Thuisbezorgds Dante: I refuse to be cynical about it

I work at Thuisbezorgd and I started there in November 2020. Hear me out, the good stuff is in the end.

Something I value in jobs is a measure of dignified autonomy. Which means there’s no-one watching over your back all the time. Theoretically then, working at Thuisbezorgd could be a sort of acceptable job, if it weren’t for the powerhungry competitive dickheads called managers shitting on everybody all the time.

Well at least biking through Amsterdam is nice but that’s no consolement. Then again: the jobs are really, really precarious and the pay, that great consoler, is shit.

Bright Rider ideas on bike brakes and crashes at Thuisbezorgd

Something that would really improve Thuisbezorgd is… if they would take more into consideration how fucking awfull the job is in the dead of winter. I wont forget that time when the government was telling people to please take shelter inside…. but us riders were forced outside.
Coming from the shop floor, a boots-in-the-mud Thuisbezorgd rider, I got more bright ideas. Actually maintaining the bikes, that would be such a treat. The luxury of…working brakes! That’d be the day.

I have a personal dislike of having traffic accidents (odd right) but Thuisbezorgd made me take out a subscription on that stuff. Working bike lights, I’d love that. Can I skip my next high-speed crash? I’m full, satisfied, thanks. I hesitate to over ask a bit, but all things considered, I’d say less injuries during work (wounds, broken bones, the works) would raise company moral.

Its not quite a modern slavery, we’ve got rights you know. Well, if you do know, please come tell us riders because Thuisbezorgd is very opaque about rights and facilities we do have. Kept in the dark like the far side of the moon. Some transparency on rights like sickpay, how holidays are accumulated and such would be swell.

You know Thuisbezorgd is actually insured against the damage caused, unabatingly, to our phones during work. Turning up with another busted screen and requesting they pay for what they cause will get you nowhere. They’ll deny being insured. They lie straight into our faces on this one. It’s stuff that would confuse Kafka, the German absurdist.

Cynicism won’t get you anywhere –
organizing will

Now reading this would lead you to believe Thuisbezorgd is mainly good for turning workers into cynical moaners. For all their impeccable talent at running businesses though, in this they did not succeed. Because we’re organizing (ha!).

I believe that through collective action we can free ourselves from this pitiful state we’re in. We’ve had a few cases of workers already coming in. At the moment I’m working on my own case. I’m dealing with something all of us riders face. Basically, we’re worked to breaking point. Then we’re forced to work some more.

When the physical limits of our bodies are breached (have you seen the bags?) we start skipping days, or reporting in sick for a day. That’s an instant 100% pay cut because sickday #1 is for inexplicable reasons free for the boss. Longer periods of sickness result in either of two things: you’re bullied back to work or you’re fired. They’re bullying me and threatening firing me.

Dealing with those issues together, or even collectively, is a great mental support. One of us was being bullied back to work but we coached them into standing up for their rights and actually really reporting in sick. Together we can understand our contracts and rights and lay claim to them. It’s not romantic activism but you bet it’s impactful. These shit jobs affect me emotionally and mentally. Especially dealing with legal issues can be very overwhelming. So being organized is vital.