Two Thousand

A few taps on a familiar app and, usually within an hour, a meal arrives at the door. The earnings and working conditions of the riders who bring those meals are questions that often go unasked. On Wednesday, a meeting at the Ministry of Labour addressed them directly, concluding that food delivery services should face stricter scrutiny to ensure compliance with Luxembourg's labour laws.[1]

Labour Minister Marc Spautz signalled his intention to meet the minimum demands of the OGBL and LCGB trade unions. The focus, for now, is not on platform work as a whole or the relevant EU directive, but specifically on Wolt, whose delivery riders recently voiced their dissatisfaction. Around 160 riders launched a form of strike action on 12 June.[2]

"Right now, it is primarily about undeclared work," Spautz said. "It is also about how the people in this sector work, and whether they are respected. These are the issues we are tackling now." The Inspectorate of Labour and Mines (ITM) is expected to carry out increased checks, though the details remain to be clarified.[3]

Paul Glouchitski of the LCGB described the conditions: most delivery riders work more than 12 hours a day. They are under pressure, with threats of being removed from the platform if they fail to generate a certain turnover. Despite these demands, riders often end up with around 2'000 euros a month, significantly less than Luxembourg's minimum wage. They must also cover their own costs.[4]

One rider, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of losing their job, explained: "I have to pay for my petrol and maintenance myself. And we are extremely dependent on the weather. When it is as hot as it is now, or when it rains or snows heavily, that has an impact on our work and how well it goes." The remark came during a week when Luxembourg was under a red heat alert, with temperatures approaching 37 degrees.[5]

David Angel of the OGBL highlighted a growing trend that complicates the picture further. Most riders on the platforms are classified as self-employed, though in the union's view they are "fake" self-employed, with little choice over when, how long, and for whom they work. In recent years, a newer pattern has emerged: individuals register a company on the app and then employ others through it. Angel described this as "the biggest grey area." The platform can claim it simply works with a company over which it has no direct influence. Behind the scenes, these companies offer what he called "the absolute worst working conditions."[6]

Recruitment is reportedly taking place at refugee facilities, targeting some of the most vulnerable individuals in the country. Wolt is not directly responsible for this practice, but the company has been reluctant to discuss its own working structures. When approached for comment, Wolt Luxembourg's communications officer stated that no interview with a manager could be arranged due to time constraints, and provided a written response instead.[7]

In its statement, Wolt said it supports the EU Directive on Platform Work and believes its implementation should reflect how platform work functions in practice. The company said it takes feedback seriously and had invited delivery riders' representatives for discussions. It also said it had not observed a gathering outside its office on 12 June, that delivery times had remained normal, and that the number of orders that day was close to a record high. A strike that the company did not see, on a day it nearly broke its sales record, is an accurate summary of the distance between the platform's view of its operations and the riders' experience of them.[8]

Luxembourg's minimum wage, as of January 2026, is approximately 2'570 euros per month for an unskilled worker over 18. A delivery rider working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, earning 2'000 euros, is paid below the legal floor. The rider pays for their own fuel, their own maintenance, and absorbs the risk of weather, traffic, and accident. The platform collects the order, assigns the route, sets the price, and disclaims responsibility.[9]

The Ministry of Labour has said the right things. The ITM will increase checks. The unions will keep pushing. The riders will keep riding, because the alternative is not riding, and not riding means not eating. Two thousand euros, in one of the most expensive countries in the world, is not a wage. It is a sentence with a scooter attached.[10]