French Delivery Worker Groups File Human Trafficking Complaint Against Deliveroo and Uber

On April 23, four associations representing bicycle delivery workers in France, including the couriers' houses of Paris and Bordeaux, filed a landmark criminal complaint against major delivery platforms Deliveroo and Uber. The complaint accuses the companies of human trafficking and exploitative labor practices, targeting a vulnerable workforce largely composed of foreign and often undocumented workers.

According to the associations, these couriers endure harsh working conditions with schedules reaching up to 60 hours a week, earning wages below the French minimum wage (SMIC) and lacking social protection. Thibault Laforcade, the couriers' lawyer, highlighted the platforms’ use of algorithms that perpetuate the exploitation by keeping workers in precarious positions under the constant threat of losing their account, the couriers’ sole source of income.

The legal action also includes a group discrimination suit in civil court aimed at securing compensation for delivery workers for the systemic hardships they face. Circé Liénart, coordinator of the Paris couriers' house, described the typical profile of these workers as predominantly foreign, often undocumented or holding short-term permits, exploited by platforms who avoid regular employment status and the protections it entails.

Adding to the context, a report by Médecins du Monde released in late March criticized the difficult working conditions and health impacts on these couriers. At the Paris couriers' house in the 10th arrondissement, many continue to gather daily for support services, highlighting the ongoing social and economic challenges they face.

The complaint reflects growing scrutiny over the gig economy's labor model and calls for justice to end an exploitative system that traps vulnerable workers in unsafe and underpaid jobs. Laforcade emphasized, "Once the economic system has tapped into a workforce that has no choice but to accept conditions that no other human being could accept, only justice can put an end to it."