Deliveroo boss treats himself to 'absurd' 22.5% pay rise

Despite being embroiled in a legal battle over pay and working conditions of its couriers, the Deliveroo boss Will Shu gave himself a 22.5% pay rise last year, in a move which has been described as “absurd”.

Shu, who set up Deliveroo in 2013, increased his salary to £124,999 and handed out close to £4.5million in share bonuses to Directors and hundreds of other head office staff – The Guardian reports.

However, the embattled food delivery company experienced 300% - plus widening in losses and set aside £1.6million for costs for an ongoing legal battle. The case, investigated by the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), centres around whether Deliveroo’s drivers are independent contracts (which the firm argues for) or should be classified as workers entitled to employee rights, such as holiday pay, the national minimum wage and collective bargaining via a union. A group of 20 British riders are seeking compensation in an employment tribunal case.

Jason Moyer-Lee, General Secretary of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, which is leading the CAC challenge, said: “It’s absolutely absurd that while riders are consistently on low wage and without employment rights, Will Shu sees fit to give himself a £25,000 a year raise. He should focus on the minimum wage and holiday pay first and reward himself later.”