Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 386 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in February 2024 and provides metadata for each entry, such as geographical scope, year, type of initiative, actors involved, sector and companies concerned. Initiatives include legal instruments such as legislative changes or court decisions, as well as voluntary interventions undertaken by different stakeholders to address issues around platform work.
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The database currently contains 386 entries and was last updated in February 2024.
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Germany
A collective of workers have organized a ‘payday’ fund to support workers in Berlin who are in wage arrears and/or experiencing wage theft from their employer. Currently focused on platform workers of platform operators in the on-demand food delivery service, the branch in Berlin is being set up as a fund which can support workers faster than any collective organizing can achieve. Payday is currently being constructed and soliciting donations. The organizers have specified that the Fund is available to those earning under €1800 gross per month. The application process is available via a multilingual online form and involves a face-to-face meeting before transfer payments are approved. It is the hope of the organizers that this fund can co-exist alongside union strategy, rather than be seen as competition to strategic collective organizing. In particular, the organizers state that wage theft creates an immediate impact for low-waged workers and so an immediate solution is required – something they say collective action takes too long to provide. Labor courts are responsible for such cases, but, judicial procedures are perceived as both lengthy and expensive for those who are materially dependent on monthly wages, making it a useless endeavor for resolving lost earnings in the short term.
The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising.
Technological change is accelerating as the capacity of electronic devices to digitally store, process and communicate information expands. Digitalisation is transforming the EU economy and labour markets: nearly one-third of EU workplaces are categorised as highly digitalised. What are the implications of the digital revolution for employment and work?
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers.
While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion.
