Further strike action and boycotts are being planned by Just Eat delivery drivers following hugely detrimental changes to their pay and conditions, which drivers estimate will leave them as much as 28% worse off.

Toby Perkins, MP for Chesterfield, met with local drivers to discuss their concerns and the impact the changes are having on their income.

Drivers went on strike before Christmas after their employer Stuart Delivery, a sub-contractor of Just Eat, slashed the base rate of pay per delivery by 24 percent from £4.50 to £3.40

Toby said, “This is a shabby way to treat workers, particularly when they have worked so hard through the pandemic, which saw a big surge in takeaway orders. When you also consider the cost of living crisis and surge in petrol prices, these workers are simply not going to be able to afford to pay their bills and put food on the table. It’s mad at a time when businesses across the country are struggling to recruit and here we have a business that seems to be actively seeking a dispute with its own workforce which is leading to action that might affect the quality of their service.

I have now written to the CEO of Stuart Deliveries urging him to restore their pay and to treat his drivers with the respect and dignity they deserve.”

Since December last year, coordinated action has taken place in Chesterfield, Sheffield, Sunderland, Blackpool, Huddersfield, and Middlesbrough. Drivers are being supported by the Chesterfield and District Trades Union Congress (TUC), who are calling on Stuart Delivery to enter negotiations or face further action.

Toby added, “These jobs were already low paid before the changes, and drivers have to cover their own equipment, insurance and vehicle costs. Just Eat is making billions of pounds in the UK so it is really disappointing that they look to be treating their employees so unfairly.”