Agreement reached

EU strengthens workers’ rights in the gig economy

The new rules are intended to better protect those affected from bogus self-employment.(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Matej Kastelic)

People who work as cab drivers, domestic workers or food delivery staff via an online platform are to be given more rights in the EU in future. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU member states agreed on Thursday that those affected should be better protected against bogus self-employment, as the EU Parliament announced. The Belgian EU Council Presidency also confirmed a deal.

According to the new rules, it will be assumed that workers are employees and not self-employed if there are indications that employees are being monitored, for example. The burden of proof lies with the platforms - they must prove that no employment relationship exists, according to the Parliament. According to the EU member states, employees can receive better access to sick pay, unemployment benefits or income support, for example.

"While the industry generates billions in profits, most of the people working in it work under precarious conditions," commented Evelyn Regner, Vice-President of the European Parliament (SPÖ). With the help of the new directive, the aim is to ensure that all platform workers in the EU enjoy fair working conditions and social protection in the future.

"With today's compromise, we are sending a clear signal to Uber and Co: fair working conditions and data protection apply to everyone," said CDU MEP Dennis Radtke. This will put a stop to bogus self-employment and distortion of competition. According to Elisabetta Gualmini, chief negotiator of the EU Parliament, up to 40 million people in Europe work as so-called platform workers.

The EU negotiators had already agreed on the new rules in December. However, shortly before Christmas, the then Spanish EU Council Presidency had to announce that the deal had fallen through. Belgium took over the rotating presidency in January and has now negotiated another agreement. This still has to receive the official green light from the European Parliament and the EU member states - the project failed at this stage in December.