Delivery riders in Edinburgh have launched a new “fair work” charter to demand “basic workers’ rights” from food delivery firms.
The Workers’ Observatory and the ROOM delivery rider collective are attempting to tackle inequities and exploitation in the gig work system.
They say food delivery riders and gig workers often miss out on basic workers’ rights such as the minimum wage, sick pay, and holiday pay due to their status as self-employed.
Gig workers have also been effectively excluded from policy discussions on fair work in Scotland – which have focused on employees – as a result of this status, they claim.
In addition, the group claims attempts to redress this and measure gig work have been complicated by “automated decision-making systems” which allegedly terminates accounts on platforms like Uber Eats and Deliveroo without clear justification.
When approached, Just Eat strongly denied this charge, adding that they only ever deactivate based on breaches of established terms and conditions and that suspended workers may appeal.
The charter continues: “With no access to the ‘black box’ algorithms, workers have no way of knowing how and why decisions are made in their work, for example, if or why certain delivery riders are offered more orders or higher rates.”
“The stability of platform work is further complicated by many workers’ use of more than one platform in parallel (‘multi-apping’).
“This makes it more difficult for workers to monitor their income and working hours, while companies tend to minimise indicators of working time in their apps and invoices.”
ROOM’s charter aims to build an “effective voice” for delivery riders and calls for a “constructive dialogue” between workers, the local authority, and police to address these issues.
Its aspirations include an established induction process, the replacement of incentives for driving unsafely and during unsafe weather, a dedicated hub for riders, and greater cooperation with authorities.
While the charter is modelled on the Scottish Government’s 2016 Fair Work Framework, that framework focused on employees rather than those deemed self-employed – like delivery riders.
ROOM hopes that support can instead come from the City of Edinburgh Council, which is currently developing its own Fair Work policy, with gig economy workers at the heart.
The charter adds: “The Workers’ Observatory has facilitated a series of workshops for food delivery riders in Edinburgh to support them in building a policy agenda for Fair Work.
“At one such workshop in December 2025, the City of Edinburgh Council consulted riders in the development of its own Fair Work Charter.
“This was one of the first examples of platform workers being considered under the Fair Work Framework in Scotland, and followed an academic review of employment practices in gig work in relation to the Framework.”
Another workshop, held in July 2026 with delivery riders, eventually resulted in the publication of the Fair Work Charter this month.
ROOM says, “the platforms profiting from the labour of platform workers should bear responsibility for delivering Fair Work, working in collaboration with local and national government where relevant”.
Collaboration between delivery platforms and workers does have precedence.
In 2021, Just Eat signed a historic company-level agreement with Italian trade unions to hire its riders as contracted employees under the national logistics contract, marking a major milestone for gig workers in Bologna.
In 2024, the EU adopted the Platform Work Directive, which introduced new rules to correct ‘false self-employment’ and outlawed firing workers based on a decision taken by an algorithm.
The City of Edinburgh Council drew together a short-lived Gig Economy Task Force in 2022, but work stalled in the years since.
After a renewed push, and the forthcoming publication of the Edinburgh Fair Work Charter, the local authority is now giving serious consideration to ‘physical hubs’ for gig workers.
Council officials argue that such hubs would “transform gig workers’ conditions and capacity to build their community” but would require an allocation of around £50,000 to begin feasibility studies and a business case.
Other suggestions include support for risks, crises and repairs, consultation of riders on infrastructure and expanded access to skills development.
A Just Eat spokesperson said, “In the UK, Just Eat partners with over 70,000 self-employed couriers who choose to work with us for the flexibility and freedom that we offer.
“When and how often couriers deliver from our restaurant, retail and grocery partners is up to them, and they consistently tell us they value being able to structure their deliveries around other commitments.
“Our data shows that couriers delivering for Just Eat earn over the national living wage for the time they are on an order and we offer regular incentives to help maximise earnings.
“Our pay structures are kept under continual review to ensure we remain fair and competitive.
“Across every market we operate in, we’re transparent about our use of technology and have recently published an algorithmic transparency report.
“Our technology, which matches deliveries with available couriers, is overseen by a human team.
“Any removal from our network is in line with our terms and conditions and can always be appealed via a human team.”
Uber Eats and Deliveroo have been approached for comment.
Edinburgh Council is expected to publish its full Fair Work Charter at some point in autumn this year.
According to briefing documents from August’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, gig work is expected to be central to the charter.
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