Talabat riders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) refused to make food deliveries in response to calls for higher wages, on Monday night.
The operator stated that riders employed by third-party agencies had announced their intention to refuse work.
Talabat, the Middle East division of the German company Delivery Hero, began refusing to make deliveries in Dubai, the country’s financial center and a regional tourism hub, on Monday evening.
A group of Talabat drivers said they were inspired to strike in the early hours of Tuesday outside a restaurant in Dubai after seeing the success of a strike by Deliveroo delivery workers earlier this month.
The Talabat drivers have requested a $0.54 (41.66 Indian Rupee) increase in payments to $2.59 (199.82 Indian Rupee) per order to help with rising fuel costs in the UAE, which have risen by more than 30% this year.
In Dubai, Deliveroo drivers earn about $2.79 (215.25 Indian Rupee) per delivery.
Talabat drivers, on the other hand, claimed that after paying for gas, they earned 2,500 dirhams (52,463.19 Indian Rupee) per month by working 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
