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Discontent among Gorillas couriers in Berlin erupted in February 2021. During a severe cold snap, riders in the city said they did not have the equipment to safely meet their 10-minute goal of delivery on icy roads. This complaint led to the creation of Gorillas staff, a group that organizes riders against a number of other problems, from accidents caused by broken electronic bicycles (which Gorillas provides) to bag weights and wage problems, such as delayed or incorrectly calculated wages. “It seems to be an exploitation system,” said Oguz Alanak, a leading German researcher for the Fairwork Foundation, a project based at the Oxford Internet Institute that evaluates work practices in platform companies. “When I went to the protests and started chatting with riders, I realized that there are many different layers of problems here. A Gorillas spokesman said the safety of the rider was a priority, that the bikes were maintained professionally and that he was currently updating his riding kit. “As in any large company with many employees, there are sometimes salary errors. However, they are a small percentage, “the spokesman added.
Gorillas presents itself in such a way that the audience perceives it as an alternative to the concert economy, says Alyanak. “But when it comes to the actual work that is done, or the problems that workers face, there is nothing alternative.” Instead, it is under pressure to enter a crowded delivery app market, vying for market share with Lieferando, Wolt and Uber Eats, among others. This competitive atmosphere means riders are under pressure to meet the Gorillas goal in 10 minutes, according to Bernd Kasparek, a researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin who focuses on work, housing and health in migrant communities. But Gorillas’ mode of action also meant that disgruntled riders had a natural meeting place at their local warehouse where they went to collect orders. “People stay even after their shift and sit in front of the warehouses, spending time with the others,” says Kasparek. “So it was very conducive to organizing.”
When riders began the process of forming a works council in June, their relationship with management deteriorated further. According to an insider from Gorillas, who asked not to be named because they were not allowed to speak on behalf of the company, there was a feeling that the works council could “destroy” the company. Management fears it will be dominated by people the domestic describes as “anti-business” who have done what they call “unreasonable” demands, such as a base hourly wage of 20 euros ($ 22). Yasha, a member of the Gorillas Workers Collective who declined to share his last name because he did not want to jeopardize future employment opportunities, said the basic salary riders demand is around € 18 ($ 20), an amount he says that “it is not illegitimate at all.” Yasha also disputed that the protesters were anti-business: “If the strikes were anti-business, why ask for an hourly wage and not [government takeover] of the company? “
In order for the workers’ council to become a reality, elections had to be called to choose who would participate in the electoral council. The election was held on June 3, and under German labor law, anyone could participate except management and the people who have the right to hire or fire. But when head office employees showed up, about 50 people were rejected, a Gorillas spokesman said Capital at the time. “Many of the head office staff who came were rejected,” Yasha said. Gorillas’ staff asked for the job descriptions of people who wanted to attend the meeting in advance, he added, so they could disqualify people with management roles. “If Gorillas had done that, there would have been less confusion,” Yasha added.
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