"Firms urged to protect workers from abuse in ‘wild west’ UK gig economy", 19 September 2021

...The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said it had received at least 90 reports from couriers who had faced some form of harassment at work in recent months, with more than 40 complaining that such incidents occurred at least once a week...

The i paper reported that [a] courier was left fearing for his life after being slammed up against a set of railings and threatened by people hurling racist abuse at him when he intervened to stop a colleague being attacked.

In response, he said, Deliveroo offered only to change the area in which he was expected to work and to allow him a “couple of days off” without sick pay.

Zach Dowle, an Uber Eats courier, told the Guardian he was left fearing for his safety any time a minor error occurred on a delivery because he said Uber Eats had taken no substantial action against a “physically threatening” customer who abused him over a small spillage in April...

He reported the issue to Uber Eats but said the firm told him that it would “note” his comments and suggested he leave the customer a rating that reflected his experience in its app...

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “Any form of harassment or abuse is totally unacceptable and there is no place for it within the Uber Eats community. We are currently investigating these claims and anyone found to have behaved in this manner faces permanent removal from the app.”

Deliveroo did not respond to requests for comment.