do not take these issues sufficiently seriously, which can lead to the sort of chase that occurred on the M50, and the ensuing accident, which is now being investigated by Gsoc..
None of this – the inappropriate employment status, the ad hoc subcontracting, the violence, the thefts or the sight of people taking the law into their own hands – should be acceptable. The problems are hardly hidden away. Tens of thousands of people avail of these services every day and food couriers are an ever-present sight on our streets. As a society, we all bear responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of these vulnerable workers. It is incumbent on the State, through all relevant departments and agencies, to ensure that immigration law is not being flouted, that the Garda is fulfilling its responsibilities and that the digital platforms on which riders depend for their income are in full compliance with all laws. The fact these platforms can take up to 30 per cent of each customer’s bill in fees illustrates their market dominance. The glaring imbalance between their power and political influence and the powerlessness which the delivery riders clearly feel should make everyone uneasy. If changes in the law are required to protect the workers, these should be considered seriously before more terrible incidents occur.