After 7 years, Uber Eats is divesting its food home delivery business in Italy. “In recent years, unfortunately, we have not grown in line with our expectations to ensure a sustainable business in the long run. That is why today we are sad to announce that we have made the difficult decision to discontinue our food delivery operations in Italy via the Uber Eats app,” writes Manuele De Mattia, head of communications, on the company’s blog.
“Our main focus now is to do what we can for our employees,” he continues, “in compliance with current laws, while ensuring a smooth transition for all our restaurants and couriers using our platform. As it ends its food delivery business, the company is relaunching its commitment in Italy in the other sectors in which it is active: “This decision will allow us to focus even more on our mobility services, where we are experiencing significant growth.”
“Uber Eats announced today its closure in Italy, resulting in the loss of employment in the various direct and indirect activities related to food delivery. A serious decision motivated by the fact that the company has failed to build sufficient market share.” This was stated by CGIL confederal secretary Francesca Re David.
“Those who worked for Uber,” the union leader continues, “will find themselves in serious difficulty, with the loss of employment and income. Workers framed as casual and VAT-registered collaborators, who are the workforce used for food delivery, while losing their jobs will not be entitled to social safety nets or any public support for possible relocation.”
King David stresses, “In addition to the procedures regarding the direct employees, who if not relocated to other activities will at least have access to unemployment benefits, it is necessary to understand if and how Uber Eats intends to reduce the impact of this sudden decision for the workers as a whole. It is not acceptable to leave workers without any income starting next month.”
He then concludes, “The action we have taken as a union in support of these workers will have to continue stronger than before. We will also call in,” Re David concludes, “the Ministry of Labor to ask it to intervene on Uber and to act on the current labor regulations via platform.
