DELIVEROO AND GMB UNION LAUNCH AN INDUSTRY FIRST CHARTER TO PROMOTE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RIDERS AND RESTAURANT, GROCERY AND RETAIL PARTNERS

• Deliveroo and GMB Union have launched an industry first charter to help promote positive relations between riders and restaurant and grocery partners.
• Nearly 20 national restaurant chains and big name supermarkets have signed up to the charter including Wagamama, Wingstop, Bella Italia, Morrisons, The Co-op, Farmer J and Whole Foods.
• The charter includes principles on treating everyone with dignity, communicating openly, access to facilities and working together to achieve operational excellence.
• This builds on Deliveroo’s first of its kind voluntary partnership with GMB Union in 2022, recognising them as the trade union for Deliveroo riders in the UK.
  
  

Thursday 21 March, 2024: Deliveroo and GMB Union are proud to announce the launch of their new Respect Charter, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at promoting positive relationships between riders and merchants on the Deliveroo platform.

The two organisations launched their Respect Charter, an industry first, at an event at GMB’s headquarters on Wednesday 20 March attended by Gary Smith, General Secretary of the GMB Union, Camilla Kater, SVP for Riders at Deliveroo, and rider representatives.

Major restaurants, supermarkets, and local independents have shown their commitment to promoting the values of mutual respect and professionalism among riders and merchants by signing the new charter. By working together to implement these principles, Deliveroo and GMB Union seek to enhance the relationship for riders and partners to help ensure that riders get the respect they deserve whilst working and restaurants and grocers deliver the best service for their customers.

The Respect Charter’s six core principles are to:

• Treat everyone the way in which you would like to be treated
• Be courteous and act professionally towards each other
• Communicate openly
• Permit access to facilities where applicable
• Be patient and be open to feedback
• Work together to achieve operational excellence and reduce restaurant wait times
  
  

A number of the UK’s biggest restaurants and supermarkets including Wagamama, Wingstop, Bella Italia, Morrisons, The Co-op and Whole Food have already signed up to the Respect Charter with more merchants expected to sign up by the end of the year.

The charter is the latest initiative between the two organisations after Deliveroo signed a first of its kind Voluntary Partnership Agreement in 2022 giving self-employed riders flexibility, guaranteed earnings, representation and benefits. The partnership is based on a shared commitment between the GMB and Deliveroo to rider welfare and wellbeing.

Tom Warnett, GMB Deliveroo Lead, said: *“Everyone has the right to go about their work safely and be treated with respect. Time is money for couriers and a commitment to reducing waiting time is really important. GMB union is involved in the gig economy to bring the standards up.

We will do this by making sure couriers are paid fairly, treated with respect and maintain the flexibility that they came into the industry for.”*

Camilla Kater, SVP of Care and Rider at Deliveroo said: "This charter is the first of its kind across our industry and demonstrates the positive impact working hand in hand with the GMB Union has had. Our partnership with the GMB is already delivering for our riders and through jointly creating the Respect Charter we have solidified our commitment to create a positive and supportive environment for riders and merchants."

Jonathan Recanati CEO and Founder of Farmer J: *“At Farmer J, we are proud to stand alongside industry leaders in committing to the Deliveroo Courier Charter, fostering a culture of dignity, communication, and collaboration within our community of riders and restaurants.”*

–Ends–

NOTES TO EDITORS

About the Respect Charter

For information on the Respect Charter please click here.

The following partners have signed up to the Respect Charter so far:

• Wagamama
• The Co-Op
• Wingstop
• Farmer J
• Banana Tree
• Las Iguanas
• Bella Italia
• Frankie & Benny’s
• Chiquito
• Morrisons
• Whole Foods
• Mojo, Norwood
• Village Tandoor, Dulwich
• Quaggy’s, Lewisham
• Kome, Woodford
• Zapista, Durham/Newcastle
• Mamma Mia, Oxford
• The Cat’s Pyjama’s, Leeds
• Chilli Pickle, Brighton
• Double Zero, Manchester
• Dolce Desserts, Midlands
• Burger me up, Birmingham/Solihull
• Burger&Sauce, Midlands
• Medicine Bakery, Birmingham/Wolverhampton
• All Greek Street Food, Birmingham
• Vietnamese Street Kitchen, Birmingham