A lawsuit demanding formal worker status for motorcycle couriers employed by YemekSepeti, one of Turkey's largest delivery platforms, was heard today at İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan.
The hearing was adjourned once again due to the absence of witnesses. The next session is scheduled for May 11.
The case filed in 2022 centers on whether couriers currently treated as independent contractors should be granted full employee rights. Motorcycle couriers, backed by the Tourism, Entertainment and Service Workers’ Union (TEHİS), are calling for secure working conditions, access to social security, and union rights.
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Demanding worker rights
TEHİS Chairperson Kubilay Çelik said the lawsuit revolves around two main demands: recognition of couriers’ right to unionize, and an end to the current gig work model that places full legal and financial responsibility on the workers.
“All taxes, premiums, permit requirements, fuel, maintenance, and equipment costs fall on the couriers,” Çelik said. “Yet occupational health and safety measures are practically non-existent.”
He added, “The more packages, the more money. This logic pushes couriers into accidents, serious injuries, and workplace deaths.”
According to Çelik, couriers are effectively excluded from Turkey’s Labor Law, leaving them unprotected. He added that debt accumulation is becoming a chronic problem, with many couriers struggling to pay taxes and social security contributions while employers avoid responsibility.
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Legal amendments in Europe
Citing international examples, Çelik pointed to recent legal changes in Europe. “Last year, a presumption of employment was adopted in many countries, especially Spain. We want the same to be implemented in Turkey,” he said.
Çelik also raised concerns about contracts between platform companies and couriers, saying they allow companies to terminate agreements unilaterally. “When a courier gets into an accident and ends up in the hospital, the employer doesn’t call to say ‘get well soon.’ But when it’s cold or raining, they ask about deliveries. What matters is not the person, but the package,” he said.
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Dozens of couriers die every year
Also speaking at the courthouse, Courier Rights Association Chair Mesut Çeki said at least 58 couriers died on the job in 2022, 68 in 2023, and at least 63 in 2024. Despite these deaths, he noted, no platform companies or executives have been held accountable.
“This system openly produces impunity,” he said. “We are the lifeblood of the city. We deliver both court documents and restaurant meals. But we are nameless and faceless. When there’s tension on the road, the blame falls on us.”
Adem Özkaya, president of the United Couriers Association, said the artisan courier model deprives couriers of proper access to social security benefits. “When it suits them, we’re treated as employers. When it doesn’t, we’re treated as workers. We can’t fully benefit from Bağ-Kur or insurance,” he said.
Özkaya added that the fight to gain full employee rights would continue.
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(HA/VK)
