The modern economy is not characterised only by hi-tech employees, with some young people earning multiples of the median wage. It also provides low-paid jobs usually taken up by third-country nationals.
But however low-skilled and low-paid workers might be, their aspirations are to seek a better life for themselves and their families and no one has any right to exploit them.
The phenomenon of platform workers established roots in Europe a few years ago when labour market liberalisation was perceived as a quick way to increase employment, especially for the low-skilled.
As many young Europeans opted out of modern slavery, employers pressured governments to allow them to recruit from third countries to fill the labour gaps, especially in the catering and cleaning industries.
Last December, the EU launched its Platform Work Directive that would give such workers the right to a minimum wage, paid leave, health and sickness protection and access to contributory old-age pensions, among other benefits.
Following the EU’s cue, Andy Ellul, the parliamentary secretary for social dialogue, has announced a sharper focus on the protection of vulnerable workers. He said proposed new laws would be discussed “at length” with social partners before enacting legislation that would give platform workers “peace of mind”.
Any economic activity that exploits vulnerable people is not an activity worth having
Platform work is just one of various forms of precarious work that some are forced to do. It is defined as employment in which organisations or individuals use an online platform to access other organisations or individuals to solve specific problems or to provide specific services in exchange for payment.
Various euphemisms are used to disguise the social risks of this type of employment. Some would prefer to call these workers ‘click-workers’ or ‘crowd employees’. The reality, however, is more depressing. This is modern-day slavery that is increasing the ranks of the working poor.
Over the last few months, Times of Malta has run several features on the realities that these vulnerable workers face, including “working for 80 hours and not even managing a minimum wage”. Not surprisingly, they rejoiced on hearing Ellul’s announcement.
Still, any sensible new legislation will be as effective as the determination and the political will to enforce it. Law enforcement has never been one of the strengths of local authorities. This must change if the new legislation is to elevate the way our society treats vulnerable workers.
The recruitment of third-country nationals to do low-paid work is often complex. This allows unscrupulous employers and recruitment agencies to abuse the regulations and find loopholes to their advantage. The risk of weak enforcement could scupper the EU’s determination to live up to its social values.
A payroll company’s top official who spoke to Times of Malta said: “We did not need a new law to tell us that workers have a right to overtime pay and sick leave. The law has been there for a long time. Recruitment agencies were simply not abiding by it.”
Local consumers who have grown accustomed to the doorstep delivery service provided by food couriers may fret that any new legislation on platform workers’ rights might destroy the rider industry.
Employers whose business model relies on platform workers could also argue that such legislation will ruin their livelihood. Some might raise their prices rather than be content with slightly lower profits.
In any case, it’s the market that will decide. And the market needs to factor in the necessary price of protecting vulnerable workers. Any economic activity that exploits vulnerable people is not an activity worth having.