Gig economy

EU Law, Gig economy, Labour law, Platform work

, , (Minor – Projektkontor für Bildung und Forschung gGmbH (Germany)), , (University of Oxford (UK)), and (Hugo Sinzheimer Institut für Arbeits- und Sozialrecht - Hans-Böckler-Stiftung (Germany))/ /Leave a comment
Pavan Trikutam via Unsplash / Instagram: @heypav

On 11 March 2024, the European co-legislators approved a Directive on improving working conditions in platform work—the ‘Platform Work Directive’ (PWD).[1] It targets two challenges in digital labour platforms: false self-employment (Chapter II) and algorithmic management (Chapter III). Additionally, it increases transparency, especially for Member States (Chapters IV–V).[2] Some analysts called the final text ‘watered…

EU Law, Gig economy, Labour law, Platform work, Regulating

(Università degli Studi Roma Tre (Italy))/ /Leave a comment

The need for protections beyond the contractual status The proposal for a directive “on improving working conditions in platform work”[1] is part of a broad reformist design, aimed at balancing the needs for competitiveness in the digital economy with the protection of fundamental rights. There are many interconnected legislative tracks, including the marketing and use…

Gig economy, Labour law, Platform work, Portugal

(Universidade Catolica Portuguesa)/ /Leave a comment
Barcelona, Spain – April 09, 2022: A bunch of delivery boxes placed on the ground near bikes waiting for delivery to customers, Barcelona, Spain Wirestock

Introduction: the need for a new employment presumption The Portuguese Labour Code was recently amended through Act 13/2023, of 3 April (known as the “Decent Work Agenda”), which entered into force on 1 May 2023. This reform was driven by several concerns, namely the precarious situation of platform workers. And, precisely, one of its innovative…

Collective Bargaining, EU Law, European Commission, Gig economy, Platform work

(Tilburg University (Netherlands))/ /Leave a comment

Representation and Voice of Platform Workers as an Instrumental Tool for Improvement of their working conditions “Ways to improve labour conditions of platform workers” are at the top of the EU’s policy agenda. At the end of 2021, the Commission presented a proposal for a Directive on improving working conditions in platform work (COM(2021)762). Moreover,…

Collective Bargaining, Digitalisation, EU Law, European Parliament, Gig economy, Labour law, Uncategorized

(University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy))/ /Leave a comment

1) Introduction On December 12, 2022, at first reading, the European Parliament adopted 186 amendments to the Proposal for a directive on improving working conditions in platform work presented by the European Commission on December 9, 2021[1].The proposed directive is part of a package of measures promoted at European level in order to guarantee better…

EU, Gig economy, Labour law

(Institute for Labour Law – KU Leuven (Belgium))/ /Leave a comment

The proposed Directive on improving working conditions in platform work is gradually proceeding through the EU’s legislative institutions, with a key vote in the EP scheduled for 25 October. Beyond introducing protections in the case of algorithmic management, the most crucial innovation envisaged by the Directive is the stipulation of a conditional legal presumption of…

EU Law, Freelancers, Future of work, Gig economy, Labour law, Regulating, USA

(Maynooth University (Ireland)) and , (Centre for Sociological Research – KU Leuven (Belgium))/ /Leave a comment

The Great Resignation has been a frequent discussion point in the United States. The following graph from Pew Research outlines the top reasons US workers have left a job in 2021. Broadly we may categorise these as working conditions issues. Aside from pay which is a common consideration, some of the reasons pertain to the…

Gig economy, Labor Law, Telework, UK

(Maynooth University (Ireland))/ /Leave a comment

Will offices close in favour of telework/remote work? It is unclear whether telework/remote work will be taken up (where feasible) in a significant manner once businesses more widely re-open. The question of continued use of office space (as well as in what capacity and size) has been posed and widely noted in newsmedia with attention-grabbing…