Historic Uber Eats and DoorDash deal could set minimum pay for delivery workers | The Business

The Transport Workers Union has reached an agreement with Uber Eats and DoorDash for minimum safety net pay rates and other conditions for delivery drivers and riders. The union says it is a "significant step" towards improving fairness in the gig economy. The deal requires approval from the Fair Work Commission. Minimum safety net pay rates would put a floor beneath what have been wildly variable earnings for delivery workers, who have often taken home far less than Australia's minimum wage under current pay arrangements, which see them paid per delivery, not for time worked. Experts say it does not provide a minimum "wage" in the same way as a worker agreeing to a four-hour shift would understand it. University of Sydney senior lecturer and DECRA Fellow at the University of Sydney Business School in the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies, Alex Veen, said it was more complex than that. The agreement also includes accident insurance for drivers, dispute resolution processes and the right to be represented by a union. The companies welcomed the deal. "This proposal shows we can work together to lift standards and still enable the flexibility people rely on," said Simon Rossi, vice president of DoorDash in the Asia Pacific. Uber Eats Australia and New Zealand managing director, Ed Kitchen, said, "it's is a meaningful step towards building modern laws for modern forms of work." Experts say the companies could push this extra cash for workers onto your order - either through a higher delivery fee or hidden in the food costs. Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth stood with delivery drivers at Parliament House when announcing the deal, saying "for too long they have not been getting minimum standards", which other workers enjoy. In the last term of parliament, the government passed laws to allow and encourage workers to sit down with unions and employers to thrash out minimum standards. Experts say if the FWC approves the agreement, it would set a precedent for other companies and workers in the gig economy. #ABCBusiness Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-2... ABC NEWS provides around the clock coverage of news events as they break in Australia and abroad. It's news when you want it, from Australia's most trusted news organisation. For more from ABC NEWS, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY Watch more ABC NEWS content ad-free on ABC iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1 Go deeper on our ABC NEWS In-depth channel: https://ab.co/2lNeBn2 Like ABC NEWS on Facebook:   / abcnews.au   Follow ABC NEWS on Instagram:   / abcnews_au   Follow ABC NEWS on X (Twitter):   / abcnews   Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNEWS #ABCNEWSAustralia