Wolt drivers launch strike over pay and conditions

Drivers working for delivery platform Wolt have launched immediate strike action over working conditions and low delivery rates, with the protest expected to last up to a week, several drivers told the Cyprus Mail on Friday.

“The main issue behind the strike is the continuously decreasing ride fares. Wolt is reducing rates, and we are not receiving fair income for the work we do. Despite working from morning until evening, the pay we receive is extremely low and not justified,” one driver said.

Another driver said the issues affect a large number of Wolt couriers, many of whom face similar problems, adding that more than 500 people had confirmed their participation in the strike.

“The strike is ongoing today and will continue in the coming days if no action is taken by the company,” he said.

The group added that riders from competitor platforms Bolt and Foody were not taking part in the strike, as, to their knowledge, Wolt drivers receive significantly lower rates.

“We are mostly young riders, working long hours daily,” he said.

The riders said they wished to remain anonymous and present themselves as a group, noting that they would not answer questions about their age, names or origin.

Meanwhile, Wolt spokesperson for Cyprus and Greece Akis Stamoulis told the Cyprus Mail that he was aware of the strike but not of a large number of drivers participating.

“According to my knowledge, it’s 20 people in Limassol who have announced a strike,” he said.

Around 80 per cent of drivers in Cyprus are not directly employed by Wolt but work through third-party companies. Twenty per cent are freelancers.

“They are not our employees,” Stamoulis said.

He said that drivers had signed a collective agreement in 2024 in cooperation with the labour ministry and trade unions, but added that he could not comment on claims that Wolt drivers are paid less than their counterparts at Bolt and Foody.