Motorcycle couriers of HepsiJet end protests with gains

Duvar English

Independent contractors working as motorcycle couriers for delivery company HepsiJet have ended their protests with a number of gains.

The HepsiJet Employees’ Association said the HepsiJet management agreed to increase their pay from 0.75 Turkish Liras per delivered package to 4 liras.

It added that the company will give them 1,000 liras in March for their fuel costs and couriers on sick leave for a week and more due to COVID-19 will be given 1,000 liras in support.

They will also be given 1,000 liras in support if they cannot work for a week and more due to a car accident that occurred during a delivery.

“Even though the management of HepsiJet said they would not ‘step back,’ the improvements conveyed to all employees are an indication of a step taken back,” the couriers said.

The contractors, who are not fully employed by HepsiJet, began protests and stopped deliveries when they were offered an only 1 lira raise per package delivered late January. They demanded a much higher raise in line with surging inflation and prices.

Five employees had been fired in January for protesting the 1-lira raise.

A wave of strikes took place since the beginning of 2022 in Turkey when workers protested their employers for low pay rises despite the inflation rate soaring to record-high levels.

Worker strikes had remained largely rare in Turkey, where union activities have been cracked down on over the years.

In January, couriers working for e-commerce giant Trendyol received a 38 percent pay rise after refusing to accept a lower raise.

Independent contractors, who are never fully employed by the employer they work for, work without health insurance coverage, sick leave and paid leave.