Two same-day courier companies have succumbed to the pressure from the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union and raised the rates each courier is paid per delivered item. The IWGB is a small union of around 500 members but it has punched well above its weight by organising the self-employed couriers in such a way that they have support from other cyclists and has used these supporters in their flashmob protests and social media campaigns.
The campaign at CitySprint, one of the country’s biggest courier companies with 3,000 couriers, began in late 2014. Couriers were only making the minimum wage (just over £6 per hour) after years of zero increases and delivery rates as little as £1.25.
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