The reality of being a Deliveroo rider over 50

從這篇文章窺見零工經(jīng)濟(jì)時(shí)代的英國(guó)

Chris says the long hours, lack of a pension or holiday pay and occasional violence from the public impacts his mental health

1. 英國(guó)就業(yè)及養(yǎng)老金大臣Stride建議50歲以上去送外賣

The work and pensions secretary Mel Stride caused controversy on Thursday by?suggesting over-50s should take up food delivery work, after Deliveroo recorded a 62% increase in couriers over 50 since 2021.

2. Stride說靈活就業(yè)提供了非常好的機(jī)會(huì)

Stride, on a visit to the firm’s London headquarters, said flexible jobs offered “great opportunities” and that it was “good for people to consider options they might not have otherwise thought of” in an?interview with the Times.

3.?英國(guó)工會(huì)聯(lián)盟（TUC）批評(píng)Stride贊美零工經(jīng)濟(jì)

After the controversy – which?saw?the?TUC accuse Stride of “glorifying the gig economy”?– the Guardian spoke to Chris, a 57-year-old courier based in London.

這里的“A see B do sth”，用比喻手法表示A導(dǎo)致B結(jié)果。這種用法很常見，

比如：

①"His policies saw a rise in unemployment"（他的政策導(dǎo)致失業(yè)率上升）；

②"The controversy saw discussions about freedom of speech and censorship."（爭(zhēng)議引發(fā)了關(guān)于言論自由和審查制度的討論）；

③"Economic instability can see a rise in unemployment."（經(jīng)濟(jì)動(dòng)蕩可能導(dǎo)致失業(yè)率上升）。?

4. 待機(jī)無薪

“I started riding for?Deliveroo?in 2019 after a contract ended. I’m just constantly tired. Mel Stride made it sound like you can just?log on?and find an order, but there’s so much waiting around that you don’t get paid for.?

Often I’m waiting on my bike an hour for an order. I’ll be?stting there next to 17 other riders. It's like a waiter or waitress only being paid when they deliver food to the table." he said.

?log on?登錄

5. 入不敷出且無社會(huì)保障

“My mum’s 82 and doesn’t live in London. I don’t get to visit her enough because even missing one day of work?hits?my income. Yesterday I made ￡15.75 in three hours at lunchtime. I don’t earn enough for the hours I work. I live in social housing and my rent is ￡150 a week.

Currently I’m behind on?that and my?council tax. I know that Marks & Spencer puts reduced stickers on food at 5.30pm and Co-op at 6.30pm so I try to go then. It’s just a constant struggle. We get no national insurance contributions, no pension, no holiday pay.

hit 影響

be behind on 拖欠

council tax 市政稅
national insurance contributions（NICs） 英國(guó)社會(huì)保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)?

6. 疲憊的勞作

“I’m 57, I’m just?shattered. When I first started, I’d feel it in the legs and hips and shoulders. Those boxes are heavy. But now it’s just my whole body. At the end of the day you just?slump down. Sometimes I just go to the?pub?on my own, and I just think: ‘Please no one talk to me.’

shattered 疲憊不堪的

slump down 癱倒在地
pub 酒吧?

7. 自尊受挫

“That’s the real?toll?of the job – its impact on your mental health. I’m usually an?exuberant?and confident person. But I just feel worthless. It’s hard to hold your head high. Most customers are fine, but a significant minority treat you like a personal servant.?

They don’t even look at you when they take their food. It has an impact on your esteem – I’ve lost respect for myself, I assume people must think: ‘Look at that old?git?doing Deliveroo.’

toll 代價(jià)

exuberant 活躍的

git飯桶?

8. 送餐也要小心

“On one delivery, in 2019, I arrived at a block of flats in London. The guy at the door said: ‘I’m fucking sick of you lot.’ Maybe he’d been waiting a while. He started walking towards me, so I started filming. Then he hit me in the face and knocked my phone out of my hand.?

I told the company not to send me back there. But a few weeks later I recognised his address on an order. I gave it back to the restaurant. It’s made me?wary of?deliveries – sometimes?drop-offs?feel tense.

be wary of 提防，警惕

drop-off 送（餐）

?9. 回到維多利亞時(shí)代

“Mel Stride’s comments were so naive. It’s like Norman Tebbit’s ‘get on your bike’ again. Believe me, I’m on my bike. Six or seven days a week. He’s advocating for a return to?Victorian working practices, with workers queueing up hoping they’ll be picked.?

I’m retraining to be a?HGV?driver, hopefully getting my test in the autumn, so that’s?my light at the end of the tunnel.

Victorian working practices是指維多利亞時(shí)代工人面臨長(zhǎng)工時(shí)、低工資、無勞工權(quán)益等的艱苦工作條件

HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) 載重車輛

the light at the end of the tunnel 表示在長(zhǎng)期的困境中看到解脫的希望。?

10. 苦中作樂

“There are parts of the job I enjoy. I like riding my bike, especially along the river, and it’s great to have the freedom of no boss breathing down my neck. Sometimes I’ll stop for 10 minutes and just look over the London skyline. But when I stand there, I’m usually thinking: ‘When’s my next order going to be?’”

歡迎指正，感謝閱讀。