DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Food delivery drivers in the
UAE went on strike
Tuesday to demand better pay, the second such incident this month in a country
where industrial action is uncommon.
اضافة اعلان
Many workers for
Talabat, part of Germany’s Delivery Hero, did not show up for their shifts,
calling for a pay increase amid the global rise in fuel prices.
Talabat drivers
earn an average of 3,500 dirhams ($935) per month, a company spokesman told
AFP.
He said that up
until last week, rider pay satisfaction was “well above” 70 percent.
“Yet, we understand
economic and political realities are changing constantly, and we will always
continue to listen to what riders have to say,” he added.
The company,
however, did not say whether it will meet their demands.
The latest protest
comes after drivers for Deliveroo, another popular food delivery app, went on
strike earlier this month after the company plans to cut their pay.
Deliveroo was quick
to react, saying it was putting any changes on hold.
“Our initial
intention with the announcement was to propose a more well-rounded earnings
structure for agencies to engage with riders in addition to other incentives,”
it said in a statement.
“It is clear that
some of our original intentions have not been clear and we are listening to
riders.
“We have therefore
currently paused all changes and will be working with our agency riders to
ensure we have a structure that works for everyone.”
Gulf Arab countries
have long been criticized by human rights groups over working conditions of
migrant workers.
The oil-rich UAE is
reliant on the cheap labor of millions of foreigners, mostly from India,
Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and
African countries.
Foreigners account for 90 percent of the 10-million
population of the UAE, the Arab world’s second-largest economy after
neighboring Saudi Arabia.
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