A cyclist glides along a bike lane in Calle Diputación, Barcelona, stopping a meter and a half short of the usual crosswalk line. The rider lets a handful of tourists pass behind the garish rental bikes and moves at a relaxed pace. He deliberately positions the front wheel exactly where the shadow of a banana tree ends, thereby avoiding the sunlit wait for the green signal at two in the afternoon. She wears a Glovo backpack and appears ready to deliver food to someone waiting with the air conditioner running inside.
“We work more than six hours straight. I usually start early to dodge the hottest hours, but it isn’t even ten in the morning and I’m already sweating. You can pause deliveries at noon, but you won’t pick up anything new. Glovo offers the highest bonuses between one and five in the afternoon. It feels like a push to be out during those meals,” says a rider via CGT.
Long-sleeved shirts are common among riders, even when the heat invites lighter clothing. The extra fabric helps prevent burns that could linger for hours in the sun. “I either wear a long-sleeved shirt or I’ll feel like my skin is peeling the next day,” notes Joaquín, another delivery worker. “Dehydration, fatigue, and sunburn are the negatives we often face on hot days,” adds David.
Sources from CGT and CCOO describe the fleets behind the outsourcing companies that manage these deliverers. They point out that the rides do not come with sunscreen or shade, and water bottles are not always provided. In Glovo’s ghost supermarkets, the rest area where riders wait for their next orders is frequently too small for the crowd, and there is no air conditioning and little relief from the heat.
sultry uniforms
Other firms, such as Bring, hire their direct delivery staff to perform ultra-fast deliveries from ghost supermarkets. The issue raised by CCOO is that workers do not have summer uniforms and must venture out in thick jackets displaying the brand and the company’s signature purple. The protective value of a uniform against rain and a strong brand presence clashes with the heat generated by pedaling or delivering on hot asphalt when several orders arrive in the sun. “Many open their jackets to breathe when they move away from the stores, but a supervisor may scold or punish them if seen,” says CCOO. The same sources who organized a works council a few weeks ago have urged the company to supply a lighter, summer-appropriate uniform suitable for peak heat.