Hungry Friday? Czech food delivery workers strike over 'unfair' pay

Residents across the Czech Republic may face significant delays with their takeout orders this Friday as couriers from the country’s major delivery platforms, Wolt, Foodora, and Bolt Food, begin a nationwide strike.

Organized by the "Couriers for Better Conditions" initiative, the protest aims to highlight falling wages and a lack of transparency in how the companies calculate pay.

The strike is expected to affect services in major Czech cities, with organizers suggesting that up to half of all self-employed couriers could participate. The movement has also gained traction across the border, with similar walkouts anticipated in Slovakia.

At the heart of the dispute is the transition from fixed pay tables to "dynamic" reward systems controlled by algorithms. Couriers argue that since the change two years ago, their take-home pay has steadily declined while the work has become more unpredictable.

"The rewards are calculated according to internal algorithms that are never published," protest organizer Jiří Karafiát told Radiožurnál. "You see the fee before accepting, but if you reject unprofitable orders, you face sanctions like being locked out of the app for an hour or an entire day."

The financial pressure has raised safety concerns among the courier community. Workers noted that low earnings often force them into 12-hour shifts, leaving little money for vehicle maintenance. "Many are driving cars in poor technical condition while exhausted, which simply isn't safe," one courier noted.

Despite the planned disruption, the delivery platforms remain firm. Representatives from Bolt Food and Foodora stated that because couriers work as flexible partners, they are free to go offline whenever they choose without penalty. However, the companies expressed skepticism regarding the strike's impact.

"We do not expect any significant disruption of services," said Foodora manager Adam Kolesa, adding that their data shows couriers earn an amount corresponding to the median gross hourly wage in the Czech Republic.

Wolt spokesman Tomáš Kubík noted that while the company is open to "constructive dialogue," they have yet to receive a formal list of specific demands from the strike organizers.

This is not the first time the sector has faced unrest; Wolt couriers previously staged protests in Prague and Brno three years ago. As of Friday morning, it remains to be seen how many drivers will stay offline and whether customers will turn to pick-up options instead.

If enough people join the protest, it could be the biggest outage in the history of Czech e-commerce in the food delivery segment. These platforms process an average of 50,000 to 70,000 orders per day, which could remain undelivered on Friday.