Foodora workers, known for cycling around Norwegian cities in shocking pink outfits as they deliver food from restaurants, have emerged triumphant from a nearly six-week strike. Their victory came “against all the odds,” according to strike leader Paul Olai-Olssen, who said the food carriers simply “wanted the same security that most other workers in Norway have.”
The tariff agreement between trade union federation Fellesforbundet and Foodora was also hailed by its managing director Carl Tengberg. “Many weeks of tough negotiations have led to a modern agreement that suits our branch,” Tengberg told news bureau NTB. “This is a unique agreement that will make the cyclists’ workdays even better, and with which we as a company can develop.”
The deal now in place, which mostly involved wages and compensation for the cyclists’ use of their own bicycles, mobile phones and uniforms, is viewed as significant in the “new economy.” That because most of the food deliverers for Foodora work independently but managed to organize themselves even though they have no traditional workplace and bicycle alone, responding to calls for food from restaurants and cafes around town.
Since it resulted in a tariff ageement between Fellesforbundet and Foodora Norway, it means that all of the country’s cycling delivery people stand to benefit. The pact also includes provisions for early retirement and a raise of around NOK 15,000 a year for those working full time.
“When this can happen with Foodora, it can happen with absolutely everyone,” Olai-Olssen told newspaper Dagsavisen on Monday. The head of the Socialist Left party (SV), Audun Lysbakken, called the pact “incredibly inspiring for many in all of Europe. Now they’ve proven that it’s possible to win demands for a fair worklife, also in the app-economy.”
newsinenglish.no staff
