Who is out of order here?

[fornical]

I run a healthy meal delivery company. I have several delivery drivers, however, having an issue with one in particular. My delivery drivers are self employed. Deliveries happen on a Saturday.

Long story short, I've had one of my delivery drivers for over a year now. I pay her £10 per hour and 45 pence per mile. She drives from Essex to London to collect the deliveries then back to Essex to deliver them every Saturday. She arrives to collect them at 9 am.

I text her asking for the next six weeks if she could be at pick up point at 8 am rather than 9 am.

She replied - 'See to be honest, it’s unsociable hours with it being so early at the weekend and having to get Amelia out of bed etc. I’d have to put my price up to £15 per hour. Let me know if you would be happy to go ahead with that or not. If you can’t though don’t worry I understand, It just means I’ll have to be getting up at 6.30 on a Saturday and my daughter too. Just wouldn’t be worth my while for tenner an hour xx'

AIBU to think this is totally unreasonable and out of the blue? How did she jump from £10 an hour to £15 because I asked her to come in one hour earlier. Am I being unreasonable?

Yes! Cos I don’t live in London!

Feels oddly familiar.

YABVU

Much of Essex is now considered Greater London. & none of it's cheap to live in.

Have you RECENTLY lived on £10/hr?

I'm amazed anyone would do this for £10 an hour. Her travelling time must be 1-2 hours on top. 45p a mile sounds ok except even the government realises this is a realistic cost of running the car.

I'd have another look at your business model OP

So for her to get up, get herself ready, sort her daughter out and drive from Essex, avoiding traffic to be there for 8am means she would probably have to get up at, what, 5.30am? On a Saturday?

I think you're taking this piss, to be honest. I'm amazed she's done it for a tenner for this long at 9am! Find a local driver.

What meals need to picked up at that time in the morning? Too late for breakfast and horrible and congealed for lunch. You need to rethink your business model.

£10 an hour in London/ SE? You're joking.

It's not unreasonable as she is self employed she can charge what she wants. From her point of view coming an hour earlier is not worth the hassle for what you pay.
It's not in not u be reasonable for her to say that as it's not what she originally agreed to but neither is it unreasonable of you to decline and find someone else

Agree

YABVU. £10 per hour is shite and she is right to tell you that her time, and that of her child, are more valuable, especially given the pittance she'll be left with when she deducts her driving costs before she even gets to London, aswell as normal deductions, lack of pension, holiday pay, sick pay etc.

wow a whole 82p bet she's living the dream.

I agree with the poster saying you're not U to ask, she's not U to say no. From her perspective perhaps it's awkward to get childcare early enough to drive to London by 9am.

She's a little bit cheeky to ask for a 50% increase for the whole shift as the majority of her hours are the same, it's only 1 hour difference so not clear how that will drastically affect her family life! You could offer her double pay for that one hour only, so £20 for 8-9am, then her usual £10 for the rest of the day.

Righto, don’t pay it then, find someone else

I wouldn't do that for a tenner an hour. Not sure 45p/mile is fair either although I know it's standard. Doesn't really account for wear and tear on the car either.

Jesus.

She’d be better off working at the local supermarket.

There is no way 45p is covering the true cost of driving a car, it was set to cover fuel, insurance, servicing, maintenance, and wear and tear.

Your really in the wrong.

I would find another driver that's nearer to you to be honest.

YABVU
You are likely breaking a number of labour laws, and are exploiting a working class mum. But hey that’s what you lot do isn’t it? Get rich off the back of others.

• her hourly rate is below minimum wage probably before, but definitely after we look at the fact that you don’t pay her anything for half the time she works for you.

• you are saying she’s “self employed” as if that’s your get out if jail free card when I doubt HMRC would agree given how you are setting her hours her pay, and treating her as if she were an employee and so you’re violating labour laws there.

You’re definitely being unreasonable, it’s a very poor wage. My 17 year old DD earns similar with local supermarket plus she gets annual leave, staff discount etc. She’s self employed so perfectly able to set her new rate.

Its called negotiation. Wouldn't say either party is out of order.

I would be ashamed to pay a freelancer that much @fornical I was self employed for years and paid drivers and never would have paid someone that little for that job.

She has to pay insurance on her car and doesn’t get pension pay in or annual leave etc, and you don’t pay her all her drive time.

Shameful, pay her more regardless of her pick up time. If you can’t afford it your business isn’t a sustainable one.

No she doesn't get paid for the drive from Essex to London. Just from moment she collects deliveries

Horrendous.

And the hourly rate for a self employed person 🤯

Hope all your contractors cop on.

Fair enough I think. You want her flexibility then you need to pay for it. I would also be charging you for the journey to collect so I think you've got her really cheap.

I don't understand why she's driving to London at her own expense. How much does this chip off her hourly rate.

I can't pay her annual leave, sick pay etc. She literally works for me for four hours.

I'd be surprised if she's not making a loss frankly. Would you do it for £10/hour. And if not why not? Be honest with yourself.

She's been doing you a huge favour, basically working at a loss!

YABVU