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Glovo Sets New Social Rights Standard With ‘The Couriers Pledge’

October 28, 2021
  • Glovo has sought the advice of Fairwork to develop a set of standards for a fairer gig economy for platform workers
  • The company intends to roll out the initiative to 40% of its fleet by the end of Q2 2022, starting with Morocco and Georgia 
  • Glovo is committed to implementing The Couriers Pledge in all countries where it operates by the end of 2023
  • Fairwork will provide an independent assessment to determine the impact of the implementation of the pledge

 

London, UK, October 28th, 2021 — Glovo, one of the world’s leading multi-category delivery platforms, today announced “The Couriers Pledge”, a commitment by the company to increase the social rights and benefits available to couriers, regardless of employment or work status with the company. 

The Couriers Pledge, which has been created with advice from the Fairwork project, establishes a new set of standards that includes fair hourly earnings (guided by WageIndicator’s data on fair earnings and living wages), improvements to insurance coverage and access to training, safety and maintenance provisions. The company recognises that the gig economy represents a significant source of income for couriers and wants to provide equality of access to social rights and benefits for couriers, independent of the way couriers work with the platform. 

Glovo intends to roll out the new initiative to 40 percent of its fleet by the end of June 2022, with Morocco and Georgia to be the first countries included in the initial phase. The company is committed to implementing The Couriers Pledge in all the countries in which it operates by the end of 2023. 

 

A Fairer Future Of Work 

As part of its commitment to establish a fairer future of work and provide access to greater security and protection to couriers, Glovo has pledged: 

    • Fairer Earnings — Full transparency on fair earnings per hour to couriers, independent of the format of their work. ‘Loyalty bonus’ granted or exchanged for time-off. 
    • Improved Insurance Coverage (360º Safety) — Assistance with different types of accidents, third-party liability and transport of goods, as well as sick leave benefit, maternity and paternity leave and access to a “Family Expense” benefit. 
    • Safety and Maintenance (360º Safety)  — Road safety kits including helmets and reflective jackets to be made available to all couriers through Glovo Store, as well as access to bike and maintenance repair stations. 
  • Proactive Management –– Fair and accessible appeals process to all couriers disabled from the app, validated by an independent entity. Newly established channels allow couriers to collectively contribute to the decisions that affect their collaboration with the platform and foster open dialogue with couriers and associations.
  • Caring for Couriers Community — Training courses available on entrepreneurship, business management, IT skills or languages to help couriers develop their professional skills and progress on their professional journey. An in-app SOS button was implemented in case of an emergency situation and an anti-discrimination policy was introduced to prevent harassment.

 

Fairwork’s Auditing Process 

The commitments made by Glovo under The Couriers Pledge will be subject to external audits by Fairwork, with all findings to be made public. As an independent party, Fairwork does not endorse company practices, but will evaluate and report on the progress Glovo is making against Fairwork’s five principles of fair work. 

Fairwork’s external review will consist of surveys and interviews with couriers in the countries where The Couriers Pledge has been implemented. Glovo will be excluded from these processes to ensure that the results of the audits are independent, fair and objective. The first review will take place prior to the launch of the initiative in Morocco and Georgia, with the second review to be conducted to assess in the first three months. Fairwork is an international research project that rates the working conditions of digital labour platforms based on five principles of fair work. Fairwork will not receive compensation from Glovo and will highlight any areas in which the company falls short of its principles.

Sacha Michaud, Glovo Co-founder, said: “While the gig economy has opened up new opportunities, it’s fair to say that it has its challenges and that it’s in need of improvements, especially where social rights for couriers are concerned. At Glovo, we have always been in favour of providing our couriers with access to greater social rights, no matter their contractual relationship. By 2023 we expect to be collaborating with around 240,000 couriers on a monthly basis worldwide and we are committed to providing them with better social rights and benefits while also protecting the autonomy and flexibility they value. As a company, we feel this initiative sets a new industry standard for a fairer gig economy — one that has social rights and uses a best practice framework at its core.” 

Professor Mark Graham, Fairwork Director, said: “The current state of the platform economy means most gig workers lack basic labour rights and protections. Workers suffer from dangerous conditions, low and inconsistent earnings, and barriers to the collective organisation. Glovo, as one of the largest companies in the platform economy, could become an example of fair practices in the sector if they commit to implementing comprehensive policies that improve the conditions of their workers. Fairwork does not endorse companies but provides independent assessments of their policies and practices. From that position, we welcome Glovo’s invitation to provide an independent evaluation of their new ‘Couriers Pledge’ and look forward to testing their implementation on the ground against our principles of fair work.”

In addition to Fairwork, Glovo has paired with WageIndicator.org regarding the living wage per country, and Qover and Chubb’s insurtech shield for insurance coverage. 

Learn more about The Couriers Pledge: https://www.thecourierspledge.com/. 

 

About Glovo 

Glovo is a pioneering multi-category delivery app and one of the world’s leading delivery platforms. Founded in Barcelona in 2015, it operates in Southern Europe and EEMEA. The app connects users with restaurants, grocery chains, pharmacies, retail stores, and couriers and also includes an “anything” category that allows users to order whatever they want in their city. 

For more information about Glovo, please visit: https://about.glovoapp.com/en/ 

 

About the Fairwork project:

Fairwork is an action-research project based at the University of Oxford and the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre. Fairwork is committed to highlighting best and worst practices in the platform economy. The Fairwork principles were developed in a collaborative process that reflects the insights of our international network and the voices of workers around the world. Using those principles, Fairwork develops ‘fairness’ scores for platforms. By evaluating platforms against measures of fairness, Fairwork hopes to not just show what the platform economy is today, but also what it can be.

For more information about Fairwork, please visit: www.fair.work