NICOSIA – The death of a 26-year-old food delivery worker on a motorbike, in a collision with a car, drew protests on Cyprus from colleagues protesting labor conditions and demanding safety measures for them.

They gathered outside the headquarters of the PEO trade union carrying banners and chanting, “No more blood on the road for profit” and “We demand protection now” reported Philenews.

The demonstration was organized by delivery drivers working for online platforms, with the support of PEO the Cyprus Workers Federation SEK as they sought to highlight the dangers of their job.

“The people who bring us food at home, regardless of the weather, ‘the delivery drivers’ are demanding rights at work, safety and protection,” a post by PEO on Facebook read.

The paper said that the victim was Md Sunny Hossen, 26, who died after he crashed head-on with a car driven by a 22-year-old woman, fellow workers pointing to the risks of what they do for a living.

The drivers and the unions representing them are in collective agreement negotiations with the online platform operators to determine their working conditions, the news report also said.

The negotiations were sparked after a lengthy strike by Wolt drivers across Cyprus in December 2022, demanding better working conditions and higher salaries, the paper saying that Wolt was found to be violating labor laws.