When Lucía left Venezuela and settled in the Canary Islands five years ago, she first tried the hotel industry as a waitress. The contract she received listed a 40 hour week, yet she consistently logged 90 hours. People earning less than the minimum wage and forced to take only one day off each week often grow exhausted, burn out, and eventually quit. Some fellow nationals suggested staying in hospitality while seeking more control by joining a thriving home delivery company. As a foreigner with no local connections, she wondered aloud on air what else could be done besides joining one of these startups. We do not have a real job anymore was the way she framed it.
After years as a courier, Lucía emerged as one of the Canary Islands most outspoken voices on childbirth and work rights, sometimes facing retaliation for her stance. She makes a clear point: we are not autonomous. We are fake self employed. The delivery platform coordinates every rider task and sets the fees, leaving workers with almost no real independence. This matches two Supreme Court decisions in Spain from 2020 against Glovo and 2021 against Deliveroo, often tied to the rider law enacted as Royal Decree Law 9/2021 and effective on August 12, 2021. The decree acknowledges certain collective rights on paper.
Lucía estimates that despite formal recognition of a rider role, at least 200 delivery workers in the Canary Islands operate as freelancers for companies like Glovo and Uber Eats. She adds a cautious note that registrations shift constantly, so the figure should be treated with care.
Francisco Javier Velasco, secretary for Union Action within the Federation of Workers’ Commissions in the Canary Islands, told this paper that many riders still ask who should bear the costs of their jobs. The relationship remains riddled with gaps in access to equipment and preventive measures. Some workers, including Lucía, even pay to use the apps that receive orders.
On the issue of fake self employment, unions can push for more labor inspections and faster handling of complaints under the rider framework. Yet protests or strikes are difficult in a sector that is highly unstable and poorly organized.
Lucía, affiliated with the UGT union in the Canary Islands, supported the 2020 boycott of a delivery firm app. For a single day Canarian riders kept the app on but refused orders, costing the company most of its daily revenue. The organizers were identified and their accounts suspended for months, leaving them temporarily unemployed. This action highlighted the friction between rider autonomy claims and platform control.
CCOO argues that accidents during distribution should be treated as work accidents and seeks recognition accordingly. When a rider suffers an on road incident in the Canary Islands, the union technicians coordinate with the Labor Inspectorate and traffic authorities to manage the claim under worker rights. If a rider is not compensated, the industry in practice rarely grants long sick leaves, often providing only brief compensation. Lucía herself experienced a motorcycle fall, with doctors advising three months of rest, but her employer paid only part of the cost after the second month, demanding extensive documentation for payment.
The rider describes persistent fatigue that accompanies the ongoing struggle and the sticking points used to constrain their labor. There are days when the payoff feels meager; a rider can end up earning only a few euros per trip, a stark reminder of the precarious balance they must maintain.
Vulnerable to accidents and sun on the islands
The Canary Islands recently endured a heatwave that set record high temperatures in many towns. In response, Spain’s Royal Decree 4/2023, issued on May 11, addresses occupational risk prevention during extreme heat, among other protections. Still, both CCOO and UGT warn that delivery companies operating in the Canaries, such as Glovo and Uber Eats, may not be enforcing adequate protections for workers.
Riders frequently ride bicycles and face intense physical effort under harsh sun and asphalt conditions. Francisco Javier Velasco of CCOO reminds that if a riding accident occurs under these conditions, it should be treated as a work related incident, just like any other during the workday. The unions have circulated prevention guidance through leaflets from UGT for riders to help reduce risk.