Does it Pay to Work? Unpaid Labour in the Platform Economy

10 Pages Posted: 21 Jan 2022

See all articles by Valeria Pulignano

Valeria Pulignano

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Agnieszka Piasna

European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)

Markieta Domecka

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Karol Muszyński

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Lander Vermeerbergen

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Date Written: January 20, 2022

Abstract

Policy recommendations
• Unpaid labour should be recognised as a systemic feature of platform work, inherent in its current model of work organisation. Its prevalence and magnitude render it a pressing regulatory issue.
• Introducing minimum standards regarding working time and wages is a key step towards limiting unpaid labour and establishing fairer working conditions.
• Limiting unpaid labour requires recognition of the subordinate status of large segments of workers, improvements in employment stability and a floor of contractually guaranteed working hours. Platform work within the framework of hourly-paid employment is less frequently linked to unpaid work than piece-rate and self-employment models. But without predictability of hours, hourly-paid employment can also lead to unpaid labour.
• Data sharing and transparency in compliance with digital protection law, as well as some forms of data portability (of ratings, portfolios) for freelancers working remotely on platforms is necessary to promote career progression and upskilling.
• Freelancers and independent workers on platforms should be granted access to effective voice mechanisms through the creation of representation structures and inclusion in collective bargaining, affording them some presence in policy and regulatory processes.
• Protection should be extended to different categories of labour by revising EU competition law's scope of application, thereby making it possible to improve working conditions through collective agreements.

Keywords: unpaid work ; crowd work ; digital economy ; working conditions ; self employed ; EU policy ; EU countries

Suggested Citation

Pulignano, Valeria and Piasna, Agnieszka and Domecka, Markieta and Muszyński, Karol and Vermeerbergen, Lander, Does it Pay to Work? Unpaid Labour in the Platform Economy (January 20, 2022). ETUI Research Paper - Policy Briefs 2021.15, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4013358 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4013358

Valeria Pulignano (Contact Author)

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Oude Markt 13, 3000
Leuven
Belgium

Agnieszka Piasna

European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) ( email )

B-1210 Brussels
Belgium

Markieta Domecka

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Oude Markt 13, 3000
Leuven
Belgium

Karol Muszyński

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Oude Markt 13, 3000
Leuven
Belgium

Lander Vermeerbergen

KU Leuven - Centre for Sociological Research

Oude Markt 13, 3000
Leuven
Belgium

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