On Friday afternoon, several deliverers protested in front of the head office of flash delivery company Zapp in Amsterdam for better working conditions and payment. Their wages and jobs have become precarious now that the flash delivery service has announced it is considering leaving the Netherlands.
The Radical Riders union was already planning to draw attention to the poor working conditions of the deliverers and the cancellation of all kinds of bonuses, when it was also reported this week that Zapp is threatening to leave the Netherlands.
“These are people of flesh and blood, this is their existence, their income, you should not treat it like that,” says Sjerp van Wouden, spokesperson for the Radical Riders. “Every cent Zapp was worth was made by the ridersby the pickers, who have cycled through all kinds of weather, who survived robberies, and who simply worked hard for this company and had their heart in this company. And they are now being cheated.”
According to flash delivery company Zapp, the company is not viable if it is only allowed to operate from industrial areas, as the municipality wants. It recently became clear that Zapp’s so-called dark store in Fagelstraat in West had to close because it violates the zoning plan. Zapp is therefore considering stopping their services in the Netherlands.
According to the protesters, the riders worked extremely hard in sometimes dangerous working conditions. There were already problems with the expiry of bonuses and continued payment of wages, and now their jobs are suddenly at risk. “We work hard, I delivered 600 orders a month, I wasn’t a lazy boy, I work to earn money. I’m here because I’m entitled to a reward. I don’t want money for doing nothing, but because I think that this company is taking advantage of us.”
The union demands a good severance package and continued payment of wages until the contract ends. The management of Zapp did not show itself yesterday and did not enter into a conversation with the employees.