Uber Drivers Strike Over Delays in Weekly Payments Blamed on Technical Issues

In order to draw attention to the increasingly frequent delays in weekly payments to drivers, as well as inadequate communication from management, Uber drivers in Zagreb turned off their mobile applications and staged a strike on Monday from 7 to 10 AM. Consequently, the prices of Uber services significantly increased during this period, as demand was high and supply was low.

The Union of Digital Platform Workers (SRDP) announced the strike on Friday, October 15, and also planned to block traffic on Radnička Street (which they later abandoned), where Uber’s headquarters in Croatia is located. There, representatives of the drivers and SRDP held a press conference on Monday, highlighting the issues they face. Although Uber reported on Friday that the payment issues were caused by a ‘local bank system error’, this did not prevent Uber drivers from striking, nor did timely payment on Monday deter them, as they stated they had already lost patience.

SRDP Secretary Iva Filipović stated on Friday for Večernji list that this move seeks a more humane approach from Uber towards drivers.

– Uber usually pays its drivers every Tuesday for work done in the previous week. No driver in Croatia received their payment on Tuesday, so we expected it to be on Friday since that has been the case the last few times payments were delayed. This has started happening more frequently. We need to feed our families; aggregators and Uber partners cannot pay their employees. Therefore, this is a chain reaction that brings a series of negative consequences. Drivers have been accustomed to weekly payments for years and adjust their lives and work, which is arduous and risky – said Filipović.

At the protest, Filipović emphasized that digital platforms represent a new market where payment execution should also be regulated, appealing to the government to do so.

– Like any other entrepreneur in Croatia, I have to pay all contributions – stated Filipović, who, as an Uber partner, is a sole proprietor.

In conclusion, Filipović emphasized that this protest calls for dialogue with Uber. In the afternoon, an official statement regarding the entire event from Uber was received, which we present in full:

“Uber services in Croatia are operating normally and are available to all app users, offering them a safe and reliable transportation option. The driver partner center will be closed today for security reasons, but our virtual and telephone support channels remain fully open. As soon as all security conditions are met, we will resume personal support.

We are aware that several of our partner drivers have decided to protest. We fully respect their right to protest and, although we believe this group does not represent the majority of partner drivers, we take their complaints seriously.

Last week, there was an issue with payment processing at the local bank, which resulted in delays in weekly earnings payments. We quickly took measures to resolve this issue and paid all outstanding payments, which was resolved this morning, and the earnings have been credited to the drivers’ accounts. As soon as we realized what was happening, we sent a message to all partner drivers whose payments were delayed, apologizing for the inconvenience and explaining when they could expect payment.

We understand the importance of timely weekly payments for our community of partner drivers and are learning from this experience to continue improving our processes.

Regarding earnings in general, we remain committed to creating a sustainable environment for our partners’ businesses, so we recently raised prices for this purpose. This increase does not make a significant difference for users of the Uber app, while ultimately benefiting our partners the most, whose revenues are now higher.

We remain fully committed to being the best transportation option for all our partners, drivers, and users in Croatia.”

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