Deliveroo Italia raises base hourly pay to 14 euros to exit Milan court administration

Wage adjustments and working hour caps

Deliveroo Italia formalized a package of operational commitments to the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office on 28 August 2026, raising its base minimum pay rate from 10 to 14 euros per hour. The company established a minimum fee of 3.77 euros per delivery order and introduced a ceiling on the total delivery hours riders can perform. Under the revised rules, the company compensates restaurant wait times exceeding three minutes using local city averages and offers productivity bonuses for couriers completing higher order volumes. Deliveroo also pledged expanded protective gear, including gloves, anti-smog masks, motorcycle protection, and helmets for its fleet.

Judicial supervision and gangmastering investigation

The policy adjustments follow a February 2026 court decision that placed Deliveroo Italia under judicial administration on allegations of labor exploitation and illegal gangmastering (caporalato). Prosecutors accused the platform, a subsidiary of British-based Roofoods Ltd, of exploiting the economic vulnerability of approximately 20,000 couriers in Italy, including 3,000 in Milan. Investigators found couriers worked between 10 and 17 hours daily across seven days a week, earning gross sums between 3 and 4 euros per delivery, an amount up to 86.5% below benchmark rates in national collective bargaining agreements. Managing director Andrea Zocchi remains under investigation. Public Prosecutor Paolo Storari issued a positive initial opinion on implementing the commitments, prompting a statement from the company.

These commitments outline a series of concrete measures that Deliveroo will implement, and once verified, the company hopes they will represent an important step toward lifting judicial oversight and closing the criminal investigation.

Legal scrutiny across the food delivery sector

The proceedings in Milan extend across the gig economy, where judges previously placed Glovo subsidiary Foodinho, which contracts 40,000 workers in Italy, under court administration in February 2026. Glovo, owned by Germany's Delivery Hero, announced a comparable 40% pay increase to 14 euros per hour in May. On 18 August 2026, Milan prosecutors submitted a negative assessment to the court regarding Glovo's petition to exit judicial control, stating that workers still lacked compensation for at least 30% of their working time. In May 2026, the Italian Antitrust Authority launched formal inquiries into both Deliveroo and Glovo entities over corporate social responsibility statements regarding courier working conditions and algorithmic management.

Union criticism of estimated active time

The Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) criticized the proposal, arguing that Deliveroo reproduced the remuneration framework previously rejected in Glovo's case. The union stated that calculating wages on estimated active time rather than total logged-in time leaves couriers uncompensated for traffic, weather delays, and platform availability.

14 gross nominal euros are not enough because the calculation system continues to ignore around 30% of the work actually performed.

The union stated that the compensation model maintains a piecework structure through algorithmic time estimates. Milan prosecutors have not issued a formal public response, and Deliveroo has not yet filed a formal motion before a judge to terminate judicial administration.