Jusoor International calls on Human Rights Council to protect rights of delivery workers

Jusoor International Center for Media and Development, in cooperation with the Arab-European Forum for Dialogue and Human Rights, called for the necessity of protecting workers delivering orders. It also called on the Human Rights Council to activate its role and the international mechanisms necessary to provide legal and humanitarian protection to millions of delivery workers around the world.

This came in a statement submitted by the Center to the Human Rights Council at its 54th session held in Geneva, under item five. Jusoor International pointed out the need to give this issue the importance it deserves, with the aim of improving the humanitarian conditions of delivery workers, providing the necessary protection to achieve justice and equality in light of international legislation concerned with human rights and international agreements related to workers’ rights.

The head of Jusoor International, Mohamed Al Hammadi, said that the Center called on the Human Rights Council to activate international procedures and mechanisms to achieve justice and protection for more than 30 million workers in this sector, who face the most heinous violations by employers and companies that own delivery apps. He also said that they are deprived of the protection and justice of states, and the efforts of international bodies and mechanisms to improve their inappropriate working conditions.

Hammadi stressed the need to oblige countries and companies to improve the working conditions and environment for delivery workers, and to enhance their protection from all violations and inhumane practices to which they are exposed.

The statement called on the Human Rights Council to enforce labor agreements concerned with protecting workers’ rights around the world and to strengthen international contributions that ensure the protection of labor and human rights, including the rights of delivery workers. It also called for encouraging member states of the International Labor Organization to improve the working conditions in the delivery sector and for agreements and laws to include the rights of workers in this sector.

The head of Jusoor International said that the two organizations’ statement emphasized the necessity of providing a legal formula for retirement and protection from work-related injuries that provides this category with a legal status consistent with international agreements on workers’ rights, securing the applicable minimum wage similar to the rest of the workers, and additional pay for additional working hours, ensuring the provision of health, safety and security. He explained that the statement called for providing paid annual and sick leave to delivery workers in accordance with what is approved by international agreements and national laws related to workers’ rights, providing ways and mechanisms to participate in collective talks with countries and international bodies, guaranteeing their right to form trade unions, and approving it in a way that achieves protection, justice and equality.

Hammadi pointed out that the two organizations presented many recommendations concerned with strengthening and activating international mechanisms to protect the rights of delivery workers, the most important of which is calling on the Human Rights Council to take the initiative in achieving the aspirations of millions of delivery workers, activating the international bodies and mechanisms to achieve a better conditions for these workers, enforcing the legal provisions related to working conditions, protecting delivery workers from all labor violations, and enhancing the commitment of states and employers to the legal standards stipulated in international and national legislation concerned with protecting human rights and establishing respect for workers’ rights.