Theory & Practice in the global world of platforms: innovations and regulation

Recent years have seen a number of changes on a regulatory level, with profound effects on platform workers. For instance, the recent AB5 law and subsequent Prop-22 (California, USA), the Code on Social Security 2020 (India) or the government decree to improve the social protection of gig workers (Italy). There is a need to assess different regulatory practices around the world and evaluate their impact on platform workers as well as innovative potential of platforms. We may also imagine regulatory systems that mix different approaches, giving platform workers more discretion as to choosing which approach is best suited for their situation.

The purpose of this Reshaping Work Onward event – “Theory & Practice In The Global World Of Platforms: Innovations And Regulation” -, organized by the WageIndicator Foundation is to hear first-hand experiences about the impacts of and innovations targeting platform workers. The event is meant to engage policy makers, labor organizers, academics, activists and platform workers in a multistakeholder debate.

Being a follow-up of our previously organized ‘Gig Economy Around the World’ event, held last October, this March 26th event will mostly focus on the regulations and innovations that took place in the last 6 months and that WageIndicator Foundation has been collecting and studying as part of the Platform Workers: Decent Rights & Pay project.

14:00 – Welcome by Paulien Osse, Wageindicator Foundation Director

14:05 – Openning keynote speech by Niels van Doorn, Principal Investigator of the Platform Labor research project.

14:20 – WageIndicator Platform Workers: Decent Rights & Pay.What is good for the Dutch Platform Workers? Key recommendations and lessons learned

14:25 – Panel – “3 practical learnings from the past 6 months”. Participants:

• Professor Dr. Veena Dubal, J.D., Ph.D., Professor of Law at the University of California’s Hastings College of Law
• Sreelakshmi Ramachandran from Ola Mobility Institute
• Stefano Giubboni , Professor of Labour Law at the University of Perugia

This panel will be moderated by Rachel Rietveld , CEO / head of research and development at ArbeidsmarktResearch UvA BV (ARR)

15:10 – 5 min coffee time

15:15 – Elevator pitch session – “Alternative approaches to traditional regulation”.

a) Hilfr and 3F on Collective Agreements by Anna Ilsøe

b) FairWork Foundation on Platforms Scoring by Alessio BertolinI

c) Nippy for Delivery on Immigrants Support by Sergio Romero

d) Glovo with Living Wage by Laura Garcia

15:30 – Break Out Rooms . Join your favourite Case Study for a 30 minutes deep dive

• Hilfr and 3F (Denmark)
• FairWork Foundation (UK)
• Nippy for delivery (Argentina)
• Glovo (Spain)

16:00 – Closing Keynote Speech by Martin Kahanec, Professor and Acting Dean (2020-21) of the School of Public Policy at the Central European University in Vienna

16:15– Closing and end of the event