Milan Prosecutor’s Investigation Exposes Widespread Exploitation of Riders, Confirming USB Union’s Allegations
Milan, Italy – A bombshell investigation by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office, publicly released on Monday, February 9, has unequivocally confirmed what the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) has been denouncing for years: food delivery riders are not autonomous workers but are, in all respects, subordinate employees. This widespread practice of misclassifying riders as self-employed, often through fake VAT numbers, has been a deliberate strategy to circumvent fundamental labor rights, protections, and collective agreements.
The Illusion of Autonomy: How Platforms Control Every Aspect of Rider Work
The prosecutor’s findings paint a stark picture of control and subordination. The organization of work for riders is entirely dictated by the platforms themselves. This includes unilaterally decided shifts, algorithmic control over timings, routes, and performance, and punitive systems of penalization and disconnection that function as de facto disciplinary measures. Far from being autonomous, riders are subjected to full subordination, exercised through digital tools.
USB has consistently argued that the business model of food delivery platforms is built upon systematic exploitation, enabled by the fraudulent classification of riders as independent contractors. This legal fiction serves only to reduce costs related to contributions, insurance, safety, and wages, offloading all risks onto the workers. The Milan investigation provides irrefutable evidence that riders are indeed ‘false’ freelancers, compelled to accept imposed conditions without any real bargaining power, lacking holidays, sick leave, accident insurance, and income guarantees.
As a direct consequence of these findings, the Milan Prosecutor’s Office has ordered judicial supervision of the company Foodinho (Glovo) to ensure compliance with regulations and to finally regularize its delivery riders.
USB’s Unwavering Demand: Full Employment and the Logistics CCNL
In light of these revelations, USB forcefully demands the full application of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCNL) for Logistics, Freight Transport, and Shipping to all riders across all platforms, without exceptions or detrimental agreements that undermine workers’ rights. Riders perform activities that are fully attributable to the logistics supply chain and, as such, must be directly hired, fully subordinate, receive a dignified salary, have guaranteed working hours, contributions, holidays, sick leave, INAIL coverage (national institute for insurance against accidents at work), and workplace safety.
Furthermore, the union insists that the means of work, including maintenance and insurance coverage, must be provided by the companies. It is unacceptable that costs and risks continue to be borne by the workers.
Confederal Unions Under Scrutiny: Legitimizing Exploitation?
The USB’s statement also critically addresses the role of confederal unions. Despite a clear regulatory framework, growing jurisprudence, and decades of academic debate, these unions have, according to USB, continued to promote and legitimize autonomous or precarious work solutions. USB argues that these solutions represent a new form of precarization, failing to challenge the power of the platforms, denying the real subordination of rider labor, and ultimately institutionalizing exploitation by providing a ‘contractual’ cover for models that evade rights, wages, and protections. Such agreements, USB asserts, are not compromises but setbacks, further distancing riders from full recognition as subordinate workers.
The absence of a subordinate employment contract has concrete and devastating effects on people’s lives, hindering access to stable income, housing, credit, and social welfare. This condition disproportionately affects migrant workers, for whom employment is often directly linked to their residence permits, transforming precarity into a permanent form of blackmail and a tool of social control.
The Fight for Justice: Courts and Protests, Not Compromises
After years of discussions, roundtables, and compromise solutions, USB emphasizes that the only tangible progress towards recognizing rider subordination has been achieved through hundreds of legal disputes across Italy and direct worker mobilizations. These legal battles and protests, supported by USB, have forced platforms and institutions to confront the material reality of employment relationships, revealing what had been systematically denied: the existence of full employer power and a subordinate employment relationship. It is in courtrooms and on the streets, not through watered-down agreements, that the only real bulwark against rider exploitation has been built.
No More Hypocrisy: A Call for Change
USB demands an end to hypocrisy and calls for:
- Recognition of riders’ subordination.
- Regularization of employment relationships.
- Full and integral application of the Logistics CCNL, without shortcuts or ‘pirate’ contracts.
The USB pledges to continue standing by riders in their mobilizations, disputes, and court battles, ensuring that this investigation is not just another snapshot of exploitation but finally marks a turning point. Riders are not self-entrepreneurs; they are workers. And as such, they must be recognized and protected.
Further Developments Expected
The Milan Prosecutor’s investigation is a significant step towards justice for riders. The judicial supervision of Foodinho (Glovo) is a precedent-setting move that could lead to broader changes in the industry. The USB union’s persistent advocacy and the legal actions taken by individual riders have been crucial in bringing this issue to light and pushing for meaningful reform. The spotlight is now firmly on the food delivery platforms and the government to ensure that labor laws are upheld and workers’ rights are respected.
