MEPs welcome new EU Commission proposal to protect rights of platform workers

Sylvie Brunet (Renew, FR), rapporteur on the European Parliament resolution on the subject, reacted to the Commission’s proposal: “This proposal for a European framework for regulating platform work represents an opportunity to address the future of work and to adapt the law to the new realities of the world of work. The negotiations on this directive can now begin with two priorities at the heart: adequate protection for platform workers and a European framework conducive to innovation.”

Background

In its resolution of 16 September 2021, the European Parliament called for platform workers to receive the same protection as traditional employees in terms of social security contributions, health and safety protection and the right to engage in collective bargaining. To address poor working conditions, those working in transportation and food delivery services should have guaranteed accident insurance.

Platform workers are often misclassified as self-employed. Parliament wants to address this lack of legal certainty by proposing a reversal of the burden of proof: in case of legal proceedings, employers should prove there is no employment relationship, rather than vice versa. MEPs have also stressed that the current European legislative framework is failing to address the new realities of this type of work.