Lhe Deliveroo platform, found guilty of concealed work, was ordered to pay Urssaf 9.7 million euros for not having paid social security contributions and contributions, according to a judgment of the Paris court consulted on Friday by the Agency France-Presse. The France branch is ordered “to pay Urssaf Île-de-France the sum of 6,431,276 euros in respect of contributions and social security contributions, in addition to the sum of 2,489,570 euros in respect of supplementary recovery increases for infringement of concealed work, and the sum of 756,033 euros in respect of provisional delay increases”, details the court in its decision rendered on Thursday.
The British meal distribution platform denounced a procedure “neither regular nor fair” and announced its intention to appeal. For their part, the judges considered that the requests of the collection agency were “perfectly justified”.
“SAS Deliveroo, which defines itself as a connection platform, does not limit itself to connecting end customers and partner restaurants, who are never in contact, but itself executes the delivery of meals prepared through of deliverers, so that the delivery is inseparably part of its activity, ”they write in their decision.
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Urssaf accused the British platform of having concealed 2,286 delivery jobs in Île-de-France between 1er April 2015 and September 30, 2016 and, consequently, for not having paid the related social security contributions. “This decision is difficult to understand and goes against all the evidence which establishes that the delivery partners are indeed independent service providers, of several decisions previously rendered by the French civil courts”, reacted Deliveroo. “The Urssaf investigation relates to an old model which no longer applies today”, according to the platform. “Today, delivery partners benefit from a new model based on a ‘free connection’ system which allows delivery partners to benefit from even more freedom and flexibility”, indicates Deliveroo, recalling its upcoming participation in the social dialogue organized in France for platform workers.