“We don’t want to work in America and live in Finland” – Wolt’s announcement to hire one hundred couriers as employees sparked debate in a panel discussion

The panel discussion organised by PAM in connection with the opening of the Hotel and Restaurant Museum’s Diary of a Food Courier exhibition became charged when, earlier that morning, the platform company Wolt announced that it would hire around one hundred food couriers as employees.

The panel discussed the situation of food couriers and ways to improve their livelihoods and working conditions.

According to Papy Nkunda, chair of the PAM Couriers Finland branch, many couriers are currently suffering. Fees have dropped compared to a few years ago, and Wolt has terminated couriers’ contracts.

— We couriers made Wolt’s owners millionaires, but people are suffering. We need security at work, job security, and income security, Nkunda said.

Olli Koski, Wolt’s Director of Public Policy for the Nordics, admitted that the payments have declined since the peak years after the COVID-19 pandemic.

— After the pandemic, there were too few couriers for the amount of demand, and earnings rose high. It’s true that at that time the fees were higher than they are today, Koski explained.

Under the entrepreneur model, Wolt has been able to unilaterally reduce couriers’ pay rates without negotiation. According to Koski, the average fee per delivery is now around five euros.

Is employment the solution?

Wolt’s recruitment announcement surprised the panellists. PAM’s Collective Bargaining Manager Juha Ojala pointed out that only a very limited group would now receive an employment contract, even though Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled in May that all couriers are in an employment relationship.

— If I put it diplomatically, this is a step in the right direction, but insufficient, Ojala said.

According to him, employment is the model that can best improve couriers’ protection. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

— I see that all three of the things Papy mentioned are included in an employment relationship: job security, safety at work, and income security. Even if employment might seem “old-fashioned,” it works. Wolt’s plan shows that it’s also possible, Ojala said.

University of Helsinki researcher Olivia Maury noted that the debate about employment relationships is familiar across the Nordic countries. Maury has studied platform work and food couriers over the past four years.

— The same questions arise everywhere: is an employment relationship better or not, and who does it suit or not suit, Maury said.

According to her, while the debate on employment status is important, it’s equally crucial to discuss the broader position of migrants in the labour market, as the majority of couriers are migrants.

The panel’s moderator, PAM’s Head of Public Affairs Elin Blomqvist-Valtonen, asked what would actually improve couriers’ situation.

— In the short term, better conditions and better pay. In the long term, the opportunity to find work in one’s own field in Finland. Many have studied here and are qualified professionals but can’t find jobs matching their education, researcher Maury pointed out.

PR stunt or not?

Nkunda said he was very surprised when he heard about Wolt’s plan to hire couriers as employees. Journalists had also shown great interest in the couriers’ reaction, and his phone had been ringing constantly.

— I see this as PR, and Wolt is good at that. In my opinion, it’s not enough. I understand that a small-scale pilot can produce results, but I think this is just buying time, Nkunda commented.

According to Wolt’s Koski, the plan could become a permanent employment model if it proves successful.

— If the model works and there is demand for it, the number could grow. This is not a PR stunt, but potentially something lasting.

Following the Supreme Administrative Court ruling, PAM has demanded that all couriers be recognised as employees. However, Wolt has filed a petition to overturn the ruling, and Koski confirmed that this application remains in effect despite the recruitment announcement.

Koski also said that demand peaks pose challenges for organising work under employment contracts, as lunchtime and dinnertime see more deliveries than other times of day. PAM’s Ojala noted that this is not a new issue in the service sector.

— Restaurants also have lunch and dinner rushes, and yet employment works there, he said.

Respect for couriers

In her research, Maury has found that some couriers have described their work as slavery. According to her, the term circulates on social media forums and emerges in interviews with couriers.

— Based on my analysis, it reflects aspects of coercion, lack of freedom, and work hierarchies. Many ask why Finns and Europeans hold the managerial positions while we do the deliveries. This isn’t just about platforms — it’s about the Finnish labour market more broadly, Maury explained.

Nkunda said that improvement can only come through cooperation. PAM, the couriers, and Wolt must keep the dialogue going.

— We need to sit down together and look for the best solution. As workers, we can’t force the company, but we want respect. We are the most important link between the company and the customer, and we want to remind everyone of that. We don’t want to work in America and live in Finland.

Text: Pauli Unkuri, pictures: Minna Raitapuro (article picture), Yehia Eweis (Hotelli- ja ravintolamuseon kokoelma)

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