Danish Appeals Board Rules Wolt Must Provide Injury Insurance for Couriers

Delivery company Wolt must provide workplace injury insurance for its couriers in Denmark. The Danish National Appeals Board ruled that Wolt acts as an employer in injury cases.

The decision follows a case brought by former courier Mahendra Poudel. He had a traffic accident in 2023 in Greater Copenhagen. A child stepped onto a bicycle path in front of him. Poudel is a Portuguese citizen originally from Nepal.

The National Appeals Board, known as Ankestyrelsen, upheld an earlier decision. The decision came from Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring, the Danish Labour Market Insurance authority. Both agencies ruled that Wolt was Poudel's employer during the accident. Danish tax authorities also classify Wolt couriers as employees for tax purposes.

Anna Ilsøe is an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. She stated that Wolt must now meet employer insurance duties under Danish law. However, the ruling only applies to occupational injury cases. Wolt maintains that its couriers are self-employed independent partners who choose their hours. The company plans to challenge the ruling in court.

This report is based on coverage by CPH POST.