More than 70 of Halifax's Just Eat drivers go on strike over 'unfair pay'

More than 70 of the couriers who deliver Just Eat orders across the town refused to work on Friday in protest to what they say are a cut to the money they receive.

They say they have been left struggling to make ends meet amidst the rising cost of living.

One of the drivers, Hassan Shahid, said couriers – who are self-employed - are being “exploited” and the strike was about “standing up for ourselves”.

“The rates have decreased drastically over the past few years,” he said.

"For example, for a delivery from Halifax town centre to Mixenden, we used to receive £9. That has gone down to £5.

"Orders can be up to 5.5 miles away, and JustEat offers the driver £6. The driver also has to drive 5.5 miles back which is dead mileage to them.

"That is an unreasonable and unrealistic rate. Put simply that is appalling.

"The rates should be in line with what they were last year, with the minimum delivery offer being £5 and with an additional 80p per mile.”

The drivers have a list of other complaints including the rate at which drivers are reimbursed for having to wait for an order to be ready.

He said some drivers are regularly waiting for more an hour for an order.

"£3.90 for an hour wait is not reasonable,” said Hassan. “When you only have a three-hour shift and it takes an hour-and-half to complete one delivery, it’s just not worthwhile.”

Hassan added the current Just Eat rates do not reflect the rising insurance prices, petrol fees, prices for maintaining vehicles and the general rise in the cost of living.

A spokesperson for Just Eat said: “We take any concerns raised by our couriers seriously and our delivery payment model has been designed to give couriers the flexibility to deliver when they choose.

"We continue to offer a competitive base rate to self-employed couriers and pay is reviewed regularly."

The strike in Halifax follows similar action and threatened action in other parts of the country.