Wolt was approached by Világgazdaság, among other things, regarding the employment of foreign workers.
Their article revealed the following information:
- Wolt claims it does not employ guest workers. Courier partners are not employees, but delivery partners with a service contract, for whom three contractual forms are available when joining the courier team: as an individual entrepreneur, through a cooperative or through a fleet partner.
- According to the food delivery company, they do not employ, nor do they have a contract as partners with, couriers who barely or not at all speak Hungarian – despite the fact that in practice such couriers often come to customers.
- Világgazdaság asked why you see so many foreign Wolt couriers? The courier company replied that “courier companies are often associated with foreigners, as it is easier to spot them on the street or meet them when they deliver our orders”.
- As Wolt became available in 30 new settlements last year, and is thus already present in more than 60 cities, the number of employees must be continuously increased. Currently, more than 8,000 active courier partners are part of the Wolt network.
- The courier company revealed that it does not ask for nationality information from applicants. According to them, this information is “not relevant to the performance of tasks”.
- Wolt reported positive experiences with workers from abroad. “We also constantly monitor the feedback of our customers, and if we receive a large number of complaints, we take the appropriate steps – first in the form of a conversation, but in some cases this can lead to the termination of the contract,” explained the company representative.
Guest workers in Hungary: how is the situation?
On April 15, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) published the specific figures on how many foreign guest workers worked in Hungary in 2023 and which countries the most guest workers came from.
The agency stated in the publication Situation, 2023 – Labor market that “the slightly decreasing but still significant demand for labor at enterprises cannot be satisfied by the slightly increasing domestic labor reserve – partly due to the different structure – and therefore foreign workers since 2021, its number has been increasing at an accelerating pace in the country”.
On Sunday, the parliament’s website posted several legislative amendment proposals from the specialized committee, in which Paks II. expansion, as well as referring to the special labor demand raised in connection with the construction of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, they would make it possible for guest workers to arrive out of line.
At the same time, Sándor Czomba previously firmly stated that there is no difference in salaries and wages between guest workers and non-guest workers.
