-Platform workers should be treated as employees and not “faux self-employed workers”. This means that their income shouldn’t be lower than the minimum wage and that they should be entitled to other bonuses and health and safety insurance.

-A legal definition of “platform worker” should be created.

-Zero-hour contracts without minimum or maximum hours will be illegal and JobsPlus should regularly monitor their contract situation.

-Recruitment agencies should be licensed and subjected to fines if they disobey the law.

-Algorithms that regulate the work conditions and work allocation of platform workers should be regulated to safeguard against abuse. 

The gig economy has flourished in Malta in recent years, particularly through taxi and food delivery app that allured customers through their efficiency and relatively low prices. 

These apps allow people to “be their own boss” and work whenever they want to earn some extra income, but several third-country nationals employed by recruitment agencies also offer their services to platforms.

The work conditions of these type of workers have come under the microscope in recent months, particularly after Bolt Food workers went on strike over their poor earnings.

In some cases, fleet agencies, who act as employers for third-country-nationals who work with food courier platforms take at least 50% of their pay.

Meanwhile, Bolt Food has routinely slashed fees paid to couriers by reducing their peak-time bonuses by an average of more than 50%.

One courier told Lovin Malta how he earns just “around €40-€50 in hand, following a 12 to 15 hour work day, as around 50% has to go towards [their] agencies”.

According to the figures, it appears that there are some third-country national Bolt workers that earn between €2.66 and €3.33 an hour on a good day. The minimum wage in Malta is €4.57.

Cover photo: Left: PN MPs Ivan Castillo, Graziella Attard Previ and Darren Carabott, Right: A Bolt taxi (Photo – Bolt) 

 Do you agree with these proposals?