Illustrative photo – Demonstration of food and other goods delivery service workers Wolt, February 1, 20233, Prague.
Prague – On Wenceslas Square in Prague, several dozen couriers of the delivery company Wolt are protesting for the second time against a change in the remuneration system, due to which, according to them, their earnings have decreased. The company said after the first protest that it would increase the minimum remuneration for couriers per order. She stated that there are approximately 7,000 couriers working in the Czech Republic and another 5,000 are interested in participating in the operation. The organizers of the protest are planning a march through the center of Prague from 4:30 p.m. and then along the main road over Hlávkův most to the company's headquarters on Strossmayer Square. The police said on Twitter that the action will greatly complicate traffic.
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The police also asked drivers to avoid the center of Prague. The procession is supposed to go from Wenceslas Square on the highway via Krakovská, Žitna, Štěpánská and Ječná Streets to I.P. Pavlova Square, from where it will continue along the highway via Hlávkův Bridge to Holešovice. The police will direct traffic.
According to company spokesperson Jana Jarošová, today's protest before the start of the event had no effect on the availability of the service. During the midday peak, Wolt did not experience significant problems or delays in orders. The organizers urged the participants of the protest not to log in to the system for the whole day.
Around a hundred couriers protested on Wenceslas Square already at the beginning of February. They reported that their earnings had fallen following changes in the remuneration system. Wolt said earnings were down in the short term due to the large number of people joining the system at the time. He considers the whole situation to be more of a misunderstanding.
According to the company's management, shortly after the first protest, couriers' remuneration reached the same level as before the changes to the system, and their earnings should reach 250 to 300 CZK per hour. Couriers of delivery companies usually work as so-called partners, i.e. as self-employed persons who have to pay, for example, social and health insurance or vehicle maintenance costs themselves. Regarding the large number of people interested in joining the system, Jarošová said that the company accepts couriers according to the forecast number of orders and has not accepted new ones since mid-January.
After the first protest, the organizers of the event met with company representatives. The company then said it would increase the minimum reward per order. The amount should rise by ten to 20 percent, depending on the region in which the couriers work. However, the organizers of the protest said after the meeting that they were still dissatisfied, and therefore called the protest again.
Wolt operates directly in 15 Czech cities. In addition to Prague, it is, for example, Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen or Hradec Králové.
