Oscar Pierre has declared himself a defendant in a Barcelona court in an open trial because he wanted to keep his delivery drivers as self-employed, a day after the company announced it would change its model and hire them as employees.
Glovo’s founder and CEO, Oscar Pierrestated this on Tuesday before a court in Barcelona and assured that the company’s decision to give employment contracts to its delivery drivers objective “avoid discussions in court and with the Labor Inspectorate”although she believes the current model is legal. Likewise, the country has decoupled this decision from its defense strategy.
Pierre, as a defendant, stated this to the head of investigative court number 31 in Barcelona is investigating the complaint filed against him by the Public Prosecution Service for Economic Crimes for a crime against workers’ rightsfor retaining its delivery staff as self-employed.
The company announced a day before the declaration that it was changing its employment model and hiring its delivery drivers as employees.
Respond to the questions from your lawyerPierre has insisted that the announcement of the change in Glovo’s employment model is a “coincidence”, and has justified his pursuit of “social peace” and to avoid continuing disputes with the Labor Inspectorate and the courts, after he has received multiple sanctions for employing the “horsemen” as fake freelancers.
However, he is convinced of the legality of his current contract system. He has argued in court that Glovo changed its delivery driver hiring model to align with legal and labor resolutions, as well as current regulations. According to the statement of his defense to the media, Pierre explained that when the company was founded in 2014, the Labor Inspectorate did not object to the independent relationship with the delivery people and that it was in 2018 when the Labor Inspectorate “changed the criteria and insisted urged the company to hire delivery drivers. This process culminated in a Supreme Court ruling.
Consequently, Pierre has insisted that the plaintiff’s complaint is based on “resolutions of the first labor inspections, which were attended by Glovo and gave rise to successive model changes” in hiring staff to adapt them to the criteria of the inspection.
The CGT union has appeared as a private accusation in this process initiated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office “with the aim of putting an end to abusive and fraudulent practices that threaten dignity and labor rights.” Pierre has refused to answer his lawyer’s questions during next Tuesday’s hearing.
The union centers have been cautious and workers remain in doubt about their future.
In 2021, the Spanish government passed the Equestrian Law that forced digital platforms to hire delivery drivers as employees.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
