‘Alarming risks’ to Scotland’s food delivery couriers

7 May 2024

A new study has highlighted the risks encountered by food delivery couriers, with a majority feeling “unsafe” when at work and every woman surveyed having experienced sexual harassment or abuse.

The two-year project, involving the University of Strathclyde, gathered feedback from 207 workers, including 33 women, employed in the food delivery industry in cities across Scotland.

It reveals more than 81% felt unsafe in their job, yet continued owing to financial necessity, while 78% believed their employer focused more on the needs of customers rather than employees. More than 60% suffered racial or ethnic abuse and 55% were physically abused, primarily owing to road incidents and accidents.

The study was led at Heriot-Watt University and also involved Nottingham Trent University.

Dr Anastasios Hadjisolomou, of Strathclyde’s Department of Work, Employment and Organisation, the University’s lead in the research, said: “This research, using and responding to Scotland’s Fair Work Framework, highlights that Scotland’s vision to be a Fair Work Nation is far from being met.

 

As this research shows, those working in the delivery sector in Scotland remain trapped in a precarious working regime, whilst data reveals unfair and hazardous working conditions.

 

“With this report, we call employers and policy makers to protect those who are most vulnerable in the Scottish labour market, and society. Only then we start talking about a fair economy and a fair society.”

The food courier sector flourished following the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increasing number of restaurants, stores and food delivery companies delivering directly to customers.

Employment in food delivery remains an important avenue for many people to enter the labour market, and a primary source of income for 48% of those surveyed, particularly among migrant workers. However, the sector is said to lack essential policies to protect employees, normalising unfair practices. Migrant workers, comprising a significant portion, face barriers such as qualification recognition, visa constraints, and language proficiency, limiting their opportunities to move into alternative careers.

The report documents first-hand accounts from food delivery couriers.

Among them is ‘Jordan’, whose real name has not been published to protect his identity.

He said: “I’m constantly being threatened by people not only customers but on the road, it’s like they see a guy with a delivery bag and they’re constantly giving me grief.”

‘Jay’ said: “It’s very dangerous work because there’s more and more ‘hit and run’ specially for riders working at night and some colleagues really get hurt and then they can’t work of course.”

Roz Foyer, General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), supports calls for delivery couriers to be protected by employment rights.

She said: “This report shines a light on the galling abuse suffered by food delivery couriers which cannot be allowed to go unchecked.

“To read that all women surveyed had experienced sexual harassment or abuse, with 81% of couriers overall feeling fundamentally unsafe in their work, is inexcusable and requires urgent action from government.

“These workers need protection. If we are to become a Fair Work Nation by 2025, the exploitative, abusive practices this vital research…highlights must be purged.”

The research was funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Social workers to strike over staff shortages

1 hour ago
Catherine Morrison,BBC News NI
PA

Some social workers in the Belfast Health Trust are taking 48 hours of strike action from Wednesday over a "staffing crisis" in family and childcare services.

About 40 members of the Nipsa trade union from three offices across Belfast will take part.

Industrial action will also extend to other trust areas in the coming weeks.

Nipsa said in some cases, staffing was about 30-50% below the required levels, which the union claimed had led to excessive workloads and stress.

'All-time high'


BBC News NI understands that in one office in the greater Belfast area, where 10 social work staff are needed, there are only two in place.

There are about 3,000 social workers in Northern Ireland.

A major report published in 2023 found hundreds of vacancies and an increase in demand for services following the pandemic.

The number of looked-after children has also hit an all-time high, with at least 3,800 looked-after children.

'Crying, leaving ... stressed out'

Nipsa said the strike action came after a period of negotiations with the Department of Health, which failed to address the problem of staff shortages.

Damien Maguire, who has been a social worker for 20 years, said some staff were working 50-60 hours every week.

"We can't do this anymore," he said.

"We can't have our members crying, leaving the profession, stressed out, retiring early, leaving to go to other jobs that they don't necessarily want to go into.

"This is people's lives, it's children's lives and it's families' lives but it's also the lives of those social workers who have lived experience of what it's like to work in the system."

The strike action is due to last until 10 May.

The BBC has contacted the Department of Health for a response.

UK
Delays and disruption warning as train strikes begin

Joe Langstaffe,BBC News

PA
Avanti West Coast trains will not be operating on Wednesday

Rail passengers across Wales are to face disruption on Wednesday with train drivers from the Aslef union striking as part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

Great Western Railway (GWR) services along the south Wales mainline will be “extremely limited”, according to the operator.

No Avanti West Coast trains will be running between Chester and Holyhead on Anglesey, while the CrossCountry service between Cardiff Central and Nottingham will also not be operating.

Transport for Wales, which provides all other train services in Wales, is not in dispute with Aslef and trains will be operating as normal.

Train strikes: How are you affected this week?

New direct train from London to Wrexham proposed

Transport for Wales rail fares to rise by 4.9%

However, it warned services are likely to be particularly busy.

Aslef members at 16 train operators across the UK are taking part in the strike.

Three of those, which do not operate in Wales, will walk out on Thursday.

The union first balloted its members in June 2022, with numerous strikes and other industrial action taking place since.

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “Our pay deals at these companies ran out in 2019.

"Train drivers at these train operating companies have not had an increase in salary for five years.

“That is completely wrong. The employers – and the [UK] government – think we are going to give up and run away. They’re wrong”.

Great Western Railway said it will continue to operate limited services between Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads, however all other GWR services have been cancelled.

It also warned services in the days following the strike could be affected.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies affected by the strikes, said last month: "This wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership will sadly disrupt customers and businesses once again, while further damaging the railway at a time when taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54 million a week just to keep services running.

“We continue to seek a fair agreement with the ASLEF leadership which both rewards our people, gives our customers more reliable services and makes sure the railway isn’t taking more than its fair share from taxpayers."

Fresh strikes by train drivers to cause more disruption for rail passengers

The dispute is now the longest ever in the rail industry

PASSENGERS ARE BEING URGED TO CHECK BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO TRAVEL BY TRAIN THIS WEEK (PA)

PA WIRE

ALAN JONES19 HOURS AGO

Rail services on some of the busiest commuter routes in the country will be at a standstill on Tuesday because of a fresh strike by drivers in a near two-year long pay dispute.

Members of Aslef at English operators including those running services into London such as Southern, Southeastern and South Western Railway will walk out for the day.

Strikes will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at different operators, while drivers are also banning overtime until Saturday which is also causing disruption.

Passengers are being urged to check before attempting to travel by train this week.

The dispute is now the longest ever in the rail industry.

There is a glimmer of hope that negotiations will start in a bid to resolve the row after the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) invited Aslef to talks about exploring any common ground which could break the deadlock.

No formal talks between the operators and the union have been held for a year and for longer involving a transport minister.

Business groups have warned of the impact on the economy of the strikes, especially for hospitality firms.

Muniya Barua, deputy chief executive at BusinessLDN, said: “Yet another round of industrial action across the rail network will cause disruption for businesses and commuters up and down the country.

“Amid weak economic growth, and as we head into a summer trading period which is crucial for retail, leisure and hospitality firms, we urge all parties to work together to resolve these long-running talks and keep the city moving. The impact of these walkouts will be felt even more acutely by many owing to a shorter working week.”

Train drivers will strike on the following days:

– Tuesday May 7: c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern, and South Western Railway.

– Wednesday May 8: Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Chiltern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, GWR, and West Midlands Trains.

– Thursday May 9: LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Express.

Aslef said its members have not had a pay rise for five years and has accused the Government of “giving up” trying to resolve the dispute.

EARTHQUAKES CAUSED BY MYSTERIOUS BLOBS INSIDE EARTH, SCIENTISTS SAY
THE BLOBS WERE LEFT BEHIND AFTER A MARS-LIKE OBJECT COLLIDED WITH THE EARTH BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

Researchers are increasingly suspicious that a powerful collision between the Earth and a Mars-sized object dubbed Theia some 4.5 billion years ago may have left "mysterious blobs" buried deep within Earth's interior — an impact so violent that it ejected enough material to allow the Moon to form.

Now, as the Washington Post reports, scientists are also coming to suspect that these buried blogs may have led to the development of plate tectonics as well, the geological processes that were integral to the formation of life on Earth and still trigger earthquakes and volcanoes to this day.

As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers drew a line between the mysterious blobs that were left behind from the collision and modern plate tectonics, which eventually formed the conditions that allowed life to flourish billions of years later.

"The giant impact is not only the reason for our Moon, if that’s the case, it also set the initial conditions of our Earth," coauthor and California Institute of Technology geoscientist Qian Yuan told WaPo.

Superunknown

The team examined existing theories surrounding these blobs buried in our planet's mantle, which are made of different materials than their surroundings, and how they first came to be.

The researchers believe that roughly 200 million years following the impact, these blobs kickstarted "strong mantle plumes" that initiated a process called subduction, with slabs of the Earth's crust sinking below other slabs.

The paper could also help explain the oldest minerals ever discovered on Earth, which scientists believe to have been the result of subduction over four billion years ago.

"The models link the earliest subduction to the [Moon-forming giant impact] with implications for understanding the diverse tectonic regimes of rocky planets," the researchers wrote in their paper.

But not every scientist is convinced. And others questioned whether we could ever figure out what was going on over billions of years in the first place.

"We need to bear in mind there is insufficient evidence for us to ever really know what the tectonic mode was in the Archaean," University of Maryland geoscientist Michael Brown, who was not involved in the study, told WaPo, referring to the Earth's second of four geologic eons that lasted from four to 2.5 billion years ago.

"So from a philosophical standpoint, it’s almost certainly unknown and unknowable," he added. "I think that point sometimes gets lost."

More on tectonics: Scientists Puzzled by Sudden, Super-Loud Rumble Inside Mars

 Another public consultation? Skepticism grows as Alberta launches survey on auto insurance

CBC
Mon, May 6, 2024 

The provincial government is asking Albertans for their input on the future of auto insurance in the province as it prepares for long-term changes. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press - image credit)

After months of pointing at big changes to come, the province says legislation to reform Alberta's auto insurance system could be coming this fall.

In a mandate letter last July, Premier Danielle Smith tasked Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf with providing short- and long-term recommendations to make car insurance more affordable.

Four months later, in a press conference, Smith rolled out some short-term plans, including the introduction of a 3.7 per cent rate hike cap on insurance for "good drivers." She also promised long-term reforms were coming in the next year.

"The cost-of-living crisis isn't over just yet. We're looking at all possibilities to provide relief, and auto insurance is next on our list," Smith said in November, a month before the rate freeze was lifted.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, centre, announces short- and long-term plans to reform auto insurance in Alberta at the legislature on Nov. 1, 2023. She is flanked on the left by Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf and Finance Minister Nate Horner, right.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, centre, announced short- and long-term plans to reform auto insurance in Alberta at the legislature on Nov. 1, 2023. She is flanked on the left by Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf and Finance Minister Nate Horner, on the right. (Dave Bajer/CBC)

The government has been quiet on the auto insurance front since then — until last week, when it asked Albertans to join the conversation by filling out an online survey, which is open until June 26.

In the same breath, it released two long-awaited studies it commissioned on the feasibility of adopting different insurance models in Alberta and the economic impacts of those systems.

So what will this public consultation accomplish, as Alberta drivers wrestle with the second-highest insurance premiums in the country, behind Ontario?

"We are asking Albertans what changes, if any, they want us to make to the system to achieve long-term relief rather than short-term measures," said Justin Brattinga press secretary for Treasury Board and Finance Minister Nate Horner, in an emailed statement.

"No decisions on auto insurance reform have been made," he said.

An official with the Insurance Bureau of Canada says this public consultation goes further than knowing whether Albertans want cheaper insurance; it's about gauging what balance drivers want with their coverage.

But some Albertans are doubtful their feedback will be taken into consideration — a skepticism a political analyst says is warranted, given the UCP government's history of hearing one thing during public consultations and doing another.

'They don't listen'

On Monday, Horner told CBC News that roughly 4,600 Albertans have filled out the survey so far.

"All the stakeholders that are intimately involved in the system — whether it be industry, business, injury lawyers — they all have a lot of vehicles to speak to government. So we just wanted to make sure there was something where Albertans could reach out and make sure their feelings and thoughts were heard and understood," said Horner.

Mount Royal University policy studies associate professor Lori Williams says it makes sense for the province to check in with Albertans on a topic that affects them.

But she says the government is likely to face a major problem: some Albertans are very skeptical about public consultations.

"Because despite the fact that 70 per cent of Albertans do not want political parties in municipal elections, they have proceeded with legislation to accomplish exactly that, at least in two municipalities in Alberta. And despite repeated polling and consultations that Albertans do not want a provincial pension plan, they've continued to pursue that," said Williams.


Edmontonian Yolanda Engel says despite having strong opinions about auto insurance, she won't bother filling out the survey.

Edmontonian Yolanda Engel says despite having strong opinions about auto insurance, she won't bother filling out the survey. (Submitted by Yolanda Engel)

"A government that has claimed to consult with Albertans and to listen to Albertans has repeatedly failed to do that and actually take an action that's in direct opposition to what Albertans have clearly indicated."

Edmontonian Yolanda Engel is one of those skeptics. She strongly opposes no-fault insurance — she wants the ability to sue if she gets seriously hurt in an accident.

But even though the province has previously said that's one of the systems it's considering, Engel says she doesn't see any point in filling out the survey.

"To me, it's just falling on deaf ears.… They don't listen to anyone's remarks, no matter who is giving their opinion," said Engel.

She says she's been burned in the past with the province's surveys. She was among many others who spoke out against the province's curriculum changes, only to see them go ahead with them anyway.

"They can do whatever they want even though nobody else wants what they're testing, so it's very frustrating."

Balanced coverage

The bulk of the survey asks Albertans about their thoughts on the province's five core principles guiding this reform: affordability, stability, simplicity, care focused and accountability.

It also asks other questions, like if you've been injured in a vehicle accident in the past five years and if you trust your insurer to support you properly if you get hurt.

Aaron Sutherland with the Insurance Bureau of Canada says this consultation is all about which pieces of the insurance puzzle Albertans value most.

"Everybody wants more affordable auto insurance, but coverage counts," said Sutherland.

"This consultation really looks at what is the balance that the drivers in Alberta want to see between affordability, between maintaining and increasing level of care, but also your ability to sue and your ability to hold at-fault drivers responsible for collisions."

Vehicles are pictured driving in traffic along highway 1 in Burnaby, British Columbia on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

The insurance industry and experts say there are many attributes needed for a healthy insurance marketplace, and it's all about balancing (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Martin Halek, associate professor of risk management and insurance at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business, says it's important Alberta drivers know it isn't possible to check all of those boxes — there are trade-offs required.

"If nothing else, the survey serves as a refresher course that insurance doesn't work in a box where the lowest premium wins kind of thing. That's probably a good thing," said Halek.

"How is it going to be analyzed? Will it be used to make better regulatory decisions? That's a little bit to-be-determined."

He says public education is key in this process and he's keeping an eye on how far the province will consider no-fault insurance.

Alternative models explored

The long-awaited reports, released at the same time as the survey, give Albertans an insight into what options are on the table for the province as it looks at changes.

The commissioned studies, completed by actuarial consultant Oliver Wyman and management consultancy Nous Group, looked at seven insurance models in various provinces and in Australia, as well as the Insurance Bureau of Canada's proposed model.

In essence, it explores public, private and hybrid systems of insurance.

Wyman's analysis suggests Alberta drivers could see the most savings with their premiums if the province switches to a public insurance model like British Columbia, which has a no-fault, public insurance Crown corporation.

It says a hybrid system like Quebec's, where bodily injury is covered by a public insurer but vehicle damage is covered by private insurance companies, could also result in savings.

Meanwhile, Nous Group, which was tasked to look at economic impacts of the systems, concluded that switching to a public model would take up to two years and come with a price tag of nearly $3 billion.

Instead, it says maintaining a private system could have the least economic impacts.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada — which represents insurance companies — has publicly raised concerns about Wyman's calculations, which suggested its proposal could come with some cost savings but not as much as other options.

The bureau has been proposing a system similar to New Jersey's, where drivers have more choice about type of coverage, ability to sue and, in turn, how much they pay.

One thing the bureau and consultant can agree on? Tackling legal costs could make a big difference with Albertans' premiums.

As the province weighs its many options and it prepares to introduce legislation, the insurance industry, political watchers and citizens say they're keeping a close eye on how much Albertans' voices matter in the process.

Alberta UCP facing growing pushback following introduction of municipalities bill

The Canadian Press
Tue, May 7, 2024 



EDMONTON — It was a long time ago, but Jan Novotny still remembers the tanks rumbling through his hometown of Prague in 1968 when the Soviet Union enforced its will on the people of what was then Czechoslovakia.

On Monday, he stood outside the Alberta legislature in a gentle rain, holding a sign aimed at the province's United Conservative Party government saying, "Stalin Would Be Proud."

"I'm really concerned," Novotny said on the first day of his protest.


"Democracy is a slippery slope. It can slip into autocracy quite easily. I just find the current government very autocratic in nature."

Novotny is specifically concerned about a proposed law that would grant Premier Danielle Smith's cabinet sweeping power to fire local councillors, toss out bylaws, and allow political parties to run in Edmonton and Calgary.

The office of Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver did not respond to a question about how much feedback it has received on its proposed legislation, which was introduced April 25.

McIver has promised to amend the bill and discuss the proposed changes with municipal leaders, who say they should have been consulted before the bill was even introduced.

Like other bills and policy balloons Albertans have seen since the 2023 provincial election, it wasn't part of the UCP's campaign platform and hasn't gone before a public comment process.

Novotny is one of an undetermined but increasingly vocal number of Albertans who are concerned about what they call the government's bossiness.

"I just woke up and said enough is enough," said Glenda Tailfeathers of Lethbridge, who's helping organize "Enough Is Enough" protests in several Alberta communities for May 25.

"There's a lot of interest in people taking a stand," said Peter Oliver of Project Alberta, an offshoot of a group called Project Calgary.

In one day, the group collected 800 signatures against the proposed legislation.

"The more power they take away from our councils, the more power they put in the hands of corporations and unions," Oliver said. "It could reach a point where it's hard to get control back."

Last week, University of Alberta political science professor Jared Wesley posted an essay warning of a growing authoritarian streak in the UCP government.

"In my two decades of research, I haven't seen this sort of reaction to anything I've written," Wesley said in an email.

"It's not just the volume, but the variety of people reaching out. From the left and the right. CEOs to retirees, rural folks and city folks. All of them upset at what a growing number of Albertans are seeing: a government bent on consolidating power.

"You can feel the groundswell, and MLAs are hearing it, too."

Alberta Municipalities -- the organization that speaks for towns, cities, and villages -- has also objected.

"Albertans have been clear: they do not want political parties in their local elections," the organization said in a statement last week. "The provincial government has ignored them, too, deaf to the voices of Albertans."

Critics say the Smith government has a way of springing controversial legislation on Albertans.

In the last year, the government has: re-introduced the idea of a provincial pension; imposed a moratorium on approvals for renewable power; promised to restrict gender-affirming care for young people; and introduced legislation that would require provincially regulated organizations, including universities, to obtain provincial approvals on federal funding.

Smith has pushed back on criticisms, saying her government is simply responding to concerns from stakeholders and is committed to ensuring other levels of government don't overstep their authority.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Alberta Municipalities said it hasn't been given chance to consult on changes to bill

The Canadian Press
Mon, May 6, 2024 



EDMONTON — Alberta's municipal affairs minister declined Monday to clarify whether towns and cities would still get their say before changes are made to a contentious bill that gives the province broad authority to fire local councillors.

Ric McIver announced the changes last Thursday and promised at that time he would talk to municipal leaders about looming amendments to the bill.

But on Monday, when asked by reporters on the state of consultations, McIver pointed to the fact he already spoke with multiple leaders "over the last few days" about the impending changes.

When asked if he considered those discussions to be the promised consultation, McIver declined to clarify.

"It's one form of consultation, it's certainly not the only form,” he replied.

The bill, introduced April 25, has been widely condemned by municipal leaders as a broad overreach into their authority with a possible chill effect on their decision making.

The bill not only gives cabinet broad power to fire councillors but also overturn any council bylaw.

This weekend, Craig Snodgrass, the mayor of High River – Premier Danielle Smith’s hometown -- said the only reason the bill is on the table is because the UCP has failed to get "their people" into the mayor's seat in Edmonton and Calgary.

"This is about control. It won’t end with the big cities. Scrap it," Snodgrass wrote on social media.

McIver said last week the amendments will address those concerns but has not provided specifics.

Tyler Gandam, president of Alberta Municipalities -- the organization representing Alberta towns, cities and villages – confirmed that McIver called him last week to say changes were coming, but said that has been it.

"Minister McIver committed to consulting with Alberta Municipalities in advance of the announcement of the forthcoming amendments, but nothing has been arranged yet," Gandam said in a statement.

"I trust we will have the opportunity to address our concerns on all parts of the bill," he said.

Paul McLauchlin, head of Rural Municipalities of Alberta, told CHED radio Monday he has had “discussions” with McIver.

While McLauchlin said he's hopeful McIver has heard the organization's concerns and will make necessary changes, he said nobody was asking for a bill making it easier for cabinet to remove local councillors or mayors.

"What is the point? Is the point to assert authority? Or is the point to provide clarity to governance?" said McLauchlin.

It’s also not clear when the amendments will be brought to the floor of the legislature.

Smith has said amendments would come this week and would clarify the new cabinet powers would be used only sparingly.

Asked Monday about the timeline, McIver said, "When amendments are ready, we will introduce them in the house.”

But McIver said time is a factor. He said the government aims to ensure the bill passes debate in the legislature in the current sitting, which is scheduled to rise at the end of the month.

Opposition New Democrats have said the bill is so flawed it needs to be pulled altogether.

McIver said municipal officials will need time to get ready for the next elections in October 2025.

"Time is ticking, and it's an important issue," McIver said.

The bill also makes changes to local elections, including mandating hand-counted ballots, and green lighting political parties to run in Edmonton and Calgary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2024.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press