Re:DPD courier who was fined for day off to see doctor dies ...
by dalbasal on Monday February 05, 2018 @08:14AM
(#16308532)
There are multiple types of political action that can be taken. One is industrial action and group bargaining. IMO, this is not the best tool for the job as most of the gig economy doesn’t exist yet. You need to bargain with companies that haven’t been founded yet.
Another type is just lobbying/advocacy.
I think the gig-employers (uber etc.) would be pretty happy with clearer legislation. Costs they would shoulder just fine. They can’t/don’t want to (a) have to manage their HR via a HR department and (b) deal with anything short of extreme at-will employment clauses.
IMO (again) there is a ruleset that works for most parties. Define some categories. (EG piecemeal like uber). The definition needs to include restrictions, like “employees control their own hours.” You need to ban certain abusive contracts. Then you need to set aside enough money (more than regular employees) for things like medical insurance, income protection, pensions and everything else that gets left out.
I think most employers would gladly spend a little more money if they get to maintain their flexibility. I think it’s also societally valuable to do this. (a) Uber is a good case study. They expanded a global workforce much faster than would be possible under traditional employment. (b) Also, a lot of gigs are very low barrier to entry, with very little gatekeeping. This helps get employment to people that otherwise struggle to get it for whatever reason.
This is not an unsolvable problem, even the political 3rd order interests and horse trading is not that bad. It just hasn’t been done yet because (a) the gig economy is new (b) a lot of traditional labour advocates are opposed to its existence and (c) our political systems are not doing too well right now.
Another type is just lobbying/advocacy.
I think the gig-employers (uber etc.) would be pretty happy with clearer legislation. Costs they would shoulder just fine. They can’t/don’t want to (a) have to manage their HR via a HR department and (b) deal with anything short of extreme at-will employment clauses.
IMO (again) there is a ruleset that works for most parties. Define some categories. (EG piecemeal like uber). The definition needs to include restrictions, like “employees control their own hours.” You need to ban certain abusive contracts. Then you need to set aside enough money (more than regular employees) for things like medical insurance, income protection, pensions and everything else that gets left out.
I think most employers would gladly spend a little more money if they get to maintain their flexibility. I think it’s also societally valuable to do this. (a) Uber is a good case study. They expanded a global workforce much faster than would be possible under traditional employment. (b) Also, a lot of gigs are very low barrier to entry, with very little gatekeeping. This helps get employment to people that otherwise struggle to get it for whatever reason.
This is not an unsolvable problem, even the political 3rd order interests and horse trading is not that bad. It just hasn’t been done yet because (a) the gig economy is new (b) a lot of traditional labour advocates are opposed to its existence and (c) our political systems are not doing too well right now.