2024

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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

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- 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.