ILO Working paper 101 (20.12.2023) This paper seeks to explore the key emerging regulatory dimensions of platform work. It contextualizes the challenges associated with platform work as an expression of the consolidated features that, in the past decades, have been transforming the labour market: non-standardization and the deregulation of employment relationships.

 EURACTIV.com (13.12.2023) The Platform Workers Directive is a bill to regulate the gig economy and ensure that workers of digital platforms like Deliveroo and Uber have the correct contractual status based on their treatment and working conditions. According to the European Commission, almost one in five platform workers ought to be reclassified from self-employed to full-time employees. The Directive intends to establish a harmonised mechanism to assess and operate contractual changes across the bloc.

consilium.europa.eu (13.12.2023)The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on a proposed directive to improve working conditions for platform workers. In the event that the deal struck today is confirmed by both institutions before going through the formal adoption procedure, it will help millions of them gain access to employment rights.

businessinsider.com (10.12.2023) Americans are flocking to the gig economy for extra cash — but it's not working out for all of them. While it's unclear how many people work as delivery drivers, babysitters, resellers, freelance writers, or one of many other gig jobs, experts told Business Insider that the number is growing — and that there's no sign of it slowing down. While these workers are likely happy to have extra income in their bank accounts, the gig economy might not be the solution to people's finances that some think it is.

ILO Working paper (Dec 2023) This paper takes food-delivery platforms as a case study in China to examine the impact of digital labour platforms on employment and presents findings in employment structure, employment relations, working conditions, wages, protection of workers and social insurance in the food-delivery sector.

ILO Working paper (05.12.2023) This paper examines the experiences of delivery workers on digital labor platforms in Chile and analyses the implications of the platform business model. It highlights challenges in working conditions and algorithmic management practices, which are crucial to address for ensuring decent work, as Chile moves towards implementing a new law to regulate platform work.

The Guardian (23.11.2023) On Tuesday, the supreme court ruled unanimously that Deliveroo riders are self-employed and do not have a right to collective bargaining. After seven years of legal battles, a case brought by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) that began in Camden and Kentish Town, north London, finally reached the end of the road. For Deliveroo, the result is a substantial victory. The decision means the company is protected from the need to collectively bargain with a union over fundamental issues such as the lack of a guaranteed minimum wage.

OSE (2023) Often depicted as the epitome of the future of work in the digital society, working through digital platforms has triggered heated political and scientific debates in the field of labour relations and social protection. The business model of one specific type of platform, namely ‘on-location’ platforms such as Uber and Deliveroo, has been widely questioned (Casilli 2020; Srnicek 2017)

euractiv.com (31.10-2023) EU institutions are preparing for confrontation over the functioning of the legal presumption of employment, the most sensitive aspect of the Platform Workers Directive, in a trilogue next Thursday (9 November).

reuters.com (25.09.2023) A report by rights group ActionAid released earlier this year showed that gig work algorithms discriminated against women who were “unable to respond as quickly or work as many hours as men because of unpaid care responsibilities”. The report, citing a survey of more than 5,000 gig workers in 15 countries, also showed that women tend to work fewer hours than men - contributing to a wage gap - as safety concerns lead many to shun work that falls after dark or in risky locations