Local activists have launched an online fundraiser to support Cypriot Wolt drivers who held a one-week strike over what they called precarious working conditions which has already raised almost €10,000.

“After a week of strike, many drivers are now behind on rent, food and basic needs,” the fundraiser’s caption writes.

It adds that aside from basic living commodities, some drivers are also behind on paying for their tuition fees, seeing them risk deportation if said costs are not covered.

The drivers said that Wolt is currently demanding a fee of €130 from each of them to reactiveate accounts that had been blocked during the strike.

“Without these accounts, they cannot work,” the group said, “drivers are still being removed from the platform in retaliation.”

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail earlier in the week, the drivers said that as of Tuesday, a total of 80 accounts had been deactivated.

“The fund is to help drivers to eat, pay rent, keep their status and continue organising,” organisers said, “actions to hold Wolt accountable are ongoing.”

The fundraiser highlights that delivery drivers in Cyprus are regularly targeted in racist attacks and theft, in addition to a 30 per cent share of monies earnt being allocated to the third-party companies most of them are employed by.

“Overtime is unpaid, agreements are ignored,” the drivers say.

Their first demand was that a 20-hour work limit be enforced for student drivers, in line with Cypriot legislation, claiming that they are currently forced to exceed this limit.

Secondly, the drivers demanded the introduction of a facial recognition feature on the platform as some individuals allegedly lease their profiles to others, who then carry out deliveries under those accounts without bearing the associated costs.

The third demand relates to drivers whose profiles were blocked after participating in the strike. According to information obtained by the Cyprus Mail on Friday evening, these drivers currently remain unable to access to the platform.

In addition to the three key points listed above, the fundraiser describes four further demands, which they say the company initially agreed to, but then changed course after a brief break.

These include the increase in the base rate from €1 to €2.5, compensation for strike days, the reinstating of all drivers, as well as the fixing of the app to reflect actual distances.

“Everything was moving in our favour, they agreed to our demands,” the group wrote.

It adds that after seeing that there were 600 active riders, the company allegedly returned to the table and suddenly withdrew their consent to the agreement.

“Our strike is over, our fight will continue,” the drivers said.

Drivers had returned to work on Friday, describing their move as a “survival tactic” rather than a sign of satisfaction or surrender.

One of the drivers told the Cyprus Mail that the group intends to wait until Monday before deciding whether to take the matter to the labour court.

He added that drivers had resumed work out of necessity to make ends meet, even as talks between Wolt and Peo union failed to produce results.

Wolt delivery drivers are not employed by the Finnish company itself but primarily via third-party companies which take a commission of almost one third of the driver’s salary, others in rare cases work freelance.

Despite the third-party companies acting as the main employer, the drivers told the Cyprus Mail that their criticism is directed towards Wolt as they set out the working conditions and are in charge of determining the rates the drivers receive as payment.