Just Eat to cut around 1700 delivery driver jobs
The company stated that it remained committed to this model in continental Europe and will continue to expand the model with more European openings planned this year
Just Eat is set to lay off over 1,800 staff and scrap the model of employing its own couriers.
The company stated that it was looking to “improve efficiency” after its number of orders in the UK and Ireland dropped 10% to 260m last year.
Around 1,700 couriers have been given six weeks’ notice with pay while a further 170 jobs in the operational team are also under threat.
Just Eat hired delivery drivers as full-time workers in December 2020 becoming the first delivery service to do so, although 90% of its workforce remained self-employed.
The company stated that it was at a competitive disadvantage as its competitors like Uber Eats and Deliveroo did not use this model.
A spokesperson for Just Eat said: “Just Eat UK is reorganising and simplifying its delivery operation as part of the ongoing goal of improving efficiency. As part of this process we have proposed to transition away from the worker model for couriers, which is a small part of our overall delivery operations – running in certain parts of six UK cities.
“There will be no impact to the service provided to partners and customers.Our top priority now is to support impacted employees and couriers. We are hugely grateful to our talented colleagues and couriers who have been part of the worker model in the UK.”
The company stated that it remained committed to this model in continental Europe and will continue to expand the model with more European openings planned this year.
