Turkey’s food delivery couriers latest to strike amid economic crisis
A spate of industrial action from courier drivers comes as they step into an important gap created by COVID isolation.
ISTANBUL — Pink-clad motorcycle couriers may seem an unlikely vanguard in the fight for workers’ rights in Turkey.
But for the past week, the riders of online food delivery company Yemeksepeti have pursued better wages and conditions in the midst of the country’s worst economic crisis in 20 years.
Founded in 2001, the company now has 20 million users for its home-ordered takeaway service. Seven years ago it was sold to Germany’s Delivery Hero for $589 million and currently employs 9,000 workers.
While the company has boomed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in recent days its distinctive couriers are more likely to be heading in convoy for the Yemeksepeti Istanbul headquarters, where they have been protesting since Feb. 1.
