2024

Observing some of the Facebook groups for Indonesian OJOL drivers, we were able to understand the variety of pressing issues that reflect the complexities and challenges of working in the gig economy in the country. Pressing issues, real stories and opportunities for action.

Martijn Arets - ¿Qué tarifa necesitas como autónomo para llegar a fin de mes? La calculadora de la tarifa vital de la Fundación WageIndicator responde a esa pregunta. El experto en plataformas Martijn Arets entrevistó a los iniciadores para saber más sobre este proyecto. "Esta herramienta muestra lo que deberías obtener si no trabajas para un jefe", dijo.

As some food delivery platforms consider pivoting towards reusable packaging, it’s imperative to prioritise fair and safe working conditions for delivery workers.

Engaging with platforms to incentivize pro-worker changes to policies and practices is an important pillar of Fairwork’s efforts to ensure all workers have decent rights and protections.

The sixth annual Fairwork India report reveals the increasing control platform companies wield over when and for how long workers can provide services and discusses the potential impact of proposed legislation for platform workers in Karnataka and Jharkhand.

In the first report of its kind in Italy, researchers at Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Oxford have ranked platforms across sectors – including food delivery, domestic services, and odd jobs – and found most unable to evidence a minimum standard of fair work.

Almost every day, platform workers in India face disrespectful, classist behaviours from their customers and from the platform companies they depend on for their work.

This first comprehensive analysis of working conditions in the Chilean platform economy since the enactment of new regulations on gig work in the country shows few improvements in the fairness of work in this sector. “Fairwork Chile Ratings 2024: Labour Standards in the Platform Economy”—the third report of its kind from Fairwork—reveals that many companies still fail to evidence basic fair labour standards.

As an official Fairwork Partner, McDonald’s Germany is publicly endorsing the Fairwork principles for the platforms that it works with. Going forward, the company will use Fairwork resources – including future Fairwork Germany ratings – to monitor and evaluate their delivery partners.

An in-depth study of seven platform companies in four sectors in Spain found that the majority were unable to demonstrate a minimum standard of fair work.

A new report, published today by researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) on AI in the warehouse sector reveals worker dissatisfaction with pay, conditions and contracts.

As the UK general election approaches, Fairwork is proposing a set of evidence-based recommendations for the new government to deliver fairer and more sustainable platform work in the country.

New Delhi / In the thick of hazardous air & choking pollution, a middle-aged Delhi man continues his ride-sourcing bike-taxi work. Join us as we ride alongside him, glimpsing the city and its technologies through his eyes, navigating through the haze, and piercing the low visibility to witness his struggles.

Although the new president's commitments are still campaign promises, they suggest that the next five years could be crucial in creating a much-needed governance system for platform-based work in Indonesia

The first-ever Fairwork Poland report sheds light on pressing issues in the country’s platform economy

Blogs from Wageindicator interns - This summer, temperatures in Pakistan hit a record 52.2°C. But outdoor gig workers face year-round challenges: scorching heat waves, monsoon storms, floods, and winter smog. As informal workers without health security, climate change makes them even more vulnerable.

Martijn Arets - Online talent marketplace Cocoroco is responding in smart ways to the global labour market. In The Gig Work Podcast, platform expert Martijn Arets talks to co-founder Floor van Haaren about fair payment, long-term relationships and the future of the labour market.

Martijn Arets - In Colombia, it appears that cooperation between the government and platform entrepreneurs can lead to better working conditions for vulnerable workers. CEO Juan Sebastián Cadavid of domestic cleaning platform Hogarú explains all about it in The Gig Work Podcast.

Martijn Arets - En Alemania, las plataformas de crowdwork concluyeron un código de conducta hace unos cinco años para servir mejor a los trabajadores. ¿Qué éxito tiene esta iniciativa? ¿Y qué podemos aprender de ella?

Albert Cañigueral Bagó siente fascinación por la tecnología, las plataformas y el mundo laboral. ¿Cómo se desarrolló la economía de plataformas y colaborativa? ¿Y qué impacto tiene la tecnología en los trabajadores ahora y en el futuro? Esto es lo que Martijn Arets comenta con él en The Gig Work Podcast

Martijn Arets- El experto en tecnología y conductor de Uber James Farrar lleva ocho años defendiendo los derechos laborales en la economía de plataformas. A menudo con éxito. El experto en plataformas Martijn Arets habló con él en nombre de la Fundación WageIndicator en The Gig Work Podcast sobre justicia, datos y el futuro del trabajo en plataformas. "Nuestra lucha no ha hecho más que empezar", dijo.

Entrevistamos a Lorena Poblete, socióloga e investigadora del Conicet, especializada en las transformaciones de las regulaciones del trabajo doméstico remunerado en Argentina y latinoamérica

Blogs from Wageindicator interns - When examining women's experiences of digital work platforms across Africa, the word 'empowerment' comes up frequently. But what does it really mean? This analysis helps to redefine the concept of 'success' for these workers, and looks to the future.

Martijn Arets - Do you want to know where, when, and how platform workers protest? The Leeds Index of Platform Labour Protest provides answers. In The Gig Work Podcast, Martijn Arets asks the initiators of this project for their key insights for science and practice.

Users of X are fleeing en masse to the alternative platform Bluesky. However, they have no guarantee that this digital village square will not fall back into the hands of a billionaire abusing his power. How can we prevent that from happening? Platform expert Martijn Arets (WageIndicator Foundation and The Hague University of Applied Sciences) and Assistant Professor Damion Bunders (Utrecht University) examine how Bluesky can safeguard public values with a new view on ownership and governance. And in doing so, can serve as an example for gig economy platforms where the balance between platform and worker is usually deficient.

Martijn Arets - Journalist Varsha Bansal does extensive research on the impact of the gig economy in India. Her conclusion: platform companies and consumers benefit, but working conditions are poor. Platform expert Martijn Arets sat down with her to discuss what is needed for a better balance.

Cómo el Proyecto Fairwork lucha por un cambio real: Martijn Arets habla con la investigadora principal y directora de proyectos, la Dra. Funda Ustek Spilda, en el nuevo episodio de The Gig Work Podcast

Todas las formas de trabajo no remunerado en la economía informal, el impacto social del trabajo no remunerado en la vida personal de los trabajadores, un enfoque en el sector doméstico y dos soluciones prácticas para abordar el fenómeno: todo esto se discutió durante el último evento organizado por el equipo de trabajo informal de WageIndicator. Conclusiones, grabaciones y más recursos en este blog.

Las sentencias judiciales ayudan a los trabajadores a definir mejor su situación y ampliar sus derechos laborales. Lamentablemente, los tribunales también deben abordar algunas cuestiones prácticas y lo que sucede cuando una plataforma abandona un país en lugar de contratar a sus trabajadores como empleados.

WageIndicator Intern Reports - The complexities of taxing gig platform transactions and workers: how the intermediary and cross-border nature of platforms, combined with the classification of gig workers as independent contractors, has made traditional tax mechanisms inadequate.

All forms of unpaid work in the gig economy, the social impact of unpaid work on workers' personal lives, a focus on the domestic sector, and two practical solutions to tackle the phenomenon: all this was discussed during the latest event hosted by the WageIndicator gig team. Takeaways, recordings, and more resources in this blog.

Martijn Arets - En Colombia, parece que la cooperación entre el gobierno y los empresarios de plataformas puede conducir a mejores condiciones laborales para los trabajadores vulnerables. Juan Sebastián Cadavid, CEO de la plataforma de limpieza doméstica Hogarú, lo explica todo en The Gig Work Podcast.

Martijn Arets - Last week was the last attempt to get something more of the watered-down European 'platform work directive' off the ground. Unfortunately, once again member states failed to reach an agreement and the future of the Directive looks pretty bad.

Martijn Arets - Invertir en la propia formación, captar clientes, realizar tareas domésticas: el trabajo no remunerado desempeña un papel importante en la sociedad. Pero si el retorno de la inversión es demasiado bajo, puede conducir a un desequilibrio de poder, desigualdad y pobreza. Martijn Arets habló con la socióloga Valeria Pulignano sobre su investigación sobre el trabajo no remunerado en la economía de plataformas.

Platform work and social security seem to be incompatible, but they are not. In fact, in countries where an employment contract is not the norm, platform work could actually contribute to better working conditions and protection. I discovered this during my conversation with researchers at the Indian think tank OMI Foundation.

Three years ago this September, thousands of Efood drivers took to the streets of Athens to protest against unfair dismissal - probably the largest ever mobilisation in the sector in Greece. What was the impact of this action and can its success be repeated?

Martijn Arets - Major online platforms offer many benefits to the global digital market, but are also widely criticised for their dominant position. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to restore the balance of power since 2023. Does it succeed? At the ECN Digital Markets Act Conference, international competition authorities and experts discussed the impact of this European legislation. In this blog Martijn Arets reports on his findings.

Martijn Arets - What tariff do you need as a freelancer to make ends meet? The WageIndicator Foundation's Living Tariff tool answers that question. Platform expert Martijn Arets interviewed the initiators to find out more about this project. "This tool shows what you should get if you don't work for a boss," he said.

Martijn Arets - With the rise of the gig economy, despite unpaid labour being an important topic in the debate, you hear relatively little about it. To get a better picture, I went to Leuven for the WageIndicator Foundation's The Gig Work Podcast for a conversation with Pulignano. We talked about unpaid labour, the influence platforms have on it and solutions to ensure a better balance in the labour market.