[ad_1]
New guidelines to enhance working circumstances for EU gig staff have been agreed earlier than Europe pauses for elections, after member states formally adopted the directive in Brussels on Monday (11 March).
“This can be a momentous day for gig staff [who number around 28 million in the EU],” stated EU commissioner for Jobs Nicholas Schmit on X (previously Twitter).
“New EU guidelines will give platform staff extra rights and protections with out hampering platforms’ capacity to develop,” he added.
The laws was first proposed in December 2021, and has confronted important opposition because the Parliament and Council selected their positions final 12 months.
Twice, in December 2023 and February 2024, a provisional settlement was reached between the 2 co-legislators — however each offers collapsed shortly afterwards.
Within the newest failed vote, 4 member states (France, Germany, Estonia, and Greece) fashioned a blocking minority once they determined to not assist the compromise textual content over considerations in regards to the authorized presumption of employment — which might reclassify 5.5 million staff from ‘self-employed’ to ‘workers’.
On Monday afternoon, nonetheless, Greece and Estonia modified their place and determined to assist the draft textual content, permitting the Belgian EU Presidency to achieve a closing settlement.
Solely France voted towards, whereas Germany abstained.
The breakthrough comes as EU establishments put together to carry European Parliament elections in June, delaying any pending laws.
“The considerations are nonetheless right here,” Greek labour minister Domna Michailidou stated, whereas including: “Given the truth that we need to work within the spirit of compromise, we are going to assist the directive”.
Below the brand new guidelines, member states would be the ones to create a presumption of employment of their authorized programs, which might be triggered by a platform employee, a consultant or a nationwide authority claiming that they had been being misclassified.
Competent authorities will then should assess whether or not there are sufficient information to point management and route, and if an employment relationship is discovered, gig platforms would be the ones obliged to show in any other case.
Join EUobserver’s every day publication
All of the tales we publish, despatched at 7.30 AM.
By signing up, you conform to our Phrases of Use and Privateness Coverage.
The directive may even set the primary guidelines for AI within the office, bringing extra transparency to the administration of algorithms and extra knowledge safety for staff similar to meals supply or taxi drivers.
For the business group representing Bolt and Uber, Transfer EU, the present textual content “fails to realize a harmonised strategy throughout the EU, creating much more authorized uncertainty for ride-hailing drivers,” its chairman Aurélien Pozzana stated in a press release.
“Uber now calls on EU international locations to introduce nationwide legal guidelines that give platform staff the protections they deserve, whereas sustaining the independence they like,” stated an Uber spokesperson.
The compromise textual content nonetheless must be formally accepted by the parliament, which can vote on it in a plenary session in April.
As soon as accepted, member states may have two years to transpose the laws into nationwide regulation.
[ad_2]
Source link
