Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 300 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 2023 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 300 entries and was last updated in February 2023.
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Italy
On 29 March 2021, an agreement was signed in Tuscany between the food delivery platform Just Eat, platform workers, and trade union CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour), CISL (Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions), and UIL Trasporti (Italian Union of Transport Workers).
Thanks to this agreement, the national contract specifically designed for workers in the transport and logistics sector will apply to Just Eat riders as well. The riders will therefore be able to enjoy benefits including a minimum wage of €8.5 per hour, guaranteed minimum working hours, paid holidays, social protection, health and safety protection as well as trade union rights. The riders on this contract will be provided with safety equipment, such as helmet and riding vests, and compensation for using their own vehicles during work. The agreement has also limited the number of deliveries to a maximum of four within an hour.
The agreement indicates an important point concerning regulating digital platforms: existing measures, such as the national collective agreement on transport and logistics sector, will be sufficient and no new instrument will be created.
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.
