February 9, 2023
The big digital platforms tell the same story over and over again: They are not employers, but only brokers of work. This means that employees get much less security and social benefits.
A court in Spain has now contradicted loud and clear, reports about Bloomberg. Loser: Amazon. The trading platform had offered a program called Flex. People delivered packages with their own cars.
Amazon treated them as self-employed. The court ruled that wrong. People should have been hired. With all the rights employees are entitled to.
Day laborers of the digital
There is a real danger that in the future we will become a kind of day laborer of the digital world. while coming the worst of both worlds together: insecurity as with freelancers and lack of freedom as with employees.
A problem that companies must avoid if they want to protect their reputation. And a challenge for politicians who must prevent such lousy practices.
Incidentally, Spain is a global pioneer in this respect. Because in 2021 the government passed a law that made all couriers from delivery services employees. By the way, Amazon stopped the Flex project at the time – so the new judgment is retrospective.
Cruel termination
Amazon wants to defend itself against the decision of the court. The delivery service Glovo was already fined 79 million euros in September. “Glovo did not present the legally required employment contracts to more than 10,000 drivers,” wrote the FAZ.
The absurdity and cruelty of the system was shown a year ago in the case of rider Sebastian Galassi from Florence. He died on delivery in a traffic accident. The following day, the dead man received his resignation from Glovo via email, reports The print.
Glovo’s parent company is Delivery Hero from Germany. Unlike in the past, the Berliners no longer have an active delivery service in their home market.
Incidentally, the developments from Spain could become a model for the whole EU. Recently there have been signs of stronger protective mechanisms, reports that Gig Economy Projectdespite massive lobbying efforts.
