EDINBURGH is set to become the first area in Scotland to introduce “physical hubs” for gig workers and delivery riders in a push to improve working conditions.
It is hoped the hubs will provide a common space for workers to rest, take breaks, and share information about safety and securing vehicles between deliveries.
While the location of the first hub has not yet been confirmed, a commitment of £50,000 has been agreed to begin research on the design and location of the first hub, with formal funding expected to be progressed in the upcoming budget.
The move comes after a campaign by a collective of delivery riders and labour researchers to demand enhanced working conditions for delivery riders.
Gig workers – or platform workers – rely on apps like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat to make a living and have no fixed hours or contract.
The Workers’ Observatory – a worker-led research collective founded by gig workers and researchers in Edinburgh and St Andrews – says these couriers often miss out on basic workers’ rights such as the minimum wage, sick pay, and holiday pay.
Their new “fair work” charter, released alongside delivery rider collective ROOM, aims to bring gig workers to the forefront of Fair Work discussion – from which they are often excluded due to their status as self-employed.
The needle appears to be shifting in Scotland’s capital, however, with platform workers at the forefront of the council’s own Fair Work Charter, which was approved in August ahead of its phase-one launch this autumn.
Xabier Villares, 37, who spent eight years as a delivery rider in the city, says physical hubs will be a welcome addition.
“The council is showing genuine interest in how to tackle and understand better how the gig economy actually operates in the city,” he explained.
“I think they understand that this will be [very] useful and important for workers to have a space where they can actually meet and have their own safe space.
“Most of the groups in the council understand this is something we need to improve, and the most important issue right now is the fees.
Xabier claimed they started seeing fees go down after 2023, with workers often forced to settle for fees just above the minimum of £2.90 per delivery.
“In general the consequence of this is that workers are working a lot of hours,” he added.
“A few years ago, it was difficult to find delivery riders at 2 [or 3] o’clock in the morning, [you know], doing deliveries, and now you see it all the time.”
In addition, a labour surplus and a “gameifying” of the system creates a climate of competition for the best jobs.
Couriers know that if they decide not to take a job, the void will be filled by someone more willing, and Xabier claimed workers can be offered less than counterparts if they have been waiting a long time for a delivery.
The Workers’ Observatory has also alleged that “automated decision-making systems” terminate accounts on platforms like Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat without clear justification – a charge that Just Eat strongly denied.
“They are supposed to be independent contractors, self-employed, but at the end of the day, they depend on the platform. The platform can block them at any time.”
Aside from fees, Xabier said platform workers also face racism, threats, and attacks.
“One person got his bike torched; there have been a lot of racist incidents,” he explained.
“Attacks like this are happening very frequently in Edinburgh, but workers don’t report them because they might be concerned about their visa status if they’re involved in a violent incident.”
While the Fair Work Charter is mostly directed at the platforms which employ gig workers, it also calls for a “constructive dialogue” between workers, the local authority, and police to address these issues.
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 across Italy.
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.
London became the first UK city to introduce hubs for delivery riders, while Edinburgh has taken the lead north of the border.
After work stalled following a short-lived Gig Economy Taskforce, the council is now pressing ahead with its own physical hubs.
Councillor Tim Pogson, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Access to fair work in Edinburgh is a priority for the Council and underpins our Fair Work Charter, which was approved in August.
“By supporting and encouraging fair employment practices the charter aims to tackle issues like in-work poverty, barriers to employment and workers’ wellbeing.
“As an increasingly important part of Edinburgh’s labour market the gig economy is a focus of these efforts.
“Over recent years we’ve been engaging with gig workers and representatives of the gig economy in Edinburgh, including the Workers’ Observatory, the ROOM collective and the Centre for the Transformation of Work, and in December we took part in a workshop to gather views and experiences.
“We know mobile gig workers’ working conditions are of concern and in response Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee has agreed to commit £50k to conduct feasibility and business case research on the design and location of a physical gig economy hub.
“Alongside this we continue to collaborate with the Centre for the Transformation of Work and the Workers’ Observatory to run workshops bringing together service providers and gig economy workers.
“As part of this we want to find out more about the issues workers face and develop solutions with a specific focus on key priorities such as placemaking and employability.”
The proposed £50,000 funding is expected to be progressed for formal approval as part of the council’s budget-setting process for 2027/28.
