Couriers in Northern Ireland have raised concerns over the algorithms used by gig economy platforms like Uber Eats and Deliveroo, arguing that the criteria for job allocation and payment calculations are unclear. A campaign led by gig workers and support organizations calls for more transparency regarding these opaque systems. Drivers often find themselves frustrated by challenges such as sudden disconnections from the platform or discrepancies in pay. The lack of direct support and communication with the app companies exacerbates their issues, highlighting the struggles within the gig economy.
Most days a thicket of couriers can be seen around the McDonald's in Northern Ireland's Ballymena, waiting for orders and discussing the mysteries of the systems that rule their working lives.
This week gig workers, trade unions and human rights groups launched a campaign for greater openness from Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo about the logic underpinning opaque algorithms that determine what work they do and what they are paid.
They wonder if the app ignores them if they've done a few jobs already that hour, and experiment with standing inside the restaurant, on the pavement or in the car park to see if subtle shifts in geolocation matter.
It's not at all like being an employee, he says He is regularly frustrated by having to challenge what appeared to be shortfall in pay per job sometimes just 10p, but at other times a few pounds.
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