Estimates indicate that almost 6% of the workforce in Germany earn at least a quarter of their income through platform work. The increasing number of workers joining the platform economy has gone hand in hand with new platforms entering the market, especially in the food and grocery delivery sector.
Fairwork published its first rating schemes in Germany in May 2020. Since then, the confluence of an expanding platform economy, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and new waves of labour struggles have led to more active public discussion in Germany around working conditions and workers’ rights.
The Fairwork Germany project is kindly funded by a research partnership between the Berlin University Alliance and the University of Oxford. The project brings together researchers from the Technical University of Berlin, the University of Oxford, and XU Exponential University and WZB Berlin Social Science Centre.
“Berlin wants to be a pioneer of fair work – especially with regard to new forms of work in the platform economy. The Berlin Senate, and in particular the Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Affairs, are committed to fair working conditions in this sector. That is why I very much welcome and support Fairwork’s efforts to make labour standards in the platform economy transparent and to contribute to their improvement. The Fairwork Report for Germany shows that working conditions do vary, but above all that there is still a lot to be done. Business models based on unfair and unsafe working conditions are ‘out’ and should be a thing of the past.”
Katja Kipping
Berlin Senator for Integration, Labour and Social Services
“The WZB Berlin Social Science Center is proud to be the home of the Fairwork Secretariat. Because Fairwork stands for exactly what the WZB is all about: excellent research that contributes to improving our society. Fairwork understands how to raise awareness about fair working conditions among HR managers in the platform economy. Some platforms have already responded and are planning improvements. This creates momentum and pressure: more platforms will follow suit. And platform workers will demand their rights more strongly. We see: Platform work in itself doesn’t have to be bad, if co-determination and certain regulations are accepted.”
Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, Ph.D.
President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center
euobserver, 27 November 2023
After months of almost no progress, EU institutions will meet again on Thursday (9 November) to negotiate the final text of the directive on digital platform workers.
ZDF, 09 February 2023
Wie fair ist die neue Arbeitswelt? - Film von Arne Lorenz. Sie radeln, hämmern, putzen – während der Corona-Pandemie hielten Plattformbeschäftigte Deutschland am Laufen. Lieferdienste für Lebensmittel wuchsen rasant.
Netzpolitik, 09 February 2023
Die EU will bessere Arbeitsbedingungen für Kurierfahrer*innen, Reinigungskräfte und andere in der Gig Economy. Doch was würde die geplante Plattformrichtlinie für Unternehmen in Deutschland bedeuten? Wir haben nachgefragt.
Jacobin, 10 September 2022
Migrant workers have served as the foundation for Germany’s rapid economic growth in the postwar years, but the benefits of growth have not been evenly distributed. Today, precarious workers are pushing back against Germany’s exclusionary system.
26 June 2024
19 February 2024
6 November 2023
28 June 2023
Webinar: Fairwork Germany Ratings 2021 Report Launch
Did you miss the launch of the Fairwork Germany Ratings? Report author Dr Oğuz Alyanak give a brief presentation of key findings from the report. This is followed by a discussion with guest panellists: Prof h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, PhD (President, WZB Berlin Social Science Centre), Ana Dujić (Director, Policy Lab ‘Digital, Work & Society’ of the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs) and Prof Eva Kocher (European University Viadrina Frankfurt Oder).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbzOkhWvc_Y&t=2s
In November 2021, researchers, students and activists from the international Fairwork network and beyond met in Berlin for the Fairwork Winter School to discuss the future of platform labour, alternative visions to shape the platform economy and concrete steps to implement fairer working conditions in the sector.
As part of the Fairwork Winter School programme, we hosted a series of open panel discussions with experts. You can find the recordings on our Youtube channel!
What is it like working for Uber, Liefereando or Helpling? Listen to the Fairwork Podcast series and explore the radical changes to the world of work through the voice of those at its centre.
This week on the Fairwork podcast, we are exploring the company Gorillas Technologies – one of the fastest-growing startups in Europe. It’s a company with massive plans for expansion and is growing at a breakneck speed. We’ll hear from two Gorillas riders – Zeynep and Jakob – about their own experiences of the strikes, as well as catching up with Oğuz Alyanak to look at what the rise of these companies says about the way in which technologies are reshaping labour markets.
