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Negotiating labour standards in the gig economy: Airtasker and Unions New South Wales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Kate Minter
Kate Minter*
Affiliation:
Unions NSW, Australia
*
Kate Minter, Unions NSW, Level 3, Trades Hall, 4-10 Goulburn Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. Email: kminter@unionsnsw.org.au
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Abstract

The ‘gig economy’ uses digital platforms to bypass many of the regular responsibilities and costs of employment. Ambiguity as to whether gig-economy workers are independent contractors, dependent contractors or employees allows the undermining of traditional labour standards governing minimum wages and other legislated employment conditions. Labour law and institutions need to catch up to the new reality of this form of work and develop new tools to protect and enhance minimum standards for workers in digital platform businesses. Unions, business and government all have a role to play in the long term. Meanwhile, direct engagement between these new firms and workers’ advocates can also help to mitigate the risks posed to labour standards by digital business models, by addressing regulatory gaps. This article is a case study of innovative negotiations between one platform business (Airtasker) and Unions New South Wales, a peak trade unions body in New South Wales, Australia, in order to establish agreed minimum standards for engagements negotiated through this platform.

Keywords

J82J83J88Digital platform work‘gig’ economyindependent contractorsindustrial relationslabour standards‘sharing economy’
Type
Symposium Articles
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 28 , Issue 3: Work in the Gig Economy: Issues and Challenges , September 2017 , pp. 438 - 454
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017

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