According to Nicolas Schmit, the EU commissioner for jobs and social rights, consumers are willing to pay more for services provided by digital platforms if they know that the workers are treated fairly and have decent working conditions³. He said that there is a growing demand for social responsibility and sustainability among consumers, and that platforms should not compete on the basis of exploiting workers or avoiding taxes³.
Schmit is one of the main proponents of the Platform Work Directive, a proposed legislation that aims to protect the rights of millions of workers who work for digital platforms such as Uber, Deliveroo, or Airbnb¹². The directive would establish a legal presumption that platform workers are employees, not self-employed contractors, and would grant them access to minimum wage, social protection, collective bargaining, and other benefits¹². The directive would also regulate the use of technology to monitor, evaluate, or discipline workers, and ensure that workers have the right to transparency, explanation, and contestation of algorithmic decisions¹².
The directive is currently under negotiation among the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission, and faces opposition from some member states and industry groups who argue that it would stifle innovation and flexibility¹². Schmit said that he hopes to reach an agreement by the end of 2023, and that he is confident that the directive will create a fairer and more sustainable digital economy for both workers and consumers³.
(1) Gig economy workers to get employee rights under EU proposals. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/dec/09/gig-economy-workers-to-get-employee-rights-under-eu-proposals.
(2) EU: Pass Directive to Protect Workers’ Rights. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/01/09/eu-pass-directive-protect-workers-rights.
(3) EU workers rights: laws that protect European citizens. https://www.expatica.com/working/employment-law/eu-workers-rights-104518/.
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