A Lieferando delivery driver claims to have been severely beaten by a restaurant employee in Berlin. Fellow drivers protested outside the restaurant demanding safer working conditions.
Protests at Berlin’s Burgermeister branch
On Friday evening, September 6, Lieferando delivery drivers gathered to protest outside the Burgermeister restaurant located at Eberswalder Straße U-Bahn station. Demonstrators carried signs with messages such as “Schlägermeister,” “I order respect,” and “I demand a safe workplace.” The protest was sparked by serious allegations of violence involving a driver and the restaurant staff.
According to the Lieferando Workers Collective (LWC), an organization representing delivery drivers, the incident occurred on August 25. The driver in question claimed that due to the extreme heat, he sought to wait inside the air-conditioned restaurant for an order. However, staff reportedly told him to wait outside and became aggressive. The driver alleged that he was struck in the head and then forcibly removed from the restaurant. He had to be treated for head injuries at the hospital following the altercation.
The LWC further claimed that verbal and physical attacks on delivery drivers by restaurant staff have become more frequent in recent times. “We couriers feel unprotected by our employers,” the group stated.
Burgermeister denies allegations
Burgermeister’s management presented a different version of events. “I strongly reject the claim that our employees assaulted a Lieferando driver,” the restaurant’s CEO told the newspaper Taz.
A spokesperson for Lieferando told Berlin.Live that the company does not tolerate violence against its workers. The spokesperson expressed regret over the incident and confirmed that Lieferando was in contact with the driver and the restaurant. They also emphasized their cooperation with police investigations. Although the company is aware that delivery drivers occasionally face such attacks, the spokesperson described these as “extremely rare isolated cases.”
Police investigation ongoing
A police spokesperson reported that the protest on Friday went ahead without any major incidents. Both the driver and the restaurant employees have filed complaints, and the case remains under investigation with conflicting statements from both parties.
