Workers engaged at Uber, Bolt, Glovo and similar platforms in Croatia formed a trade union to fight for the rights guaranteed by the Labour Law.
The Digital Platform Workers’ Trade Union was established as a member of the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia (UATUC/SSSH, Savez Samostalnih Sindikata Hrvatske). The new union will gather workers engaged at various digital platforms in Croatia, such as Uber, Bolt, Glovo, Wolt, Bolt Food.
The proclamation of the digital workers’ union states: "A lot of us earn their income exclusively through these platforms", as reported by MAZ (Antifascist Network Zagreb’s online media). "Over time, the shortcomings of such work became more pronounced. On the one hand, persons who have opened their companies and firms, despite being considered self-employed before the state, are in practice completely subject to the mercy of the platform’s business conditions. Platforms, on the other hand, distance themselves from any responsibility because such ‘self-employed’ people are considered ‘partners’."
The union’s representatives further state that people engaged in companies that operate as platforms’ "partners" are in a particularly precarious position. For example, a number of such companies register them for only 2-4 hours of work per day, they often have to drive rented vehicles for which about 130EUR per week has to be paid, they are neither entitled to sick leave nor to vacation.
The union was established in order for the minimum rights guaranteed by the Croatian Labour Law to get applied to digital workers, to fight for rights such as the right to a working contract, health and social insurance, vacation, sick leave, occupational safety. The union also intends to work in favour of regulating the relationship between digital platforms and the state, so that the platforms start paying taxes.
Also in Serbia, there have been several attempts to organise drivers who work through platforms. The largest unions have expressed interest in participating in such ventures. However, no unions have yet been established.
Originally pulished at the website of Mašina (full version)