Checkers Sixty60 drivers earn roughly R7,600 per month in South Africa, before expenses are taken into account.
The supermarket chain’s on-demand delivery service has been a smash hit in the country over the last few years, but allegations are starting to mount regarding the treatment of its riders.
Chief among these complaints is that Sixty60 drivers are not regarded as employees and are severely underpaid as a result.
Wage concerns
Shoprite (Checkers’ parent company) has been criticized for labelling its delivery riders as “independent contractors” rather than salaried employees as a way to avoid paying for additional benefits.
“Drivers are independent contractors; drivers receive a fee based on their contractual agreement to render a service and are therefore not salaried employees,” according to the company.
It’s important to note that Checkers outsources all of the delivery platform’s logistics to its partner Pingo, which is a joint venture between Shoprite and RTT Logistics.
Democratic Alliance MP and attorney Michael Bagraim, has called the supermarket out for this practice, saying it promotes risky behaviour as drivers are pressured to be on the road as much as possible.
“They get no benefits whatsoever and they have no protection of our labour law,” said Bagraim.
“It forces the purported employees to take as many trips as possible, putting their lives in danger,” he told GroundUp.
TopAuto reached out to Shoprite, Pingo, and RTT for clarification on how Checkers Sixty60 riders are remunerated for their services, but none of the companies responded by the time of publication.
MyBroadband was recently contacted by a former Sixty60 operator, who spoke about their experiences on the platform and how they are paid.
The individual, who has been kept anonymous, was stationed at a Checkers in Mossel Bay from September 2022 until February 2024 when they were allegedly dismissed for addressing difficulties faced by the members of their delivery team.
One of the biggest problems they faced was when Pingo made an unannounced change to their payments, removing the R350 minimum daily fee that drivers would receive regardless of how many trips they made.
This resulted in a stay-away strike as the drivers could no longer recoup their operating costs without the minimum payment. The base fare was reinstated shortly thereafter.
The rider explained that a person typically earns around R7,600 per month when receiving the R350 daily fee, but they have to pay for their own fuel costs and bike rentals.
Petrol spending amounts to roughly R3,200 per month, and the motorbike rental is set at R400 per week (R1,600 per month), so drivers end up earning just R2,800 in net income each month once operating expenses are factored in.
Without the minimum fee, this sum would be even lower, explained the former driver.
Under the new system, a driver would need to make at least 13 deliveries to earn R30 to R35 per trip. If this quota was not met, they did not receive a minimum fee.
Soon after the first strike, the minimum fare was removed again, prompting another stay-away motion from the drivers.
Drivers have also voiced their concern regarding Pingo’s work hours, which are allegedly changed on short notice.
The anonymous source explained that their first year of work went smoothly, with a typical shift running from 08h00 until 17h00, though others finished at 18h30.
However, Pingo then allegedly announced an adjustment to the schedule, and riders were now expected to work from 07h00 till 19h30.
If operators refused to start accepting orders early in the morning, there was a high risk of being blocked from the app.
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