Couriers Boycott Dalston Wingstop over Lack of Safe Waiting Areas as Dalston Parking Campaign Escalates

• Couriers set to boycott Dalston Wingstop Restaurant today 6-9pm after being denied safe, sheltered waiting areas and access to toilets.
• This majority-BAME workforce are forced to wait for orders outside on neighbouring Ashwin Street, where they face order delays, parking fines and police harassment.
• Couriers launched a campaign in September 2021 demanding the council make nearby Bentley Road a safe and suitable waiting area, after being moved away from Ashwin Street.
• Couriers are demanding that Wingstop allow couriers access to toilets, and to wait for orders in the back of the restaurant as they did before the pandemic.

Friday 29 April: Today, app-based food delivery couriers from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) are turning down orders from Dalston Wingstop Restaurant from 6-9pm after being denied a safe, sheltered waiting area inside the restaurant and access to toilets. This majority-migrant workforce are forced to wait outside in all weathers behind the restaurant in Ashwin street, where they have faced parking fines and police harassment since they were asked to move away from the area by the council last Summer.

In September 2021, couriers delivering for nearby McDonald’s launched a campaign backed by Diane Abbott MP demanding that they be allowed to maintain use of Ashwin Street, but following negotiations with the council, couriers agreed to move to Bentley Road car park as long as the space is made free and an appropriate shelter is constructed. The dispute is ongoing, but the provision of a sheltered and free permanent waiting area for couriers would improve relationships between this workforce, restaurant staff, and residents in the area.

Couriers were able to wait inside Wingstop before the covid-19 pandemic, but since the easing of restrictions, couriers are still forced to wait outside in all weathers, often late at night. This has resulted in a breakdown of communication between couriers and restaurant staff, exacerbating delays. Because couriers are not paid for waiting times, this has also led to lost income.

At today’s boycott, 30 couriers will picket the restaurant across the three hours and couriers will deliver their demands to management. Restaurant management met with the IWGB on 12 April 2022 to discuss the issue, to no avail. Couriers are demanding that Wingstop allow couriers to wait in the back of the restaurant for orders, ensure couriers have full toilet access, and tackle excessive waiting times.

Ana Thaís, Courier, says: “Kindness and politeness are not privileges; they are the basic for functioning working relationships, and at Wingstop, unfortunately, we don't have either. We wait for hours out in the dark and cold while orders are prepared because we are denied use of the internal space, and we are denied access to the restrooms. Delivery work is not a favor offered to the restaurant, where we must undergo all kinds of treatment. The pandemic has shown that the work we carry out is an essential service. We are not asking for luxury, just basic dignity and respect.”

Alex Marshall, President (IWGB), says: “These workers provided a vital service throughout the pandemic not only for the public, but also to the restaurants they delivered for. When places like Wingstop were forced to close their doors to dine-in customers, takeaways provided a lifeline to keep the business afloat. We need restaurants, local authorities, and the apps to work together to ensure this marginalised, majority-BAME workforce are able to do their jobs safely, free from indignity and harassment. Restaurants must provide areas for these workers to wait for orders and access to toilets. Councils must create spaces where these workers can park and wait for orders. And apps like Deliveroo must introduce paid waiting time and financially support councils and restaurants to accommodate their workforce.”

Interviews with couriers are available upon request.

For more information, please contact:
James Vail, Head of Communications
press@iwgb.co.uk