The Platform Work Directive is one of Europe's defining policy moments. Not just for platforms — for the millions of people whose working lives it will shape. For years, this debate has been framed as a binary: employment or flexibility, security or autonomy. That framing is understandable. It is also increasingly unhelpful. Just Eat Takeaway.com is the only major delivery platform in Europe to have operated all three logistics models simultaneously and at scale. That experience comes with an obligation: to speak honestly about what works, what doesn't, and what couriers are actually telling us. In the UK and Ireland, 8 in 10 couriers consistently name flexibility as the primary reason they chose this work. They are not asking to be protected from that choice. Our starting point is that reality. From it, we think every courier deserves: → Real flexibility — to choose when, where, and how to work → Transparent earnings — paired with meaningful protections and benefits → Technology that works in their interest, not against it When platform work is done right, the impact extends far beyond the individual. Flexible supply that responds to real demand creates earning opportunities — and reaches communities — that simply would not otherwise exist. Europe has the talent, the technology, and the ambition to set a global standard here. The stakes are too high to get this wrong. https://lnkd.in/ea9t3Vxe #PlatformWorkDirective #FutureOfWork #GigEconomy #EUPolicy #JustEatTakeaway #DigitalEconomy
Mr. D
2mo
Mr. D Couriers are not just gig workers. They are one of the most important parts of this company. They are the ones on the front line — the first to see problems between restaurants and the company, customers and the company. Their attitude and effort often decide whether a customer comes back to us… or chooses the competition. As the saying goes: “An army that does not listen to its lowest-ranking soldier loses battles before they even begin.” The model you are defending so passionately — this extreme flexibility at the cost of real security and dignity — is, in my honest opinion, one of the worst possible models for everyone involved: for couriers who struggle every day, for customers who expect reliable service, for restaurants, and ultimately for the company’s long-term future. We need honest conversations. Real ones. Not polished LinkedIn posts. And those conversations should include the voices of people who actually do this demanding work every single day.
Roberto Gandolfo
2mo
Great Paul Peake ! Let’s build this future together! More orders, more opportunities, more flexibility, more transparency and an amazing experience to the couriers! Check this page for more information: https://www.justeattakeaway.com/people/shaping-the-future-of-platform-work/default.aspx
Adam Rhys Davies
1mo
The binary framing survives mainly because both sides find it useful, which is why it outlives the evidence against it. What I took from my time Ola is that the flexibility couriers describe isn't really about hours, it's about not having to explain yourself to anyone before you switch the app off. Most of the protective models that get proposed reintroduce exactly that conversation, which is why they poll well and land badly.
Mr. D
2mo
Imagine for a moment. That tomorrow you wake up and your job in HQ… is gone. Instead of an employment contract, you get “flexible cooperation” through an external company. Zero sick pay. Zero holiday. Zero guarantee that you’ll even be needed next week. An algorithm decides whether you earn anything today or not. You get sick? You lie in bed calculating how much you’ll lose, because no one will pay you for staying home. Stress, overload, lack of sleep – that’s now your private problem. And if you can’t handle it? You’ll simply be replaced. No conversation. No appeal. And then someone from above will write a polished post: “People choose flexibility. They’re not asking to be protected from that choice.” Really? Because it’s you – the people in the offices, with the titles, the benefits and the certainty that there will be a salary tomorrow – who suddenly find yourselves on the other side. Without security. Without dignity. Without the right for illness not to mean financial ruin. As John Paul II said: “Work cannot be treated – never and nowhere – as a commodity, because a human being cannot be a commodity for another human being.”
I think the "8 out of 10 couriers choose flexibility" statistic deserves a more careful interpretation. I'm also not convinced that surveys based only on the UK and Ireland can be presented as representative of Europe, especially when discussing an EU Directive. Last time I checked, UK wasn't in UE. When couriers say they value flexibility, I don't think they mean the freedom to go online whenever they want. I believe most of us mean the current model: choosing our preferred availability, then receiving shifts within that availability. That's flexibility. It's very different from having unlimited theoretical freedom but no realistic earning opportunities. This post also helps me understand how the courier surveys we receive every six months are interpreted. Based on that, I won't be selecting "flexibility" anymore. I'll be choosing what I believe really matters: security, stability, legal protections, and fair working conditions.
Pooja Akoo
2mo
My favourite topic! Employment law 😍 Data on JET’s tri-modal experience is exactly what this topic needs, and it is rare in this market. 🧡 In terms of the Directive, it is a “substance over form” instrument, also, the message from the legislation is clear, with great power comes great responsibility🕷️ - “strong” operational power over workers’ working lives comes with legal responsibility. This principle is worth embracing. 🤔💭 Second. Comparative outcomes data across three models! 😍Which arrangement deliver superior earnings stability, protections, and conditions for couriers? This data combined with Courier preference surveys - is what moves regulators. JET has the data to make that case better than anyone. 💪🧡 Courier wellbeing may be a commercial differentiator. As our model genuinely delivers for couriers - publishing satisfaction scores and earnings related data would be proof of concept 💭💪🏼 Customers leaning towards a platform with high couriers satisfaction scores🤩 Thank you for the share, Paul Peake !
Mohsen Sheibani
2mo
As a current courier in JustEat, what motivates us and makes us loyal to our company is the confidence that our contract gives us. There are very good chances and steps to improve the system as we are one of the main foundations of costumer satisfaction, and the contract and organisational behaviour gives us a very good reason to stand out from other similar companies.
Why is representation not included as a statuette? I feel this is a departure from the previous company position.
HAMMOODA, SER,
1mo
Beste Tim,Ik vraag u echt dringend om contact met mij op te nemen. Dit werk is mijn droom en ik doe mijn werk altijd met veel inzet en verantwoordelijkheid. Daarom doet het mij enorm veel pijn dat mijn contract niet wordt verlengd. Ik voel me echt onrechtvaardig behandeld en wil graag mijn situatie persoonlijk uitleggen. Ik heb nog veel te vertellen en hoop dat u mij de kans geeft om gehoord te worden.Met vriendelijke groet,Mohammad Alseran hammoodaser@gmail.com
Dear Paul, I read your post with genuine interest — and growing frustration. Let me ask you directly from the heart: How many hours have you personally spent on a bike or in a car delivering orders? How many deliveries have you completed in pouring rain, freezing cold, or late at night? How many times have you feared for your safety during a delivery? How many times have you been sick, lying in bed, worried not about your health — but about losing income because there’s no sick pay? Could you also share your thoughts on the Fleet model so popular in Germany? Tell us how that much-praised “flexibility” feels when you’re not officially an employee, yet completely dependent on the platform.