Amazon’s ‘Flex’ couriers were false freelancers, Spanish court rules

Amazon must compensate self-employed couriers who used their own vehicles for deliveries, a Spanish court has ruled.

The Madrid labor court said this week that the technology giant would have to pay the social security contributions of the 2,166 people it hired under the guise of external contractors within the now-defunct ‘Amazon Flex’ scheme, and recognize them as permanent staff during the periods you made deliveries.

The court did not disclose the total amount to be paid.

Amazon scrapped the Flex program in Spain last year after a 2020 Supreme Court ruling forced companies to hire freelance couriers as staff, and the government introduced a groundbreaking law to the same effect in 2021.

“Amazon is a company that is not only a logistics and transportation operator, but also a provider of courier and courier services,” the judge said.

The company has repeatedly argued that it is not in the transportation business.

According to the court, Amazon made all decisions related to the service – including hours, geographic distribution and remuneration – and used an application to direct and coordinate the couriers, who “lacked their own autonomous business organization.”

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