Gorillas takes over Foodpanda drivers

Thanks to an agreement with the logistics company that employed the Foodpanda drivers, Gorillas now lets the drivers cycle for its own business. Some of those who had been dismissed by the company are also returning.

The more delivery start-ups that emerge in Germany, the more drivers are needed. Gorillas, which is struggling with its image as a bad employer in addition to the shortage of couriers, is also clearly feeling this demand. The Berlin-based company is now taking over the drivers from Foodpanda, which has just been shut down. According to a spokesperson, the associated logistics company Delivery Hero Germany Logistics (Pandalogistics), which employs the drivers, has "concluded a non-exclusive "Logistics-as-a-Service" agreement" with Gorillas, as quoted by the Tagesspiegel.

The decision was made on December 23, 2021 and "gives Gorillas access to the operational delivery capacities of Pandalogistics in several German cities. This will allow Gorillas to further expand its infrastructure to meet increasing customer demand. The drivers who deliver orders for Gorillas as part of the agreement will continue to be employed by Pandalogistics and will be provided with equipment by them," the spokesperson stated.

This creates a transitional solution for the drivers. The spokesperson left open whether they will be permanently employed by Gorillas in the future. He also did not comment on the number of drivers; Der Spiegel speaks of 8,000 riders. Their first day at work was anything but pleasant: As the Tagesspiegel reported, they had to wait outside some warehouses in Berlin in sub-zero temperatures and were denied access.How good this arrangement will ultimately be for Gorillas itself remains to be seen. Some drivers have worked for Gorillas before, but left because of the poor conditions or were dismissed after the strikes last year. Now they are working for their old employer again, but they are not happy about it: "I don't want to work for Gorillas," the Tagesspiegel quotes an anonymous rider.