The distributors of the network Deliveroo in Belgium they cannot be reclassified as employees with contracts that represent tax and social security obligations to the company, a Belgian labor court decided this Wednesday.
The judicial decision refers to a minority of the delivery of the Deliveroo in Belgium, but the company claimed a “victory”, under criticism from local union sources.
In the process, the Labor Auditor and the National Social Security Office legally demanded that Deliveroo pay a heavy penalty for late contributions due for social security from a group of employees.
The Court, however, considered that in the absence of employment contracts it was not possible to determine “eventual tax consequences” that apply to salaried workers.
For the Francophone Labor Court in Brussels, the “employment relationship” between Deliveroo and the 115 litigating messengers “cannot be considered an employment contract.”
Martin Willems, leader of the influential Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CSC), considered it “amazing” that the court “does not find legal subordination [entre los repartidores y el empleador] despite a strong economic subordination“.
“This ruling does not favor anyone, much less messengers and delivery men who want to benefit from the rights of other workers, such as social protection or workplace accident insurance with real coverage worthy of their name,” he added.
For its part, a spokesperson for Deliveroo He told AFP that the ruling was a “victory” for the company.
“It is a victory from the legal point of view for Deliveroo. And also for the couriers who made this conscious choice to work independently, with the flexibility they wanted, “said spokesman Rodolphe Van Nuffel.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx