"Online platforms, together with recent developments in technology, have been transforming labour markets and the nature of work. France constitutes an interesting case study for analysing the developments in the platform economy, not only in terms of the laws that directly impact platforms and platform workers, but also as it has been host to new forms of organisations representing platform workers, which attempted direct negotiation with a large and widely known platform.
The main finding of the paper is that, compared to many countries, France has experienced some of the most significant developments in industrial relations and social dialogue in the context of the platform economy. For example, the recent labour law that was passed in 2016 pays particular attention to the work done through online platforms, by aiming to regulate certain aspects of the platform economy and increase the rights of platform workers (e.g. to take collective action and join unions). Another law that passed recently looks at the transport sector specifically, regulates the entry of large platforms to the market and addresses some of the issues experienced by the stakeholders concerned.
This research has been carried out in the framework of a project on Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue in the Age of Collaborative Economy (IRSDACE), which is funded by the European Commission (VP/2016/004)."

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