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
In an unprecedented ruling for the Court of Appeal in Milan, Italy, Deliveroo was ordered to uphold a previous ruling determining that the on-demand delivery rider, Giuseppe Di Maggio, must be employed under the terms and conditions of a standard employment relationship. The court proceedings were originally brought forward by Giuseppe Di Maggio who believed he was engaged in an employment relationship, rather than working as a self-employed individual.
The presiding judge stipulated that Article 2 of the Jobs Act must be established and upheld between employer and employee. As a result, Di Maggio will gain a full-time contract on a 40-hour per week basis for a period of 14 months. A member of the trade union UILTuCS, Di Maggio was assisted by trade union representatives as well as lawyers from Paganuzzi studio.
As such a ruling has not been upheld in the Court of Appeals in the past, it has set an important precedent for other riders to lodge their own court cases. Further, UILITuCS played a large role in the case and so this has been celebrated as an example of their progress over the last years. UILTuCS National Secretary, Gennaro Strazzullo, has stated that this result strengthens their position in negotiations with the platform owners’ association Assodelivery and Confcommercio. It proves that while judicial enforcement is not the first course of action, the legal system can be a useful resource in their campaign for better working conditions in the platform economy.
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.
