“Ocado drivers ‘paid less than £5 an hour”, 21 August 2021

Drivers delivering groceries for Ocado are earning less than the minimum wage...The drivers, who deliver orders for the online retailer’s rapid delivery service, Ocado Zoom, were previously guaranteed an hourly wage of £14. But they are not employed directly by Ocado and claim their income plunged after the company brought in a new delivery partner, Ryde, in June.

...Babar said that many of his colleagues had seen their earnings fall by between 50% and 70% since Ryde took over from Ocado’s previous delivery partner.

Payslips...show that Babar earned an estimated £5 an hour in the first week of August and £2.91 an hour in the last week of July....

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB)...said Ocado should take responsibility for the plight of a loyal group of workers who carried on working throughout successive lockdowns...

The union will send an open letter to Ocado...accusing the company of abandoning a precarious and predominately minority ethnic workforce. It warns that the IWGB will begin a public campaign against Ocado unless it enters into negotiations...

Ocado...said: “Ocado Zoom works with a number of third-party suppliers, and expects all of them to adhere to its high standards.”

Ryde...said...“We put the welfare of our workforce at the heart of everything that we do,”...“On average, workers on our platform earn 15% to 20% more than other gig economy businesses. We constantly champion improved conditions for them across the board.”...

The drivers have even been made to buy new smart clothes. Ryde specifies on the app that “tracksuits… are not acceptable and may result in you not being able to work the shift”...

The size of the deliveries...is growing, according to the drivers. When the drivers started, they were expected to take groceries that fitted in two courier bags, now it is four bags...