2023

WageIndicator Intern Reports - Why Mexican gig workers are not keen on unionizing, and what can be done to bring them together

Martijn Arets - Albert Cañigueral Bagó is fascinated by technology, platforms and the world of work. How did the sharing and gig economy develop? And what impact does technology have on workers now and in the future? This is what Martijn Arets discusses with him in The Gig Work Podcast

Martijn Arets - Delivery riders connected to platform Glovo do not all get employment contracts, but are covered by the 'Couriers Pledge' in 21 countries. With this, the company promises delivery workers safety, community, equality and a fair income. Why, how does it work and what does a platform worker get out of it? Martijn Arets travelled to Barcelona and spoke to Glovo spokesperson Magalí Gurman.

WageIndicator Intern Reports - Urban Company has a large share of women workers who are resisting the platform's unfair practices. WhatsApp groups emerged as an important instrument for struggling.

Current texts on the EU Directive on Platform Work make important strides in guaranteeing better working conditions to platform workers in the EU. Yet, they still fall short in key aspects. Based on ongoing research by the Fairwork project in 38 countries, we propose six key areas that need to be addressed in the future Directive.

Court rulings help workers to better define their status and extend their labour rights. Unfortunately, also courts need to deal with some practical issues and what happens when a platform leaves a country instead of hiring its workers as employees.

The good practices session of ‘A Level Playing Field for Gig Workers’ gave space to a crowdwork platform, a code of conduct, and a service provider. Examples of how it’s possible to truly contribute to achieving better conditions for workers.

Effective examples of gig workers being helped regain negotiation power and build a collective voice can be given when monitoring strikes, alternative models of platform economy, and legislation

The seventh Gig Work webinar by WageIndicator focused on strategies and projects striving to build a balanced relationship between platform workers and companies. Workers should benefit from access to data, economic growth, and AI technologies.

Martijn Arets - British tech expert and Uber driver James Farrar has been championing labour rights in the platform economy for eight years. Often successfully. Platform expert Martijn Arets spoke to him on behalf of the WageIndicator Foundation in The Gig Work Podcast about justice, data and the future of platform work. "Our struggle has only just begun," he said.

Martijn Arets - More regulation for the platform economy is rapidly emerging. The goal of these new regulations is a fair platform economy for all. What impact do they have? How can we make legislation more workable for all? And how do these lessons help us prepare for new regulations around technology like AI? Independent platform expert Martijn Arets organized the 'Regulating Digital Platforms Working Conference' on behalf of The Hague University of Applied Sciences and together with PwC and Considerati. In this blog, he shares his insights.

Martijn Arets - Super-apps like Grab and Gojek are centralizing and formalizing Indonesia's informal labour market. What problems are associated with this? And what does this teach us about the gig economy worldwide? Martijn Arets explores in The Gig Work Podcast.

WageIndicator Intern Reports - Zomato and Swiggy, the top two giants in the Indian food delivery industry, may get some challenges from outsiders.

A two-day consultation brought together organisations and individuals from various parts of India who work on labour rights and advocate for a legal framework of social security for platform-based gig workers.

The poor working conditions that have come to characterise the platform economy are not necessary outcomes of technological development. Platforms have significant control over the jobs they mediate, and the power to shape them for the better.

Author: Ainan Tajrian, Research Manager, Fairwork Bangladesh Ratings 2023; Research Associate, DataSense at iSocial - The ‘Khaep’ phenomenon: why are drivers directly connecting with riders, bypassing the platform and their app-based infrastructure?

Author: Shamarukh Alam, Researcher, Fairwork Bangladesh Ratings 2023; Senior Research Fellow, DataSense at iSocial - Bangladesh has seen significant growth of the platform economy. However, workers on these platforms have had to deal with low wages, poor conditions, and a lack of social security and occupational safety

How Fairwork Project strives for real change: Martijn Arets talks with senior researcher and project manager Dr. Funda Ustek Spilda in the new episode of The Gig Work Podcast.

Martijn Arets - WageIndicator Foundation increases the transparency about work and income worldwide. Martijn Arets of The Gig Work Podcast speaks to co-founder Paulien Osse about this unusual organization's successes, challenges, and goals of this unique organization.

The ILO Governing Body will discuss standards related to decent work on the platform economy during its 2025 Conference. The Global Manifesto for a Fairer Platform Economy and Fairwork Principles provide a good start to listing primary problems faced by platform workers and adequate solutions to solve them.

The new Brazilian government, led by Lula da Silva, has expressed its intention to address the regulation of platform work later this year. But what about the workers? Have they been heard? What are their needs and concerns?

Authors: Nur Huda, Adriansyah Dhani Darmawan, Maria Catherine (Centre for Innovation Policy and Governance, CIPG), and Richard Heeks (University of Manchester) A tragic incident has highlighted the poor working conditions and inadequate safeguards for gig workers in Indonesia

The best practices session of Women in Gig Work: Web-Based Work presented a German code of conduct and a Dutch tech solution to put workers’ skill in the first place

What do ‘flexibility’ and ‘empowerment’ really mean? During the panel discussion of ‘Women in Gig Work: Web-Based Work,’ WageIndicator's sixth webinar on the platform economy, three speakers took into consideration both opportunities and challenges when analyzing women’s experiences on digital labor platforms