Dozens of supply staff contracted by Dragonfly in Saskatoon are persevering with to push again towards their employer by way of a strike, saying they face unsafe and unfair working situations.
Final Friday, drivers contracted to ship packages for firms akin to Amazon walked off the job to demand safer working situations, higher pay and extra constant scheduling.
“We’ve to get up early within the morning at 5 a.m., so we’ll know if we now have a route or not, in case you are doing the job right now or not,” stated Guriqbal Singh, a driver contracted by the corporate.
Singh says drivers are sometimes on the hook for prices related to deliveries, akin to gasoline for his or her automobiles, insurance coverage and masking stolen supply packages.
“They simply wish to do all of the packages to be delivered, that’s what they’re doing,” stated Singh, including that many staff who drive for the corporate additionally depend on different gig financial system jobs, akin to meals supply and rideshare providers, to make ends meet.
“So many [people] right here, they’ve their very own households, they’re the one bread earners right here, in order that they don’t have something in any respect. In order that they must do one thing simply to outlive for the month.”
Dragonfly operates by letting people signal as much as grow to be “unbiased supply contractors,” which, based on its web site, entails hiring and managing a staff of drivers. Singh stated these people are their main level of contact for receiving work and what they’re paid for it.
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Since round 120 supply drivers walked off the job final week, Singh stated as many as 50 folks had been let go together with no advance discover.
“They despatched us an electronic mail saying we’re now not working as a supply driver with Dragonfly,” he stated, including that some, together with himself, had been solely faraway from WhatsApp group chats the place drivers talk with their unbiased supply contractors.
Singh says he believes operations in Saskatoon are persevering with with different drivers who weren’t beforehand contracted to work within the province.
In a press release to International Information, Dragonfly says it’s conscious of the protest underway in Saskatoon however that it doesn’t make use of supply drivers.
“We work alongside unbiased supply firms and depend on these companions to supply drivers for the supply routes obtainable to their respective companies,” the assertion learn, including that the unbiased supply firms are answerable for the hiring, scheduling and compensation of drivers, “in accordance with relevant legal guidelines and rules.”
“Our precedence stays making certain continuity of service for customers, and our huge community of supply companions has allowed us to take care of supply operations since Friday.”
The president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) says the group has reached out to the drivers to supply help and commends them for standing as much as their employer.
“To place your instruments down and stroll off the job is an extremely terrifying factor to do. However good on them for taking a stand as a result of they had been confronted with some actually horrible issues, they usually stood collectively, and that was fairly outstanding in my eyes,” stated Lori Johb in an interview with International Information.
“All staff ought to be capable of have some dignity and respect within the office,” stated Johb, including that the employees face a tougher bargaining scenario on condition that they aren’t unionized.
Saskatchewan’s labour minister says he’s keen to satisfy with the employees to assist them clear up the scenario.
“It actually doesn’t have an effect on the federal government individually, however because the regulator and the overseer and the minister of labour, I’m personally very involved,” Ken Cheveldayoff advised International Information in an interview Tuesday.
Cheveldayoff added that the federal government is searching for methods to strengthen its Employment Act and is opening it as much as suggestions.
“As gig staff develop and it’s a bigger a part of our financial system, we now have to take a look at it particularly and see if there are methods that we are able to enhance their working scenario,” he stated.
Singh says staff need to unionize and have been making an attempt to since strolling off the job. He additionally provides that he has not been in contact with the labour minister, however he seems to be ahead to a dialog with him.
“We hope by way of them the corporate will hear us, that’s what we actually need,” Singh stated.
© 2026 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
