New Legislation To Protect Gig Workers In The EU
Good news for gig workers throughout the EU as the Platform Work Directive has finally been adopted by the European Parliament with 554 votes in favour, 56 against, and 24 abstentions. It has been a long arduous process for the EU to reach agreement, and several times it looked like it wouldn’t happen at all. The […]
Gig Workers Health At Risk Due To Outdated Legislation
A report published by IOSH highlights that outdated Health & Safety legislation has not kept pace with modern working practices, leaving the ever-growing gig economy to fend for themselves. Gig Economy Work Is Unhealthy IOSH surveyed over 1,000 gig workers, 40% of whom said they have experienced stress caused by their work, and a third […]
EU Platform Work Directive Receives Parliamentary Support
The European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee overwhelmingly gave its backing to the EU Platform Work Directive agreement last week. Out of 40 MEPs on the committee, 37 voted in favour, three against. This now paves the way for ratification by the whole of the European Parliament next month. Why is it controversial? The […]
EU Platform Work Directive IS Going Ahead
After several years of back and forth, a provisional agreement has finally been reached meaning that the EU Platform Workers Directive will now be going ahead. The purpose of the directive has always been to protect workers from being exploited by platforms, with employment status being a key feature of the legislation. Presumption of employee […]
Bitter Blow For Gig Workers As EU Legislation Blocked
The much-debated and long-anticipated EU Platform Work Directive has been blocked due to member states either abstaining or refusing to support the latest version. The vote last week was already a last ditch attempt following years of negotiations. What is the issue? The proposals have been controversial from the outset, particularly in relation to the […]
Side Hustle Tax Is NOT New!
There has been a fair bit of chatter online about a new side hustle tax that came in from 1 January 2024, but in fact this is NOT a new tax at all. All that has changed is that online marketplaces (such as Amazon, Airbnb, Deliveroo, eBay, Etsy and Uber) must now report directly to HMRC […]
Deliveroo Win Court Case – Their Riders Are NOT ‘Employees’
In a bitter blow for gig economy workers, the Supreme Court has ruled that riders for Deliveroo do not have an employment relationship with the food giant, and therefore the riders cannot be represented by a trade union. The case was brought after IWGB tried to negotiate pay and conditions with Deliveroo, but were refused in […]
Underage Children Working For Food Delivery Apps
A BBC investigation has discovered child labour working for food delivery apps in the gig economy, yet the businesses they work for seem powerless to intervene. This is because app riders are ‘self-employed’ and they can substitute someone else to do the work – which encourages a trade in online accounts, including to children. How has […]
Gig Workers Take Back Control To Combat Bias Algorithms
Cleaners, couriers and cabbies from around the world are taking control of their work by creating new apps without the bias they face from some traditional gig platforms. In South Africa a group of female domestic workers have helped develop We Care, a platform that links women and work by geographic location which saves them […]