39 Food Courier Fleets Arraigned In Court For Employment Regulation Violations
Food courier fleets partnered with popular food delivery companies Bolt and Wolt have been charged with breaching employment regulations following an investigation carried out by the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER).
A total of 39 fleet operators were arraigned in court on Wednesday, and a further four have been charged with failing to provide requested information.
According to Times of Malta, the investigation uncovered widespread breaches of the Digital Platform Delivery Wages Council Wage Regulation Order, which was introduced three years ago to ensure employee rights like minimum wage, sick leave, and overtime pay for workers.
The companies also faced charges related to violations of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act.
The investigation revealed that workers missed out on hundreds of thousands of euros due to these breaches, with six fleet operators admitting to the charges and being fined €1,076.44 each.
Among the companies arraigned on Wednesday were some of the country’s largest fleet operators, including WT Global, with more companies set to be charged next week.
The case stemmed from claims made by food couriers who went on strike in July 2024, alleging deductions in their allowances and struggling to make ends meet.
Several workers turned to organisations like Solidarjetà, Up in Arms, and the General Workers’ Union for support, leading to the investigation by DIER.
The department had requested information from Bolt and Wolt, to provide a list of fleet operators, a list of platform workers per fleet operators and other documentation including daily hours of work and number of deliveries per courier per platform.
The case will continue in October, and a second group of fleet operators will appear in court on 2nd April for breaching labour regulations.
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