MORE than 20 Deliveroo workers gathered outside the Minster on Valentine's Day to protest about their working conditions.

The riders and drivers, who staged the action between 5pm-7pm, were protesting about changes to their pay and working conditions, claiming Deliveroo has affected their ability to make a living from the job.

Will Bossman, who works for Deliveroo in York, said: “Essentially Deliveroo have used technology in a regressive way to move workers back to 19th century working conditions where you are not guaranteed to a minimum amount of money and you have no rights."

“If I cancel a shift half an hour prior to the shift, I can’t give any reasons why on the app. This could be because my bike's broken, or a family emergency. Yet we are still encouraged to behave as an employee on a system that is clearly an example of the gig economy.”

“I think that’s wrong and it will only change by riders taking part in strike action themselves."

He added: “Valentine's day is a popular day for Deliveroo orders so by protesting between 5pm-7pm we will have caused some disruption to the company and for people who wanted to order in, because without the Deliveroo deliverers, the company can’t prosper."

Previous such protests have taken place in London and Bristol among other places.

A spokesperson for Deliveroo said riders make on average more than £10 an hour and earnings rose throughout 2018.

The spokesperson said: “Deliveroo listens carefully to rider feedback... we will continue to engage across York, improving the rider experience at every chance we get.

“We respect the right of individuals to protest, but their actions are unrepresentative of the 200 riders in York, of which the vast majority will be out delivering amazing meals to customers throughout the day meaning we do not expect service to be impacted.”