After several weeks of blockage, the 27 member states of the European Union reached an agreement to regulate and strengthen the rights of workers on online platforms such as Uber, Deliverro and Glovo.
ADVERTISEMENTEU member states and lawmakers provisionally agreed today (11 March) on new rules for platform workers, aimed at improving working conditions and regulating the use of algorithms by digital work platforms.
This agreement comes after several member states makes the last month a political agreement reached earlier between Member States and the European Parliament.
The rules were first proposed by the Commission in December 2021, to protect workers on apps such as Uber, Deliveroo and Glovo, who are often treated as self-employed despite being subject to rules similar to those of ordinary employees.
Under the law, the use of algorithms for workers that are used in human resources management will be made more transparent, ensuring that automated systems are monitored by qualified personnel and that workers have the right to challenge the automated decisions.
“It is the first ever piece of EU legislation to regulate algorithmic management in the workplace and establish European minimum standards to improve the working conditions of millions of platform workers in the EU“, said Pierre-Yves Dermagne, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Employment of Belgium, in a statement.
The adopted text strikes a balance between respecting national labor systems and ensuring minimum standards of protection for the more than 28 million people working on digital labor platforms in the EU, declared the Advice.
The main elements of the compromise revolve around a legal presumption that will help determine the proper employment status of people working for digital platforms.
An Uber spokesperson said in a statement that today’s vote meant maintaining the status quo, with “the status of platform workers continuing to be decided from country to country and from one country to another.” court to another”.
“Uber is now calling on EU countries to introduce national laws that give platform workers the protections they deserve while maintaining the independence they prefer.”
Plenary vote
Last month, Germany – home to Delivery Hero and Free Now – opted out, as did Greece and Estonia. France, opposed to the law, said it could not support the text on the table.
France and Germany also abstained in today’s vote.
During the negotiations, Parliament mainly opted for a pro-worker position, making it more difficult for platforms to circumvent the legal presumption, strengthening transparency requirements on algorithms and increasing sanctions for non-compliance.
The rift between the two institutions has bogged down negotiations over the past year.
The text of the agreement must now be finalized in all official languages and formally adopted by both institutions. Parliament is expected to vote at its April plenary session.
Member States will then have two years to transpose the provisions of the directive into their national legislation.
