On Tuesday, Deliveroo - an online on-demand food delivery company currently operating in 11 countries - won a UK court decision that frees the company from the responsibility of offering minimum wages and holiday pay to their bike-riding delivery workers (or “riders”). On the very same day, Deliveroo riders in the Netherlands took to the streets of Amsterdam to voice their dissatisfaction with the company’s recent decision to abolish employment contracts. The workforce of 1,750 riders in the Netherlands will need to register as independent contractors if they wish to continue delivering food for Deliveroo. Are the critics right that Deliveroo is “gaming the system”, and do riders want what they cannot get?
