PodcastTurkish delivery workers organize sit-in against restrictive policy
Motor couriers working for Turkish online food delivery platform Yemeksepeti on Sept. 9 organized a sit-in at the company headquarters in protest of the restrictive “compliance” rules. Couriers demanded to meet with company management about amending the rules.
Duvar English
The motor couriers of Yemeksepeti, Turkey’s leading online food delivery platform, on Sept. 9 began a sit-in in front of the company headquarters in Istanbul.
Yemeksepeti announced new "compliance rules" for its couriers, which included measures like permanent access bans if drivers contact the driver support team on three different days within a seven-day period due to accident issues, as well as suspensions from receiving orders for periods ranging from one to three days.
Couriers claimed that the new rules were inhumane and worsened their working conditions. They wanted to meet with company management to demand the removal of the compliance rules, but the management did not engage with them, according to a report by the online news outlet Evrensel.
Yasin Kölge, President of the Motorized Courier Workers' Association, stated that they had started a sit-in and would remain in front of the headquarters until their demands were met.
Kölge later added, "We couriers knock on people’s doors every day, delivering their orders. During the earthquake, you called us heroes. During the pandemic, you called us heroes. But when it comes to our livelihood, you treat us like scum."
Yemeksepeti delivery workers have protested the company’s union-busting attempts and poor treatment of its employees in the past. In 2022, the workers joined the swathe of motor courier protests in Turkey demanding better wages, and occupational safety measures.
Motor courier delivery workers are a growing workforce in Turkey. Their rights and compensation, however, have not caught up with the demand. They were among the most common occupations to die on the job in 2024. Data from the Courier Rights Association puts the number of deaths at at least 54 for 2024.
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