Spain recognises gig delivery riders as employees

Food delivery apps operating in Spain have 3 months to classify their delivery riders as employees according to a new decree approved by the government. The approved regulation aimed at clarifying the legal status of riders after the Supreme Court ruled that gig companies must contract their couriers as employees in 2020. The Spanish Labour Ministry estimates that more than 17 thousand riders do not have an employment contract in the country. 

A debate on how to frame gig workers’ rights has unfolded in the European Union. The European Commission has opened a public consultation on possible action addressing the challenges concerning working conditions in online platforms. The legal challenges involving platform workers encompass their employment status, working protections, access to social protection, access to collective representation and bargaining, cross-border dimension of their work including social security contributions and tax collections, and algorithmic management.