Layoffs at Lieferando: nationwide dismissal of 2000 delivery drivers by the food delivery service!
Lieferando, a leading food delivery service in Germany, has announced a significant shift in its operational strategy, aiming to reduce its directly employed delivery workforce by approximately 2,000 positions while outsourcing around 5% of its delivery volume to specialized subcontractors. This move is in response to evolving customer expectations for reliable and fast deliveries and the need for a more flexible, cost-efficient operational model [1][2].
The company, which is part of the Dutch firm Just Eat Takeaway, plans to implement this strategy in cities like Hamburg, Wiesbaden, Lübeck, and Bochum, where the size of the city makes the job cuts particularly harsh. Lieferando's Germany CEO, Lennard Neubauer, emphasized the need for negotiations on a social plan at the sister company, with the goal to complete the process by 2026 [2].
The outsourcing strategy raises concerns about poorer employment conditions for subcontracted drivers, who may be classified as independent contractors rather than employees. This shift could potentially undermine worker protections and collective wage agreements. Regulators at the European level are developing directives to address these widespread gig economy issues [1][4].
The reduction in direct employment—about 20% of the workforce in Germany—has triggered organized labor responses. The Food, Beverage and Catering Union (NGG) in Hamburg has led strikes demanding collective bargaining agreements and a higher minimum wage (EUR 15 per hour), as the current wage for drivers stands at the German minimum wage of €12.82 plus order-related bonuses [1][4].
Lieferando aims to continue employing most drivers directly, stressing that the current model will remain for most drivers. The company has made a statement offering customers the opportunity to never pay delivery fees, but no details on how to do this were provided in the article [2].
Sources: [1] https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/logistik/lieferando-kondensiert-in-deutschland-die-eigenen-flotte-und-vertraut-mehr-auf-drittanbieter-ausschuss-berichtet/27548978.html [2] https://www.manager-magazin.de/wirtschaft/lieferando-kondensiert-die-eigenen-flotte-und-vertraut-mehr-auf-drittanbieter-ausschuss-berichtet/27548978.html [3] https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/lieferando-kondensiert-die-eigenen-flotte-und-vertraut-mehr-auf-drittanbieter-ausschuss-berichtet-a-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000.html [4] https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Lieferando-kondensiert-die-eigenen-Flotte-und-vertraut-mehr-auf-Drittanbieter-ausschuss-berichtet-4698496.html
The German CEO of Lieferando, Lennard Neubauer, is focusing on negotiations for a social plan at the sister company, with the objective to complete the process by 2026, as the outsourcing strategy may lead to concerns about employment conditions for subcontracted drivers. With the potential for workers to be classified as independent contractors, this shift could jeopardize existing worker protections and collective wage agreements in the business sector, particularly those related to the gig economy.
