N° 02.2019 – Don’t Gig Up ! State of the Art Report

The present State of the Art Report is the first output of the Don’t GIG up! project, cofunded by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, and aimed at improving expertise and knowledge on the role unions and social dialogue can play with regard to the protection of gig workers. The project pursues the following objectives: l to identify policy options guaranteeing the adequate enjoyment of labour rights by gig workers, including clauses and provisions possibly set by collective agreements; l to identify policy options ensuring social protection of gig workers, in terms of insurance against accidents at work, illness, pensions, unemployment risk, and coverage of other social benefits; l to support unions in putting in place effective strategies to organise and represent gig workers; and l to identify pathways for exploiting the potential positive effects of gig-economy and platform-based work, like the potential to bring back ‘gigs’ traditionally performed in the framework of the undeclared economy within the reach of employment and fiscal rules. Running for 24 months (February 2018 – January 2020), the core phases of the project combine studies and action research to analyse features and challenges of the gig economy in a set of selected countries, namely: Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. After a preliminary analysis on the selected dimensions of the gig economy in the covered countries, mainly based on desk review, the project screens and compares as case studies a set of practices initiated by public institutions, social partners, or gig workers themselves to organise gig workers and increase their employment and social security rights. Findings from the preliminary analysis and from case studies shall be discussed in three mutual learning workshops, involving partners, unions from different countries, and representatives of platforms. The research is complemented with a final comparative assessment on how gig-economy affects industrial relations at both national and European level, with a view to delivering policy recommendations. A work package on dissemination also entails the promotion of findings through publications, seminars, articles, and a final conference.