His dream : “Work and pay taxes. “ But, for the moment, Mickaël (his first name has been changed) survives thanks to odd jobs, which earn him “300 or 500 euros per month”. Without being declared, because Mickaël, who came from Côte d’Ivoire in 2018, is an undocumented worker. He is one of some two hundred illegal deliverers kicked out overnight by Frichti, the French meal delivery platform, a few hours after the publication, on 1er June 2020, in Release, of an article about an undocumented delivery man working for a subcontractor of the platform, and not paid for two months.
Express exclusions that the author of the article, journalist Gurvan Kristanadjaja, describes as “Sad collateral damage from [son] investigation “, in his book Uberization, stupid trap!, published at the end of April (252 pages, Robert Laffont). Panicked, Frichti had decided to control all his delivery men, asking them to present a residence permit or a European passport. More than 200 delivery men, all Africans, found themselves on the floor. Among them, 66 passed, Thursday, April 29, in front of the conciliation and orientation office of the Paris industrial tribunal, where 15 other cases are underway.
Like other platform deliverers like Deliveroo and Uber Eats, Mickaël and his ex-colleagues from Frichti, declared to be self-employed, demand the recognition of the existence of an employment contract with the delivery company and the delivery of their payslips, as well as compensation for undeclared work and other damages. These demands take on a particular meaning among these workers since the payslips will allow them, under certain conditions, to initiate a regularization procedure.
“Audio evidence” of pressures
“With Frichti, we go even further in the relationship of subordination and participation in an organized service than with Uber and Deliveroo, says Kevin Mention, the delivery lawyer. Delivery rounds are organized according to a schedule. Delivery people are paid 5 euros per hour, plus bonuses. They come to pick up meals in the “hubs”, where they must check in and provide proof if they are late. There are managers in “hubs” to monitor them. They must wear the Frichti logo, are permanently geolocated and classified by level according to certain criteria. To climb a level, you have to accept to work in the rain, for example. “
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