Lieferando announces 2,000 layoffs: strikes begin in Hamburg!

Lieferando announces 2,000 layoffs: strikes begin in Hamburg!

The Lieferando company plans to lay off around 2,000 drivers in Germany by the end of the year, which corresponds to around 20 percent of the entire fleet. The measure will have a noticeable impact, particularly in Hamburg, where around 500 employees are employed. The reason for the layoffs is the increased collaboration with subcontractors to optimize last-mile delivery. Head of Germany Lennard Neubauer explains that the competitive landscape is changing rapidly and customers expect reliable service and short order times, which cannot always be guaranteed with the current structures. Lieferando plans to work with specialized logistics companies, especially in smaller markets such as Wiesbaden, Lübeck and Bochum. The aim is to complete this process by the end of the year or by the first quarter of 2026 at the latest. Until now, most of the drivers were permanently employed by the Takeaway Express subsidiary, but more and more orders are to be outsourced to specialized third-party providers in the future.

This development provokes resistance. The Food, Pleasure and Restaurants union (NGG) has already warned of the layoffs and has been calling for a collective agreement for the around 6,000 employees nationwide for two years. In Hamburg, the NGG recently called for a 36-hour strike, which is the longest in the company's history. Over 100 employees took part in the walkout while collective bargaining is blocked by parent company Just Eat Takeaway. Trade unionists emphasize that a collective agreement is overdue after high inflation.

Strikes and demands

The NGG sees its criticism confirmed by the planned layoffs: It accuses Lieferando of building a “shadow fleet” by laying off employees and later rehiring them under worse conditions through subcontractors. This contradicts previous practice of directly employing drivers, which was viewed positively by many employee representatives. In addition, the abolition of so-called “order bonuses” from August will result in a significant loss of income for many drivers, as bonuses for some couriers brought in several hundred euros per month and affected around half of the drivers.

Contradictory statements

Lieferando has rejected NGG's allegations and stated that no significant layoffs had taken place in Berlin. In addition, the majority of drivers are not affected by the loss of bonuses and earn over 14 euros per hour. Nevertheless, the union remains skeptical and argues that the expiration of fixed-term contracts could also lead to job cuts. The NGG calls for a legally compliant collective agreement to better protect the rights of drivers.

From an economic perspective, Just Eat Takeaway increased its adjusted pre-tax profit in Northern Europe by five million euros in 2024 and kept the number of users stable at 30 million. The company is facing a takeover by Prosus worth 4.1 billion euros, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Critics of the developments fear that the restructuring could come at the expense of employees.

The NGG has announced that the strike in Hamburg is just the beginning. Further actions are planned in large cities to put pressure on the company and enforce demands for better conditions and a collective agreement.

For further details and background information read on Süddeutsche.de and nd-aktuell.de.