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Based on a case study of taxi platforms in Oslo, Norway comprised of interviews with drivers and an ethnographic fieldwork working a driver, this article explores the platformization of the Norwegian taxi industry and the drivers' working conditions through Marx's concept of subsumption. In Norway, taxi platforms emerged in an already formally subsumed industry. The platforms have developed a new market segment, and also introduced an additional element in the subsumption of labor, whereby the platforms exert control over the market relations (by determining number of rides, earnings, and potential exclusions) through digital technology. While the platforms' 'algorithmic management' is often described as a technology that might reorganize the world of work, the analysis finds that this form of control does not radically transform the drivers' labor processes and cannot be seen as an example of what Marx termed real subsumption. However, the platformization of the industry, wherein the platforms appropriate the social and technological conditions of production, might result in a reorganization and transformation corresponding to a real subsumption in the future. The article concludes that exploring platform work through Marx's notion of subsumption highlights, on one hand, the relation between platforms and workers as characterized by subordination and domination and, on the other, that a detailed and critical assessment of the actual consequences of platform-based control is necessary to capture the contextual dynamics of platformization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship about worker precarity, economic insecurity, and individualized risk in platform work tends to ignore that these trends are common features of informal economies in countries like Kenya, which has a culture of hustling rooted in economic opportunism and political resistance. Recognizing the parallels between the platform economy and Kenya’s informal economy, we examine individual and collective strategies ride-haling drivers in Kenya use to navigate the precarity of platform work.

Research Question (RQ): In this paper, we answer the research question of whether platform workers harbour a sense of loyalty towards the platform they work for, despite the transient nature of this work form, the absence of traditional employment benefits and the often-impersonal relationship between the platform and its workers. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to expand the discussion on employee loyalty to the context of platform work, due to the crucial role employee loyalty plays for both organisations and their workers – employee loyalty helps organisations retain their workforce and avoid the harms of employee turnover, while also fostering a sense of belonging and fulfilment among employees. Method: 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews were performed with food delivery couriers (working for Wolt and Glovo) from Slovenia. Results: Our findings show that while this group of workers does display some behaviours which indicate their loyalty to their platform, such as the fact they mostly speak of the platform positively, they actively recommend it to their peers and they display relatively high levels of trust towards it, they do not feel loyal to the extent where they would intent to stay working for the platform indefinitely. Organization: These findings are important for the sustainability of the platform economy model, as they can help reduce employee turnover and consequently improve the consistency and profitability of digital labour platforms. Society: Findings on employee loyalty within the platform economy have the potential to decrease employee turnover, which is currently one of the biggest limitations to collective action in this sector. Originality: This is one of the first papers to discuss the phenomenon of employee loyalty in the context of platform work, as the concept is typically explored in traditional employment relationships. It contributes to our understanding of whether individuals, platform, or non-platform economy participants, can develop a sense of loyalty even towards employers who offer suboptimal working conditions. Limitations / further research: The current body of knowledge would greatly benefit from a longitudinal study which could explain how platform workers’ sentiments towards their platform change over time.

Platform work represents a new form of non-standard work without recognition by European labour law. In recent years, the issue of improving working conditions in platform work has been at the heart of political and academic debate. On 11th March 2024, the employment and social affairs ministers of the EU Member States endorsed the agreement reached with the European Parliament on the Commission’s proposed directive on platform work. The directive tackles situations of wrong classification of employment status, introducing a rebuttable legal presumption and reducing the burden of proof on persons performing platform work. In addition, the directive introduces the first EU rules to regulate algorithmic management in the workplace. This paper traces the positions advocated by the European institutions in defining the strategy for improving working conditions within digital platforms and offers an extended analysis of the final text of the directive that has just been approved.

Copyright of Challenges of the Future / Izzivi Prihodnosti is the property of Fakulteta za Organizacijske Studije v Novem mestu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

One of the new trends in modern economies is the development of platform-mediated work (PMW), also known as the gig economy. The current article aims to discuss the results of the original survey to determine the number and structure of gig workers among the adult residents of Poland; this discussion is based on the broader context of the existing knowledge on the subject pertaining to society and also focuses on the plans for the future. This article is based on the systematic literature review and the findings of the survey conducted on a representative nationwide sample of 3,165 Polish residents aged 18–70. The survey carried out in July 2021, showed that, in Poland, online or offline PMW was performed by about 16% of the investigated population over the year and by about 8% over the month. Moreover, an increase in the interest in platform work is expected. PMW is a relatively rare phenomenon, which is difficult to measure. The present article proposes a research approach that can be used to establish the prevalence and prospects of PMW in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En este artículo se discute el trabajo mediado por plataformas a partir del examen de las características de los trabajos de conductores y repartidores. Con base en el análisis de los nuevos atributos de este tipo de trabajo, que implican para los trabajadores una regresión en cuanto a los derechos laborales y sociales, así como su reciente expansión a muchas otras actividades, el texto también busca discutir el significado de estas nuevas formas de trabajo para el capitalismo.

Forms of algorithmic management (AM) play an essential role in organizing food-delivery work by deploying artificial intelligence-based systems to coordinate driver routes. Given the risks of precarity and threats posed by AM, which are typically related to (migrant) platform work, the question arises to what extent structures of co-determination can positively shape this type of work and the technologies involved. Based on an in-depth case study within a large food-delivery company, this article is guided by two questions: (1) How do companies use algorithm-based management and performance control, and how do the couriers perceive them? (2) What priorities, strategies, resources, and achievements do works councils and trade unions have with regard to co-determination practices? Our analyses indicate that algorithmic management poses problems of non-transparency and information asymmetry, which in turn call for new forms of and procedures for co-determination. Our study does not find evidence that AM practices aim to individually profile and discipline couriers. The main challenges for the works council and trade unions arise from the couriers’ generally precarious working and employment conditions; data- and AM-related issues do not represent the central area of conflict. However, our study identifies new demands regarding the co-determination of AM and underlines the importance of institutional regulation at the legal and sectoral level.

The development of the digital economy is leading to significant changes in labour and employment worldwide. These changes include transformations in the traditional employment structure, increased labour mobility, and use of nonstandard forms of employment. Online platform work, a new and rapidly developing form of employment, is still a small part of the overall labour market. However, it is a clear sign of technological change and globalisation. The relevance of studying platform work is due to its rapid development and the need to understand its socio-economic consequences (e.g. reduced social security of workers). In addition, the issues of statistical evaluation and the development of effective strategies for regulating platform work are becoming increasingly important. The aim of the article is to identify the peculiarities of platform work in the Republic of Belarus and to propose ways to improve its assessment and regulation. The article examines the directions of transformation in the sphere of labour and employment in the conditions of digitalisation of the economy, analyses the trends in the development of platform work in the world and in the Republic of Belarus, and identifies the peculiarities of the formation of information on platform work. Based on the results of the study, the authors developed recommendations to improve the assessment and regulation of platform work in the Republic of Belarus. These recommendations include changes in legal and regulatory acts; improvements in the collection of statistical information; in-depth studies of platform work; creation of a special body (council) for the development of platform work in the Republic of Belarus.

Background: The present study aimed to analyze several aspects of the working conditions and health status of platform workers in the Republic of Korea, such as ergonomic and emotional hazards. We also compared the health status of the platform workers with that of the general population. Methods: A total of 1,000 platform workers participated in this survey from August 7 to August 17, 2022. The participants included 400 designated drivers, 400 food-delivery drivers, and 200 housekeeping managers. A face-to-face survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted by researchers who had received specific instructions. The focus of the survey extended to the work environment, encompassing factors such as workplace violence, as well as physical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards. Health-related data for the previous year were also collected, covering a range of issues such as hearing problems, skin problems, musculoskeletal symptoms, headaches, injuries, mental health issues, and digestive problems. Subsequently, we compared the health symptom data of the responders with those of the general population in the Republic of Korea. Results: Platform workers, including designated drivers, food-delivery drivers, and housekeeping managers, existed in the blind spot of social insurance, facing frequent exposure to physical and chemical hazards, ergonomic risk factors, and direct or indirect violence. The prevalence of health problems, including musculoskeletal symptoms, general fatigue, and depressive symptoms, in each occupational group was statistically higher than that in the general population after standardization for age and gender. Conclusion: The results revealed unfavorable working environment and inferior occupational health of platform workers compared with those of the general population.

Abstract Background Globalization of platform work has become a challenge for wider social and employment relations and wellbeing of workers, yet on-location work remains governed also by local regulatory context. Understanding common challenges across countries and potential for regulatory measures is essential to enhance health and wellbeing of those who work in platform economy. Our comparative study on platform work analyzed concerns of Uber drivers in three cities with a different regulatory and policy context. Methods Drawing from current understanding on employment and precarity as social determinants of health we gathered comparative documentary and contextual data on regulatory environment complemented with key informant views of regulators, trade unions, and platform corporations (N = 26) to provide insight on the wider regulatory and policy environment. We used thematic semi-structured interviews to examine concerns of Uber drivers in Helsinki, St Petersburg, and London (N = 60). We then analysed the driver interviews to identify common and divergent concerns across countries. Results Our results indicate that worsening of working conditions is not inevitable and for drivers the terms of employment is a social determinant of health. Drivers compensated declining pay with longer working hours. Algorithmic surveillance as such was of less concern to drivers than power differences in relation to terms of work. Conclusions Our results show scope for regulation of platform work especially for on-location work concerning pay, working hours, social security obligations, and practices of dismissal.

Copyright of Politica y Sociedad is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This review seeks to present a comprehensive picture of recent discussions in the social sciences of the anticipated impact of AI on the world of work. Issues covered include: technological unemployment, algorithmic management, platform work and the politics of AI work. The review identifies the major disciplinary and methodological perspectives on AI's impact on work, and the obstacles they face in making predictions. Two parameters influencing the development and deployment of AI in the economy are highlighted: the capitalist imperative and nationalistic pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Luridica is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Lodzkiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Globalization of platform work has become a challenge for wider social and employment relations and wellbeing of workers, yet on-location work remains governed also by local regulatory context. Understanding common challenges across countries and potential for regulatory measures is essential to enhance health and wellbeing of those who work in platform economy. Our comparative study on platform work analyzed concerns of Uber drivers in three cities with a different regulatory and policy context. Methods: Drawing from current understanding on employment and precarity as social determinants of health we gathered comparative documentary and contextual data on regulatory environment complemented with key informant views of regulators, trade unions, and platform corporations (N = 26) to provide insight on the wider regulatory and policy environment. We used thematic semi-structured interviews to examine concerns of Uber drivers in Helsinki, St Petersburg, and London (N = 60). We then analysed the driver interviews to identify common and divergent concerns across countries. Results: Our results indicate that worsening of working conditions is not inevitable and for drivers the terms of employment is a social determinant of health. Drivers compensated declining pay with longer working hours. Algorithmic surveillance as such was of less concern to drivers than power differences in relation to terms of work. Conclusions: Our results show scope for regulation of platform work especially for on-location work concerning pay, working hours, social security obligations, and practices of dismissal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the issue of self-employed platform workers’ access to collective labour rights from the perspective of international law (ILO) and supranational European law (EU and Council of Europe). In this regard, the paper addresses the right to collective bargaining, the right to strike and the collective right to information and consultation. The main finding is that at the current stage, the relevant international and European legal framework is not providing access of self-employed platform workers to all examined collective labour rights. In light of the analysed legal developments the binary divide “has fallen” (for those self-employed platform workers who fulfil the 2022 Guidelines criteria) regarding access to collective bargaining. Therefore, as argued in the paper, also access to the right to strike should be ensured for the latter platform workers due to the purposeful interconnectedness and inseparability of both rights. Nonetheless, the binary divide is remaining “firm” regarding access to collective information and consultation rights. The latter remain accessible (including considering the Platform Work Directive proposal) only to platform workers with a subordinate “worker” status. However, as argued in the paper, the possibility to drop the binary divide (at least regarding certain matters) also in relation to collective information and consultation rights (in the context of platform work) should be seriously considered.

Research on platform work has primarily focused on analyzing how algorithmic management influences working conditions by empowering platforms to govern digitally-delivered services. However, prior research has overlooked the crucial aspect of how algorithmic management underlies platforms’ use of diverse contractual forms of employment available in the labor markets from where they source their workforces. Bridging this gap is vital to understanding how labor platforms integrate algorithm management, which employs digitally programmed procedures for coordinating and governing labor input, with various contractual employment structures influenced by regulations and collective actors such as trade unions. Coined as algorithm governance, this phenomenon represents the fusion of algorithm management with contractual employment frameworks, emanating from labor market regulations and policies. This essay pioneers the concept of algorithm governance, illuminating its ontological capacity to enrich debates on algorithm management. Algorithm governance thus explains how algorithm management intricately shapes working conditions by influencing the use of diverse contractual employment forms within the labor market.

The interposition of a digital platform between consumers and workers providing services, even of a very traditional nature, has led to the creation of a (relatively) new business model, where there is an attempt to deny providers access to rights and protections typical of labour law; among these, collective rights. My intervention aims to offer a comparison between the Italian legal system, on one hand, and the American and British ones on the other, demonstrating how the former, unlike the latter, thanks to the support provided by the workers’ statute to freedom and union activity in workplaces, has managed to provide the necessary tools to effectively address the aforementioned challenges.

This article examines how trade unions and self-organised worker groups have deployed digital organising tools to collectivise gig work, focusing on rideshare and food delivery platforms. It demonstrates the successful actions of worker representatives to improve the working conditions and legal position of platform-based rideshare and food delivery workers in several countries, through: coordinated mobilisation to disrupt the operations of platforms and build campaigns for increased regulation of platform work; strategic litigation to establish useful legal precedents, attract public attention and build solidarity among like-minded workers; and negotiating collective agreements on behalf of gig workers. While deficiencies are identified in the collective bargaining activities of some unions, the article concludes that unions and grass-roots worker groups have played a critical role in contesting the contracting model which lies at the core of gig worker exploitation – and helping them to martial the power obtained through resistance and collective action.

Copyright of Przegląd Socjologii Jakościowej is the property of Redakcja Przegladu Socjologii Jakosciowej and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Administrative Science / KözigazgatásTudomány is the property of Universitas-Gyor Nonprofit Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of International Journal of Engineering & Management Sciences (2498-700X) / Műszaki és Menedzsment Tudományi Közlemények is the property of University of Debrecen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This introduction to the special issue on the future of work and working time offers an overview of issues of relevance to present-day debates on working time. The aim is to bring together two divergent debates, the first on working time reduction for full-time workers and the second on the diversification and fragmentation of working time. It considers the history of working time including the forces that led to the establishment of the standard employment relationship and to reductions in standard working hours. It addresses contemporary trends and examines why there has been both a stalling of working time reduction and a diversification of working time norms. Some limitations of focussing only on clock time are considered as well as some of the benefits, from more meaningful work to better health and well-being, that stem from both regular and non-excessive working time. The final section turns to the case for reform: it argues that policies are required to address the fragmentation of working time, and that these policies should be combined with a focus on shortening standard working hours that could increase the sustainability of working time in a dual-earner society and even limit the supply of labour for jobs offering only fragmented working time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article challenges positive views of the assumed relationships between skills, productivity and rewards in self-employed digital freelancing. It suggests that the upfront investments made by freelancers to build up positive platform ratings are not necessarily recouped in the form of increased autonomy, guaranteed work or more lucrative 'gigs'. Drawing on 38 autobiographical narrative interviews and 12 audio working diaries with diverse online freelancers in Europe, we show how the low barriers to enter platform work provide opportunities for those with limited work experience and other commitments outside of work. However, the intense competition between an ever-expanding pool of (both skilled and unskilled) task freelancers within 'digital tournaments' results in the colonisation of worker's free time, and the normalisation of unpaid labour. This implies that 'free time' for freelancers is largely an illusion. Furthermore, the significant 'sunk costs' that freelancers make in terms of time, platform-specific skills, reputation and networks are not fully recovered and cannot be transferred to other platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algorithmic management has a clear potential to reduce time spent at work by increasing efficiency in task allocation and performance, and by replacing some forms of human labour. As a result it should, in theory, advance the implementation of working time reduction policies. Automation of organisational functions indeed increases time-efficiency through the scheduling of work in more finely grained time units, closely matched with demand and the minimising of unproductive periods. This results in atomised and punctuated working time. However, instead of an increase in leisure time, workers who are managed algorithmically experience pressures towards incessant availability. This results in an apparent paradox whereby the time needed to complete paid work shrinks, but the time that must be made available for work expands. This article addresses this puzzle by developing an analytical approach to understanding changes to the temporalities of work ushered by the introduction and expansion of algorithmic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Food delivery platform work is a relatively new phenomenon in Finland and has not been studied widely hence limited knowledge on its work environment. The aim of this study was to explore and understand its psychosocial work environment in the Helsinki region and how it relates to the mental wellbeing of its couriers. Methods: The study draws its findings from 20 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with food delivery platform workers in Helsinki. Data were approached through thematic analysis where the six phases of thematic analysis were meticulously followed. Results: Food delivery platform work provided couriers with income and labour market opportunities. However, its work environment was psychosocially burdening, which posed detrimental challenges to the mental wellbeing of its couriers. Conclusion: Study findings indicated that food delivery platform workers worked in an onerous work environment, which accentuated their occupational mental health. Thus, this study recommends future longitudinal research that would examine the association between food delivery platform work and mental health of couriers working through such platforms. Also, interventions and policies that aim at improving its psychosocial work environment are required for a more decent and healthier work environment that enhances mental health and wellbeing of its couriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countering the theses of 'post-industrial society', in this article we develop the argument that platform capitalism synthesises the radicalisation and the spread of the logic of industrial production. In our analysis of platform capitalism and the mechanisms of outsourcing, we argue that online platforms provide empirical evidence of the development of the industrial logic of the production of goods (whether products or services, material and/or immaterial, tangible or intangible). They are the tip of the iceberg of an entire productive structure reconfigured by information technologies and neoliberal policies that are shaping an industrial platform capitalism. This process is ongoing, and we observe its tendency to spread the platformisation of work and its forms of exploitation, of labour relations devoid of rights. However, as in every other moment in the history of capitalism, this exploitation meets resistance from workers' struggles, which exposes perverse facets of platform work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collective bargaining is the most appropriate tool to introduce detailed regulations specific to platform work. However, the status of platform workers (they are usually self-employed), combined with EU competition law, constitutes a significant restriction on their collective bargaining rights. Hence, the aim of this article is to prove the thesis that the presumption adopted in the Spanish regulation of recognising platform workers as workers in the strict sense would be a universal solution to the problem of ensuring proper labour protection for this group of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global labour market is witnessing an increase in non‐standard employment, and China is no exception, albeit with distinct socio‐political dynamics. This research explores the variation of employment relations in China’s platform economy and discusses how the various types of precarious employment are generated and developed in post‐socialist China. Based on interviews with platform company managers and platform food delivery workers in China, this study draws a broader picture of platform work, considering the complex layers of labour practices at the level of platform companies and platform work. The research discusses the various labour arrangements in the ZZ food delivery platform and finds that variation serves to intensify and diversify managerial practices in platform work; at the same time, traditional types of work in platform companies are also undergoing transitions and the boundary between internal and external organisations is increasingly blurred and fluid. Labour relations in the platform economy are characterised by multiplication, and this multiplication is facilitated by the post‐socialist Chinese labour market’s general trend towards precariousness and the state’s tolerant approach to various non‐standard employment types in the era of “the new normal.”

Previous studies show that gig economy‐based work opens up new ways in which inequalities are (re)produced. In this context, it is particularly important to look at female cleaners in private households, where gender inequalities intersect with other axes of disadvantage such as class, migratory experience, or ascribed ethnicity. This spatially and linguistically fragmented group presents challenges for scientific research, which is reflected in insufficient data available to date. The aim of the project GigClean—from which research for this article is drawn—is to address this gap. The guiding research question is: How do domestic cleaners in the informal labour market experience working in the gig economy? The methodological design consists of 15 problem‐centred interviews with platform‐based cleaning labourers in private households in Vienna, who predominantly operate in the informal economy. Our results suggest that undeclared domestic work via online plat‐forms is associated with increased power gaps between workers and clients as well as changing working conditions to the detriment of cleaners. Specifically, three recurring themes could be identified: reserve army mechanisms; lookism, objectification, and sexual harassment; and information asymmetry and control.

Existe un creciente interés en el ámbito de las ciencias sociales por el estudio de fenómenos relacionados con la denominada gig economy o economía de plataformas y, entre ellos, por la figura del rider, un término que alude a los repartidores de productos a domicilio que se emplean a través de plataformas digitales. Dentro de estas plataformas el trabajo de los riders se configura desde lógicas de gestión algorítmica, una mediación en la que ha tendido a enfatizarse la cualidad panóptica de sus formas de control y gubernamentalidad. Frente a estas aproximaciones, este trabajo presenta un enfoque teórico-metodológico que subraya la co-constitución, en un agenciamiento abierto, del rider y la aplicación, con el objetivo de aproximarnos etnográficamente a la cotidianidad de las prácticas laborales de los repartidores. Con el interés de explorar cómo funciona la mediación algorítmica en la diversidad de experiencias de los riders, analizamos los trabajos de coordinación encargados de producir una geografía de espacio-tiempos compartida y las estrategias de control flexible que media la aplicación. El texto describe cómo el algoritmo genera una suerte de andamiajes que definen espaciotemporalidades directivas en la operativa de los riders, dentro de las cuales los repartidores extienden el paisaje de calculabilidad a aquellos elementos que el algoritmo no puede contemplar y a aquellos otros que debe incorporar el rider para hacer compatible su actividad con la lógica algorítmica. Este artículo presenta resultados iniciales de una etnografía desarrollada en Madrid desde septiembre del 2021 con riders de varias de las principales plataformas digitales de reparto a domicilio: Glovo, Uber Eats y Getir. Junto al trabajo de campo con los riders, esta investigación se ha complementado con entrevistas a cuatro tecnólogos del ámbito de la logística urbana. Los resultados muestran cómo entre los riders el tipo de contratación asalariado ha generado una vivencia menos intensa de la cronografía directiva del algoritmo, poniendo en evidencia cómo la autonomía no es necesariamente homóloga a la capacidad de elección de los repartidores. There is a growing interest in the field of social sciences in the study of topics related to the so-called gig economy or platform economy and, among them, in the figure of the rider—a term that refers to the home delivery workers employed through digital platforms. In these platforms, the work of the riders is organized from algorithmic management logics, a mediation in which the panoptic quality of their forms of control and governmentality has tended to be emphasized. In contrast to these frameworks, this paper presents a theoretical-methodological approach that emphasizes the co-constitution—in an open agency—of the rider and the application, to ethnographically approach the everyday labor practices of riders. In the interest of exploring how algorithmic mediation functions in the diversity of riders’ experiences, we analyze the coordination tasks responsible for producing the shared space-time geography and the flexible control strategies that mediate the application. The text describes how the algorithm generates a kind of scaffolding that defines directive spatiotemporalities in the riders’ operations, within which the deliverers extend the landscape of calculability to those elements that the algorithm cannot consider and to those others that the rider must incorporate in order to make his activity compatible with the algorithmic logic. This article presents the initial results of an ethnography carried out in Madrid since September 2021 with riders from several of the main digital home delivery platforms: Glovo, Uber Eats, and Getir. Along with the fieldwork with riders, we interviewed four technologists in urban logistics. The results show that salaried riders have a less intense experience of the directive chronography of the algorithm, showing how autonomy is not necessarily equivalent to the riders’ capability to choose.

La irrupción de la economía de plataformas constituye el modelo más reciente de prácticas de externalización y flexibilización de la organización de la producción, apoyadas en el desarrollo de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación. La difusión de este modelo de negocio ha ahondado en la expansión de diferentes figuras laborales precarias, siendo la figura del falso autónomo la más característica. El modelo de negocio basado en las plataformas digitales tiene también el efecto de limitar la capacidad sindical para representar y defender a los trabajadores, impidiendo o limitando, por ejemplo, el recurso a la negociación colectiva. El presente artículo compara las estrategias de revitalización sindical desplegadas en España y Portugal en el sector del reparto digital de comida a domicilio (rider) por sindicatos tradicionales, y asociaciones de repartidores y trabajadores precarios. El artículo muestra cómo en ambos países, los sindicatos han compatibilizado estrategias de organización y movilización con acciones encaminadas a influir en la esfera política y regulatoria. No obstante, se evidencia una mayor experimentación de prácticas en el caso español, así como un mayor impacto e influencia de sus estrategias en términos políticos. El artículo también revela importantes diferencias entre ambos países respecto a la relación entre los sindicatos tradicionales y las asociaciones de repartidores. The emergence of the platform economy is the most recent model of outsourcing practices and the flexibilization of the organisation of production supported by the development of information and communication technologies. The spread of this business model has led to the expansion of different precarious forms of employment, the most common being the bogus self-employed. The business model based on digital platforms also has the effect of limiting the capacity of trade unions to represent and defend workers, preventing or limiting, for example, resource to collective bargaining. This article compares the trade union revitalisation strategies deployed in Spain and Portugal in the rider sector by traditional trade unions and associations of delivery workers and precarious workers. The article shows how, in both countries, unions have combined organising and mobilisation strategies with actions aimed at influencing political and regulatory expectations. However, there is evidence of a greater experimentation of practices in the Spanish case, as well as a greater impact and influence of their strategies in political terms. The article also reveals important differences between the two countries regarding the relationship between traditional trade unions and delivery workers' associations.

While there is growing literature regarding the impact of the gig economy in countries of the Global North, the way it operates in Latin America and the Caribbean remains underexplored. This article describes platform work in Chile, especially in the context of COVID-19, which has highlighted the essential role of geographically tethered digital platforms in facilitating essential goods and services in times of social distancing and quarantine. While the gig economy has provided employment for those outside traditional labor markets, its supposedly ‘collaborative’ employment structures obscure the different costs of precarity and informality transferred from platforms to workers (Ravenelle, 2019). Based on 35 interviews with gig workers using the Fairwork framework to evaluate working conditions in the gig economy, this article examines digital labor relations, both on paper and in reality; the conditions and limitations gig workers face daily; and their perceptions regarding such platforms. We discuss the contradictory experiences felt by platform workers, dependent on the platform in some ways, and independent in others. We argue that the inherently contradictory conditions and circumstances of platform work have become even more salient for gig workers in the context of COVID-19: risks increasingly fall on workers as platforms continue to stress their ‘choice’ to do so. This article reveals that the nature of the linkage between platform and worker is eminently a labor relationship, with clearly established elements of worker dependence.

Purpose Food delivery platform work is a relatively new phenomenon in Finland and has not been studied widely hence limited knowledge on its work environment. The aim of this study was to explore and understand its psychosocial work environment in the Helsinki region and how it relates to the mental wellbeing of its couriers. Methods The study draws its findings from 20 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with food delivery platform workers in Helsinki. Data were approached through thematic analysis where the six phases of thematic analysis were meticulously followed. Results Food delivery platform work provided couriers with income and labour market opportunities. However, its work environment was psychosocially burdening, which posed detrimental challenges to the mental wellbeing of its couriers. Conclusion Study findings indicated that food delivery platform workers worked in an onerous work environment, which accentuated their occupational mental health. Thus, this study recommends future longitudinal research that would examine the association between food delivery platform work and mental health of couriers working through such platforms. Also, interventions and policies that aim at improving its psychosocial work environment are required for a more decent and healthier work environment that enhances mental health and wellbeing of its couriers.

Copyright of Selcuk Law Review / Selçuk Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Selcuk Law Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Industrial Relations / Relations Industrielles is the property of Universite Laval, Department of Industrial Relations and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper focuses on the study of "Takeve", an Italian food delivery platform that employs only women. The research conducted by interviewing both the workers and the founders of this small platform provides an opportunity to re-discuss the business models of food delivery platforms. The aim is to understand how and in what ways it is possible to initiate a participatory and multi-stakeholder model in which opportunities for fair and decent work, business-to-business cooperation, and even dialogue between companies and institutions are created. Although the case presented is circumscribed and very limited in size, it seems to be a good example to reflect on the possibility of rethinking the model of food delivery platforms in a gendered perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing interest in the field of social sciences in the study of topics related to the so-called gig economy or platform economy and, among them, in the figure of the rider-a term that refers to the home delivery workers employed through digital platforms. In these platforms, the work of the riders is organized from algorithmic management logics, a mediation in which the panoptic quality of their forms of control and governmentality has tended to be emphasized. In contrast to these frameworks, this paper presents a theoretical-methodological approach that emphasizes the co-constitution-in an open agency- of the rider and the application, to ethnographically approach the everyday labor practices of riders. In the interest of exploring how algorithmic mediation functions in the diversity of riders' experiences, we analyze the coordination tasks responsible for producing the shared space-time geography and the flexible control strategies that mediate the application. The text describes how the algorithm generates a kind of scaffolding that defines directive spatiotemporalities in the riders' operations, within which the deliverers extend the landscape of calculability to those elements that the algorithm cannot consider and to those others that the rider must incorporate in order to make his activity compatible with the algorithmic logic. This article presents the initial results of an ethnography carried out in Madrid since September 2021 with riders from several of the main digital home delivery platforms: Glovo, Uber Eats, and Getir . Along with the fieldwork with riders, we interviewed four technologists in urban logistics. The results show that salaried riders have a less intense experience of the directive chronography of the algorithm, showing how autonomy is not necessarily equivalent to the riders' capability to choose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of the platform economy is the most recent model of outsourcing practices and the flexibilization of the organisation of production supported by the development of information and communication technologies. The spread of this business model has led to the expansion of different precarious forms of employment, the most common being the bogus self-employed. The business model based on digital platforms also has the effect of limiting the capacity of trade unions to represent and defend workers, preventing or limiting, for example, resource to collective bargaining. This article compares the trade union revitalisation strategies deployed in Spain and Portugal in the rider sector by traditional trade unions and associations of delivery workers and precarious workers. The article shows how, in both countries, unions have combined organising and mobilisation strategies with actions aimed at influencing political and regulatory expectations. However, there is evidence of a greater experimentation of practices in the Spanish case, as well as a greater impact and influence of their strategies in political terms. The article also reveals important differences between the two countries regarding the relationship between traditional trade unions and delivery workers' associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ius et Praxis (07172877) is the property of Universidad de Talca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Digital platforms are supraorganizational entities that use digital technology to facilitate interactions between diverse actors, leading to novel forms of organisation and accompanying forms of control. The current Information Systems (IS) literature, however, struggles to describe control on digital platforms in a way that does justice to the dynamic character of the phenomenon. Taking this as an opportunity, we follow the enactment of control over time and across parties in a hybrid ethnographic study of the social commerce platform Poshmark. Specifically, we conceptualise the dynamics of control as changes in the means of control—formal or informal—and the sources of control—operator or participants—over time. Tracking these conceptual dimensions, we identify the distinct ways control has changed on Poshmark. Synthesising these findings into four dynamics of control, we show that control on digital platforms is rarely static due to aggregate effects arising from the operator and from participant interactions with each other through the digital features deployed on the platform. Based on these insights, our study contributes to the IS literature on control by broadening the conception of control on digital platforms. The theoretical and practical insights generated in this paper thereby lay the foundation for the systematic study of the dynamics of control that are unique to platform environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on platform work has concentrated on questions of organization, technology and regulation, while the focus has been much less on institutions and mechanisms by which platform work challenges existing labor market and welfare state institutions. This article deals with platform-driven deinstitutionalization using the example of social security in the conservative German welfare state. We argue that the main feature of platform work is the weakening of labor- and welfare-related institutions. We show how platforms undermine the German social security scheme in a functional perspective by using solo self-employment or minijobs, resulting in varieties of externalization of social protection. Furthermore, the social security institutions are normatively undermined by the strategic use of two main narratives: while the sharing narrative negates power asymmetries and highlights peer-to-peer relationships at eye level, the entrepreneurship narrative promotes ideas of autonomy and self-realization. Both strategies aim at redefining social security institutions and undermining collective protection. We discuss the disruptive effects of platform work and the inability of the social security institutions in Germany to adjust to the digital age and ensure sufficient social protection for workers in non-standard forms of employment. The analysis also implies that future regulatory policies have to take power struggles over cultural framings into account.

This article, based on the presentation at the Communication and Work Research Group, at the 46th Brazilian Congress of Communication Sciences, in 2023, problematizes how the construction of narratives around platform work impacts the formation of public opinion and well-being workers' social. The text raises the reflection on the rhetoric around digital labor and the implications of the sociotechnical arrangements used by companies, which emerge with a discursive guise of disruption, autonomy, and entrepreneurship, but reveal themselves as a way of sustaining control, cost cutting, and precariousness of work. Through a methodology based on bibliographic research, it brings, additionally and intentionally, as a matter of illustration, examples of content from Brazilian platform companies as a way to soften the negative discourses around their businesses. The discussion is dedicated to the use of narrative in order to legitimize the supremacy of capital over labor, which influences the formation of public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: The development of labour platforms is one of the manifestations of the platformisation of the economy. Their growing popularity has revealed institutional vulnerabilities, particularly with regard to the weak position of platform workers, related to their ambiguous status, controversial regulations of labour platforms including algorithmic control of tasks performed, the rate and method of payment for services rendered, insufficient knowledge of how platforms operate. They are all the subject of intense discussion, also at the EU level. Aim: The identification of desired directions of changes in the institutional environment of labour platforms in Poland -- as expected by the society -- against the background of the ongoing discussion on this subject in other countries and at the EU level. Results: A diagnostic survey conducted on a large sample of Polish citizens aged 18-70 revealed that the most expected changes that would improve the quality of the institutional environment of labour platforms are: the introduction of a minimum payment for work services and the adoption of the independent worker status, the introduction of universal rules regulating digital platform operations, as well as the introduction of training and information materials on how labour platforms work. Poles attach less importance to the right of platform workers to establish trade unions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The categorisation of platform workers as employees, self-employed or a tertium genus is arguably the single most decisive element determining their legal position across countries. The contribution provides an insight into the status quo in European jurisdictions, based on a comprehensive review of national case law on the classification of various types of platform workers. On this basis, it offers some considerations on the viability of an approach as proposed by the European Commission (which focuses on a legal presumption of employee status) as well as the more general question of realistic legislative strategies to ensure platform workers the protection they need.

This article discusses the proposal for the EU Directive on Platform Work. While welcoming the proposal advanced by the Commission, it highlights some of its shortcomings and suggests more robust protection both for the draft Chapter on the presumption of employment, which risks being vastly ineffective, and the Chapter on algorithmic management, whose protection needs a full extension to the self-employed, more substantial collective rights for workers, and broadening the scope to the entire EU workforce.