Italian delivery riders to strike for rights amid heatwave

Unions representing riders working for food-delivery companies Glovo and Deliveroo will go on strike in many parts of Italy, including Milan, Bologna and Florence, on Wednesday calling for protection of their health and of their income amid the latest intense heatwave that has gripped Italy.

The authorities in some areas, such as Milan, have ordered that food-delivery activities be suspended in the hottest hours of the day for the time being.

Although this reduces health risks, it also hits the ability of the riders, a group of workers whose earnings are already low, to make their living.

"We are asking Glovo, Deliveroo, and the Prefect of Milan for tangible solutions for workers: measures that protect their health without forcing them to lose wages," said Andrea Bacchin of the Nidil Cgil trade union.

The riders are striking the day before a meeting at the Ministry of Labour in Rome, where their unions will demand social safety nets for them.

Nidil-Cgil stressed that heatwaves like the current one are becoming increasing frequently because of global heating.

"The climate crisis is no longer an exceptional event," it said.

"Those who cycle in the city must not have pay the price of climate change out of their own pockets.

"If the (delivery) app is stopped for safety reasons, companies must allocate specific resources to ensure continued income: the suspension of deliveries cannot translate into an economic loss for the workers."

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