Shifting gears: how platform companies maintain power in app-based food delivery in Norway
Transfer. European Review of Labour and Research
2023
29
4
November
507–524
digital economy ; crowd work ; delivery ; collective bargaining ; self employed ; trade union
Employment
https://doi.org/10.1177/10242589241228199
English
Bibliogr.
"App-based food delivery relies on business models centred on the use of self-employed persons, combined with algorithmic management. In Norway, however, delivery platforms initially adapted the more traditional model: couriers were given employment contracts, joined an established trade union and negotiated a collective agreement. Nevertheless, the market entry of companies reliant on the self-employed, which expanded during the pandemic, prompted strategic changes that reduced worker power. This article explores agency in app-based food delivery in Norway. The research questions are: How do different actors' (platform companies, workers and unions) strategies affect working conditions and pay? How do these actors use power and power resources strategically? This article makes a dual contribution. First, it provides empirical insights by examining a notable case of collective organising and negotiation involving a traditional union in Norway. Second, it contributes to our theoretical understanding of how workers and companies change their strategies to navigate the power dynamics in this emerging field."
Digital;Paper
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