"The less you charge, the more work they give you": riders denounce the "downward auction" of their conditions

The UGT union has denounced before the Labor Inspectorate "the low auction" that Glovo applies to the distributors, so that if they do not do it for the minimum, € 0.34 per kilometer, "the algorithm that distributes the orders does not takes them into account ".

One way he assures in his complaint, to circumvent the

It is explained by Fernando García from the Riders por Derechos collective.

The worker who lowers his conditions the most receives more orders.

"To those of us who don't want to give away our work, they hardly reach us."

The problem, he assures, after leaving dinner to a client in a fifth without elevator, is that "we have become the new day laborers in the town square, but now with cool applications."

What does Glovo say?

That the possibility of receiving orders does not depend on algorithms, but on "the supply and demand of each moment and other indicators such as distance".

He adds that they hope to hire "about 2,000 delivery drivers directly before the end of the year" because at the moment they are working "against the clock" to adapt to the new law.

Value your work downward 

Rubén Ranz, coordinator of digital platforms at UGT, assures that the Labor Inspectorate is investigating this formula of distributing work among those who charge the least for doing it.

A practice that "is leading the riders themselves to compete with each other for the cheapest order, because it is the only way to get income."

Despite this, it makes a positive reading a few weeks after the application of the

even recognizing the uncertainty that

workers are experiencing at this time

after announcing their departure from Spain.

"The platforms are already hiring their distributors and there are new companies that start up with these conditions such as

or

"The law, he adds, has not caused the flight of platforms" but "now investors know how much they have to invest in Spain, and what is the cost of the worker."

Invisibles on wheels

However, it has not managed to stop another reality that moves on two wheels, that of renting accounts.

They are commission agents who "rent" to third parties the account they have with one of these distribution platforms, and take up to 30% of the work of others, for doing nothing.

Adrián is one of these invisible riders in plain sight who moves around Madrid with his electric scooter.

He came from Colombia and now lives on one of these rented accounts for which he pays 30% of what he earns.

"We do it because we are nowhere, we are nothing."

A reality that is growing, and that according to Ranz takes advantage of the need of migrants who do not have a work permit.

Adrián is confident that better times will come, but for now, his voice conveys resignation: "you have to live what you have to do, you can't live the air."