Deliveroo has suspended plans that would cut profits for drivers in the UAE after a rare strike by foreign delivery service drivers in the Gulf country to protest working conditions disrupted services on Sunday.
Deliveroo said in an email to restaurants that it was suspending what it described as a proposed change to the delivery fee structure, and that it would be communicating with drivers over the coming weeks and months.
Deliveroo had told restaurants the day before that "drivers are on strike and refuse to stick to their shifts or deliver orders," and said in
the email that it would "preserve the drivers' earnings at Deliveroo to remain the most competitive in the market."
A spokesman for the company confirmed to Reuters that Deliveroo has suspended all changes, and that it will work with drivers to find a structure that works for everyone, and that it is concerned with their interests.
"Our initial intention with this announcement is to propose a more precise structure for drivers' earnings as well as other incentives," the spokesman said, without elaborating.
"Some of our original intentions were not clear and we are listening to the drivers," he added.
Posts on social networking sites on Sunday showed a large group of drivers in company uniforms striking in Dubai in
protest at the reduction of their wages and the extension of their working hours.
The Delevero driver told Reuters the strike was staged after the company sought to cut wages by 15% to 8.75 dirhams ($2.38) per trip and increase 3-hour shifts to 12 hours.
The driver, who is Pakistani, told Reuters that after accounting for work-related fuel and housing costs, his salary for working more than 60 hours a week would be 390 dirhams ($106) per month.
He explained that while Deliveroo has rescinded the pay cut, its current regulation to make 12-hour work shifts remains the same.
The authorities in the UAE, which bans independent trade unions and labor strikes, did not respond to requests for comment.
The human rights organization Equidem urged Deliveroo to provide adequate wages to workers, noting that drivers pay for fuel,
housing and visa costs with their own money.
In its statement, the organization also called on the UAE authorities to allow the formation of trade unions and not to punish workers participating in the protests.
In response to the Deliveroo drivers' strike, users on social media called for a boycott of the company, while others encouraged people to tip drivers.