Workers of digital platforms: Working conditions in on-demand delivery platforms in Argentina
Main Article Content
Abstract
The article identifies the problems that characterize the working conditions of the delivery workers of two on-demand delivery platforms – the Catalan Glovo and the Colombian Rappi – that operate in several Argentine cities since 2018. Based on interviews with workers, analysis of forums and social networks, field observations and press surveys, the research analyzed the situation in the employment of the delivery workers via apps, in what refers to the relationship between the platform and its role as employer, and their recognition as workers. From an overview, the working conditions are described as worrying because they reflect the unfair treatment received by platform workers. The nature of algorithmic management and its impact on the organization of work is also analyzed. Finally, the article asks about the difficulties that have the delivery workers in organizing collectively and presents the strategies that platform workers have deployed to make their claims heard.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
References
Auvergnon, Ph. (2016). Angustias de uberización y retos que plantea el trabajo digital al derecho laboral. Revista Derecho Social y Empresa, 6, 1-18.
Ayzanguer, M. (20 de agosto de 2018). Los venezolanos coparon los servicios de mensajería en bicicleta. La Nación. Recuperado de: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/los-venezolanos-coparon-los-servicios-de-mensajeria-en-bicicleta-nid2162967
Casas, X. (27 de abril de 2018). Guerra de delivery boys en la Ciudad ante el aumento de apps de envíos a domicilio. El Cronista. Recuperado de: https://www.cronista.com/negocios/Guerra-de-delivery-boys-en-la-Ciudad-ante-el-aumento-de-apps-de-envios-a-domicilio-20180427-0014.html
Bensusán, G. (2017). Nuevas tendencias en el empleo: retos y opciones para las regulaciones y políticas del mercado de trabajo. En G. Bensusán, W. Eichhorst, J. M. Rodríguez (Ed.). Las transformaciones tecnológicas y sus desafíos para el empleo, las relaciones laborales y la identificación de la demanda cualificaciones (pp. 81-171). CEPAL: serie Documentos de Proyectos. Recuperado de https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/42539-transformaciones-tecnologicas-sus-desafios-empleo-relaciones-laborales-la
De Stefano, V. (2016). The rise of the ´just-in-time workforce ´: On-demand work, crowdwork and labour protection in the ´gig-economy ´. International Labour Office (Conditions of work and employment series; Nro. 71). Geneva: International Labour Office.
Drahokoupil, J. & Fabo, B. (2016). The platform economy and the disruption of the employment relationship. ETUI Policy Brief European Economic, Employment and Social Policy, 5, 1-6.
Eurofound (2018). Employment and working conditions of selected types of platform work. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Recuperado de https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2018/employment-and-working-conditions-of-selected-types-of-platform-work
Florisson, R. & Mandl, I. (2018). Digital age. Platform work: Types and implications for work and employment–Literature review. Luxembourg: Eurofound.
Fisher, E. & Fuchs, C. (Ed.) (2015). Reconsidering value and labour in the digital age. England: Palgrave-Macmillan.
Ginès i Fabrellas, A. (2016). Crowdsourcing sites y nuevas formas de trabajo. El caso de Amazon Mechanical Turk. Revista Derecho Social y Empresa, 6, 1-20.
González Cao, R. (2018). Los trabajadores de plataforma y la evolución de las relaciones laborales. Documento de Trabajo, CEAT. Buenos Aires: Facultad de Ciencias Económicas.
ILO (2018). Digital labour platforms and the future of work: Towards decent work in the online world. Geneva: International Labour Office. Recuperado de https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_645337.pdf
Johnston, H. & Land-Kazlauskas, C. (2018). Organizing On-Demand: Representation, Voice, and Collective Bargaining in the Gig Economy. Geneva: International Labour Office. Recuperado de https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---travail/documents/publication/wcms_624286.pdf
Lee, M. K., Kusbit, D., Metsky, E. & Dabbish, L. (2015). Working with machines: The impact of algorithmic and data-driven management on human workers. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), 1603-1612.
Möhlmann, M. & Zalmanson, L. (2017). Hands on the Wheel: Navigating Algorithmic Management and Uber Drivers’ Autonomy. Thirty Eighth International Conference on Information Systems, 1-17.
Scasserra, S. (2019). El despotismo de los algoritmos. Cómo regular el empleo en las plataformas. Nueva Sociedad, 279, 133-140.
Paugam, S. (2007). Las formas elementales de la pobreza. Madrid: Alianza.
Todolí Signes, A. (2015). El impacto de la Uber Economy en las relaciones laborales: los efectos de las plataformas virtuales en el contrato de trabajo. IUSLabor, 3, 1-25.
Valenduc, G. & Vendramin, P. (2016). Work in the digital economy: sorting the old from the new. Working Paper ETUI. Brussels: European Trade Union Institute.
Vallecillo Gámez, M. (2017). Economía colaborativa y laboralidad: Los cabos sueltos entre el vacío legal y la dudosa legalidad. El Futuro del trabajo que queremos. Conferencia Nacional Tripartita, 2, 461-473.