Liberals and Socialists are Uber’s useful fools in the Council

Imagine you earn your living making sure that other people get where they need to be on time or cycling in all weather conditions to deliver people food in the comfort of their own home. Such jobs provided through platforms like Uber or Deliveroo are an important part of our society. Platform workers deserve our respect and support, as all workers do. Yet, all they get is the same work without paid holidays, an income but no secure living wage, and the same physical and emotional strain but no sick leave. That is the status quo that the blocking countries in the EU’s Council of Ministers are upholding.

So far, the Council has blocked two provisional agreements between the negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council. Once again, Germany and France played a major role in the failure of the platform work Directive. The Directive aims to address the issue of misclassification of platform workers' employment status, where 5.5 of 28 million persons performing platform work are estimated to be incorrectly self-employed. The EPP Group in the European Parliament has always been a very constructive force in the negotiations, achieving a result that creates common standards across Europe while leaving important competences and specific details up to the Member States. We want to hinder bogus self-employment and unfair competition in our single market while also ensuring that genuinely self-employed people can continue to make use of all the possibilities platform work offers.

Once again, Germany and France played a major role in the failure of the platform work Directive.

Germany’s Socialist Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France’s Liberal President Emmanuel Macron are making themselves into Uber’s useful fools in the EU Council. With Germany abstaining and France being against the achieved deal, they managed to lead a blocking majority. This decision is disheartening and raises questions about their commitment to the wellbeing of workers in the gig economy. By obstructing the directive, essentially they have sided with the status quo, allowing for the continued exploitation of platform workers and hindering progress towards a fair and just future of work.

Not only is this a problem that concerns this directive aimed at safeguarding platform workers from the pitfalls of bogus self-employment, but it falls into a larger picture. This is one of numerous already agreed-on laws that Germany and France are attempting to block at the last possible instance. Through this, they are holding the European decision-making process hostage for political gain and are causing enormous institutional damage that is difficult to repair. Strong leadership in a united, competitive and fair Europe looks different.

By obstructing the directive, essentially they have sided with the status quo, allowing for the continued exploitation of platform workers and hindering progress towards a fair and just future of work.

Therefore, we call on Chancellor Scholz and President Macron to lift their blockade and make a deal possible. We must now prioritise the interests of the workers who form the backbone of our digital economy and create a future of work that is both innovative and fair. The EPP Group will not give up until we reach a deal to improve the lives of millions of platform workers in Europe.