"Policy recommendations
• Unpaid labour should be recognised as a systemic feature of platform
work, inherent in its current model of work organisation. Its prevalence
and magnitude render it a pressing regulatory issue.
• Introducing minimum standards regarding working time and wages
is a key step towards limiting unpaid labour and establishing fairer
working conditions.
• Limiting unpaid labour requires recognition of the subordinate status
of large segments of workers, improvements in employment stability
and a floor of contractually guaranteed working hours. Platform work
within the framework of hourly-paid employment is less frequently
linked to unpaid work than piece-rate and self-employment models.
But without predictability of hours, hourly-paid employment can also
lead to unpaid labour.
• Data sharing and transparency in compliance with digital protection
law, as well as some forms of data portability (of ratings, portfolios)
for freelancers working remotely on platforms is necessary to promote
career progression and upskilling.
• Freelancers and independent workers on platforms should be
granted access to effective voice mechanisms through the creation
of representation structures and inclusion in collective bargaining,
affording them some presence in policy and regulatory processes.
• Protection should be extended to different categories of labour by
revising EU competition law's scope of application, thereby making it
possible to improve working conditions through collective agreements."

Support: Digital