The European Union finds an agreement around the text on the rights of platform workers

A European political agreement on the rights of digital platform workers has been reached.

The objective is to grant them a “ 

presumption of employment

 ”.

This text, in preparation for three years, was blocked by several countries, including France and Germany, who saw too much legal uncertainty in it.

Uber and Deliveroo delivery drivers demonstrate in Bordeaux, March 15, 2017 (Illustrative image).

AFP - GEORGES GOBET

By: RFI Follow

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With our correspondent in Brussels,

Pierre Benazet

The European Union (EU)

 has 28.5 million digital platform workers, such as Uber drivers or Deliveroo home meal delivery workers.

And according to the European Commission, around 5.5 self-employed workers in Europe should be able to change their status in this way.

Criteria

The directive on platform workers set a series of criteria: the fact that a platform imposes uniforms, working hours or remuneration levels, that it supervises services remotely, that it does not allow its employees to refuse assignments or work for other companies.

From now on, States can modify them and add criteria.

A worker who meets at least two criteria would be considered an employee.

He would thus be entitled to what national legislation provides: minimum wage, working hours, sick pay, safety standards.

But it is up to states to decide how exactly workers will be reskilled.

Procedure

There is one step left in the procedure before the final green light, as France has asked the European Commission to add a footnote to specify that the change of status will not be automatic and that there will be a procedure to be continued.

But the Commission sees the text in its current form as the best guarantee for the end of false self-employment, since it is from now on the platforms which will be responsible for proving that their employees cannot be considered as employees.

Also read: Undocumented delivery people, poorly paid drivers, when the Uber model falters

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