Fairwork Recommendations for the EU Directive on Platform Work

Now that the Council of EU and the European Parliament are at a point of negotiating the final text on the Directive, we would like to offer our insights as to where the text makes significant progress in improving the lives of platform workers in the European Union, and where it lacks. [...] The initial Commission’s text, the Council’s proposal, as well as the report from the EU Parliament make important strides in guaranteeing better and fairer working conditions to platform workers in the EU. [...] A default presumption of employment for all platform workers, such as the one outlined in the EU Parliament report, with the burden of proof being on platforms, is fundamental to avoid platforms circumventing the criteria to misclassify workers. [...] Because platforms act as crucial gatekeepers to the relationships between clients and self-employed workers, the Directive should urge national regulators to make it obligatory for platforms to enforce minimum standards and basic protections to the self-employed. [...] With the exception of the Parliament’s amendments, no provision is included in the existing proposals to foster social dialogue or to incentivise platforms to actively engage in collective negotiation and bargaining with works councils, worker collectives, and unions.