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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Italy
On 12 October 2021, Milan prosecutors closed investigations on Uber Eats for gangmastering (‘caporalato’) and exploitation of workers. According to the accusations, Uber Eats was cooperating with an intermediary firm, Flash Road City (later FRC srl), in order to hire workers without a residence permit (such as asylum seekers) using their ‘state of need’ and paying them just 3€ per delivery, robbing them of tips and curtailing wages in case the workers did not comply with the rules. In May 2021, the Court of Milan had placed Uber Eats Italy under special administration as part of the investigation carried out by the Guardia di Finanza. As a result, Flash Road City has been fined with €440 000 and one of its managers was sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison. Two other defendants were given prison sentences (2 years and 1 year and 6 months) for tax offenses. The 44 messengers concerned (who had been working between Milan, Turin and Florence) received a compensation of €10 000 each. Uber Italia’s manager was suspended and the company is now operating under special administration.
Following the gangmastering case in Uber Eats and with the support of the Ministry of Internal affairs, an agreement was signed in Milan between CGIL, CISL and UIL and Assodelivery (an organisation that includes Uber Italy, Glovo, Just Eat, Deliveroo and similar platforms) in November 2020, which aims to fight gangmastering. With the agreement, food delivery platforms pledge to hire their riders directly and not through third companies. Trade Unions are supervising the implementation of the agreement. It is considered an important agreement that can serve as a model for developing better regulations. Assodelivery also signed another (controversial) agreement with UGL.
AssoDelivery is an employer organisation of the Italian food delivery industry which aims to ensure that platforms operating in the food delivery sector have a unified representative organisation. On 15 …
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.
