Belgian compromise saves new EU gig economy legislation from oblivion

After gaining the support of the majority of EU member states, new laws designed to enhance the rights of gig workers in the EU who are contracted by companies like Uber were saved from oblivion.

Last month, a group had blocked the legislation when France refused to support the text and Germany voted against it.

On Monday, a compromise texte pushed by Belgium pushed the law through, giving it a final chance to be passed before legislative processes are timed-out due to upcoming EU parliament elections.

The Belgian Presidency announced the breakthrough at a meeting of ministers for employment, social affairs, and health in Brussels. “Better working conditions are available to those who deliver your meals.” In a tweet, it announced that the ministers had just approved a compromise text for the platform work directive.

Pierre-Yves Dermagne is the Belgian vice-premier and minister of the economy and employment. He said: “We’ve taken this historic step so that the message workers are heard.”

He said that the law was “one of the Belgian Presidency’s top priorities”. It would improve working conditions for the 28 million gig workers employed in the EU, by allowing “reclassification” of these bogus independent contractors.

The directive, which has been in development for two years, is intended to give taxi drivers and delivery drivers such as those who work for Uber or Deliveroo rights that are similar to those enjoyed by full-time employees, including holiday pay, sick leave and minimum wage.

The new law will default gig workers as employees, and employers will have to prove otherwise if so desired.

Brussels estimated previously that this could impact about 5.5 millions of the 28,000,000 workers who use gig economy platforms.

Mark MacGann is the whistleblower who has leaked over 124,000 Uber documents . He did so because he felt that the documents misrepresented the economic benefit to Uber drivers in the gig economy model. This legislation is a long overdue, but welcome step in a positive direction.

Uber’s spokesperson stated: “EU legislators have voted today to maintain the status-quo, and platform worker status continues to be determined country-by-country and by court-by-court. Uber calls on EU member states to pass national laws which give platform workers protections while maintaining their independence.

Four countries, France, Germany, Estonia, and Greece, have reportedly said that they cannot support the text. This was reported in February. After Estonia and Greece showed their support during the ministerial meeting, the tide tipped in favor of the laws.

Nicolas Schmit said that the EU’s commissioner for jobs, Nicolas Schmit: “One state surprised us and joined the qualified majority in the last minute – it was of course great news.”

Schmit said that the law was much broader than just taxi drivers or food delivery riders, who were dismissed in the past as “young men with bikes”, but who are “workers who have precarious jobs” and “must not be deprived their rights”.

This agreement will give workers the right to not be managed by an algorithm. It will also future-proof employment laws against artificial intelligence determining employment rights. Ministers have said that this is a first in the world.