Spanish Rule Protecting Couriers Leads To Labour Shortage, Uber Says

A Spanish law passed last year forcing food delivery companies to contract their couriers as staff has caused a labour shortage as many prefer to remain self-employed and work for rivals that flout the regulation, Uber Eats said.

The Spanish branch of Uber’s online food delivery platform published on Tuesday an open letter to the Labour Ministry complaining that the contracts it offered to freelance ‘riders’ failed to retain enough of them to assure its services.

The Uber Eats letter fuels a European controversy over the legal status of the thousands of cyclists who criss-cross city centres with oversized branded backpacks, and who generally lack benefits such as minimum wage, paid holidays and pension rights.

ESM