"Gorilla tactics: Berlin delivery riders take on $1B startup", 13 June 2021

Dozens of workers gathered outside of one of Berlin’s most-celebrated startups, the grocery delivery company Gorillas, to protest the firing hours earlier of a colleague...

...The rowdy but peaceful protest late Wednesday drew support from employees of rival delivery services, some of whom downed their colorful courier bags to join the picket. Eventually Gorillas agreed to close the depot for the night, drawing cheers from the protesters.

The next day, riders blockaded another warehouse, making clear their gripes go beyond the firing of a single colleague.

“In the last six months, that I’ve been here I’ve noticed so many ways that the company is doing things in an unjustified way,” said rider Huseyin Camalan. “We’re here to stand against that. It’s part of a larger thing.”

Camalan said many riders suffer from back pain and other health problems due to the heavy bags they have to carry. Faulty bikes, a limited say in their shifts and lack of administrative support are also a problem, he said...

...According to experts, many delivery firms in Germany operate on the edge of legality in their rush to expand before they run out of cash.

Gorillas says it doesn’t consider itself part of the ‘gig economy,’ having chosen to employ its riders and warehouse staff. But hourly wages are low at 11.50 euros (less than $14) after tips and the probationary period is six months — the longest allowed by law.

Riders at the protest complained that the company doesn’t issue them with phones they need for work, that salaries are often short and weight limits on bags aren’t respected.

“The working conditions are at the minimum end of what’s normal in Germany,” said Sebastian Riesner, who heads the Berlin chapter of the hospitality workers union NGG. “Some of the contracts are pretty outlandish...