Uber and unions face off over EU gig work law – POLITICO

BRUSSELS — Brussels’ European Quarter is the epicenter this week of a lobbying combat between ride-sharing platform Uber and the drivers who do its legwork.

Teams from Belgium, Spain, France and Austria that say they symbolize drivers and riders are amassing on the doorsteps of the European establishments at Schuman at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night. One hour later, high negotiators will kick off vital negotiations close by to hash out key particulars of a legislation that might find yourself figuring out Uber’s future throughout the Continent.

The European Union is finalizing a legislation on gig work geared toward making certain supply drivers and on-demand chauffeurs get higher social protections towards the facility of the net platforms they work for. On the coronary heart of the political combat is the query of whether or not Uber’s drivers and riders must be thought-about staff or freelance contractors — a call that might weaken Uber’s enterprise mannequin in Europe after it has largely dodged labor rights that include using individuals, like minimal wage and vacation pay.

The employees gathering in Brussels have a crystal-clear message: Do not let Uber write the legislation. The mobilization is available in response to an enormous lobbying marketing campaign by Uber that is hit Brussels in latest weeks.

A POLITICO overview of Meta’s promoting library confirmed that Uber launched dozens of adverts tailor-made to policymakers in Brussels on Fb and Instagram in September and October. The net marketing campaign was complemented with on-the-ground placarding of Uber’s message across the EU establishments’ essential premises in Brussels. (Disclaimer: Uber is at the moment operating adverts on POLITICO’s providers as properly.)

The adverts weren’t targeted on the EU’s upcoming gig work guidelines however tried to combat “misunderstandings” about Uber’s enterprise practices, as one of many adverts phrased it. The corporate detailed its (constructive) affect on employees, unions, cities, the taxi trade and the European economic system normally.

Just one advert touched on the contentious matter to what drivers and riders are entitled. “Uber supplies advantages — parental go away, sick pay, damage cowl and extra — to all eligible European drivers and couriers,” it learn.

The adverts drew the ire of unions.

“The cash that’s now being spent to forestall [granting] worker rights to gig employees, it is cash that Uber might have spent on these employees themselves,” Petra Bolster-Damen, worldwide secretary on the Dutch commerce union FNV, stated in an interview.

The European Commerce Union Confederation (ETUC), a commerce union umbrella group, stated on X final week that “Uber ought to cease paying for adverts attacking the platform [work] directive and begin paying their employees correctly.”

In response to criticism over its foyer efforts, Uber spokesperson Caspar Nixon stated it “helps a powerful and enforceable [EU] directive that ensures platform employees keep the independence they need and obtain the protections they deserve, reminiscent of minimal wage, vacation and sick pay.”

The platform says it’s already working with unions, together with in Belgium, France and the U.Okay., to offer social safety and assured illustration to over 200,000 drivers.

Wednesday’s discussions between negotiators of the European Parliament, European Fee and EU Council are the primary actual showdown over the query of whether or not Uber drivers are staff or contractors. The difficulty has dominated discussions on the legislation in earlier levels however was pushed again in ultimate negotiations to keep away from a complete meltdown of talks.

The Fee in December 2021 launched a listing of 5 standards to evaluate whether or not a platform controls employees. If two out of 5 standards are fulfilled, gig employees are presumed to be staff.

However members of the EU’s Parliament and governments within the EU Council are miles aside of their respective positions on the problem. Staff unions have publicly supported Parliament’s place.

Wednesday’s talks are an try and sq. the circle and could lead on negotiators — if profitable — to complete the main points earlier than the top of the 12 months and in time to get it on the books earlier than subsequent 12 months’s European Parliament elections in June.

This text was up to date to higher replicate the protestors and who they aim.