Today on the World Day for Decent Work, trade unions in Brussels called on the European Commission to ensure that platform companies respect workers’ rights.
In the face of intense lobbying efforts by platform companies for the creation of a “third status” for workers that sits between ‘employee’ and ‘self-employed’, the workers mobilised by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) implored the Commission not to give these companies a “free ride” with a tailor-made law that comes at workers’ expense.
Participating unions included BTB-ABVV and United Freelancers – ACV.
A directive on platform work is expected to come from the EU Commission in December. Last month an overwhelming majority of the members of the European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution calling on the Commission to guarantee the rights of platform workers, including a legal presumption of employment status.
Meanwhile in Canada, food delivery workers with the Gig Workers United campaign of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) assembled outside of the provincial legislature in Toronto, where they called on the government to ensure that gig workers receive full and equal protections under the law.
The ITF stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our affiliates in demanding full rights for platform workers. Our 10 gig economy employer principles outline our vision for addressing the root causes of the problems that gig workers face.
