Around 60 couriers working through Wolt temporarily stopped accepting deliveries on Wednesday and gathered outside the company’s Icelandic headquarters in Ármúli, Reykjavík.
The couriers say their pay has fallen by around 40% over the past year. Wolt’s Iceland managing director, Jóhann Már Helgason, says the company takes couriers’ concerns seriously and wants to continue a constructive dialogue.
Couriers Say Earnings Have Fallen Around 40% as Icelandic Unions Back Their Protest
- Around 60 Wolt couriers temporarily stopped work and gathered outside the company’s Reykjavík headquarters.
- Couriers say their earnings have fallen by roughly 40%, a claim Wolt has responded to by stressing dialogue and fee transparency.
- VR and the Icelandic Confederation of Labour have publicly backed the couriers’ action.
Platform Work Under Renewed Scrutiny
The couriers are not employees of Wolt. The Icelandic Confederation of Labour, ASÍ, argues that delivery work of this kind nevertheless belongs within the organised Icelandic labour market and has repeatedly criticised arrangements it considers false self-employment or a transfer of business risk onto individuals.
VR chair Halla Gunnarsdóttir welcomed the walkout and said Icelandic unions are working with Nordic counterparts on how platform work should fit existing labour standards. ASÍ’s central committee also declared support for the couriers.
Wolt says couriers see the fee offered for each delivery before choosing whether to accept it, and Jóhann Már said the company would continue talking with people working through the platform.
Iceland Review has previously covered Wolt’s expansion in Iceland as well as broader concerns about violations of foreign workers’ rights and the vulnerable position of some foreign workers.
Sources: Vísir; Vísir — union response
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