Bolt, Wolt And Finance Ministry Refuse To Give Up Figures On Malta’s Food Couriers
Bolt, Wolt and the Ministry for Finance have refused to give up figures concerning the number of food couriers currently working in Malta, amid widespread concerns over their earnings and working conditions.
Lovin Malta sent questions to all three entities to gain some insight into the realities of the industry. These included the number of people working either as self-employed or fleet agencies and operators; and a full list of the agencies and operators who work with the food courier platforms.
Only Bolt issued some sort of reply, telling the newsroom that it could not divulge the figures due to commercial sensitivity. Wolt and Finance Ministry simply ignored questions sent.
Malta’s food courier platforms, which are the flagship enterprise in the emerging gig economy, have been under the microscope in recent months particularly after Bolt Food workers went on strike over their poor earnings.
The food courier industry – mainly dominated by Wolt and Bolt – surged in popularity in Malta during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping countless businesses afloat, and it has remained very much active following the end of restrictions on restaurants and social gatherings.
However, the industry has been criticised for the working conditions of certain couriers. While EU nationals can be self-employed for the food courier apps and other platforms in the gig economy, third-country nationals must find employment through a fleet operator.
A bulk of those striking were third-country-nationals employed through fleet agencies. And while there are many fair operators in the field, many cowboy operators, who take explorative fees and rates from their couriers, are creating major issues.
In some cases, fleet agencies, who act as employers for third-country-nationals who work with food courier platforms take at least 50% of their pay.
Meanwhile, Bolt Food has routinely slashed fees paid to couriers by reducing their peak-time bonuses by an average of more than 50%.
One courier told Lovin Malta how he earns just “around €40-€50 in hand, following a 12 to 15 hour work day, as around 50% has to go towards [their] agencies”.
According to the figures, it appears that there are some third-country national Bolt workers that earn between €2.66 and €3.33 an hour on a good day. The minimum wage in Malta is €4.57.
However, operators in the field who have spoken to Lovin Malta insist that the issue lies with a few cowboy contractors and that there are many who offer fair conditions in the field.
The Finance Ministry had once pledged to address the issues in the industry, but appears that not much has been done.
Still, there are concerns that the industry is also creating modern slavery, as broken down in this video by Jon Mallia:
How many couriers are working in Malta?
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