Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 403 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in December 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 403 entries and was last updated in December 2024.
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Netherlands
In December 2020, FNV sued Uber because Uber did not pay their drivers in the way in line with the collective labour agreement. According to FNV, Uber drivers should be recognised as employees, while Uber considers them as self-employed people who are working through its platform. By bringing the case to court, FNV hopes to force an end to such self-employment contract. While Uber argued in its statement that the majority of the more than 4000 drivers who work via Uber app value the flexibility and independence that the platform offers.
The following recent changes to this court ruling have been recorded.
13 September 2021 - Uber drivers are employees, not contractors, and so entitled to greater workers' rights under local labour laws. "The legal relationship between Uber and these drivers meets all the characteristics of an employment contract," the ruling said.
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.
