Preserving freedom in platform work: HOTREC raises concerns over new Directive's impact

HOTREC expressed concerns over the potential impact of the new Directive on Improving Working Conditions in Platform Work on the freedom of individuals working on these platforms.

Traditionally, European Hospitality has relied on various platform services to assist in delivering services to its clients – such as food delivery and cleaning services. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decline in the sector’s workforce (between –10 to -20%) and exacerbated its longstanding issue of staff shortages, thus making these services critical for the sector to carry on its daily operations.

If the proposed approach outlined by the European Parliament automatically reclassifies self-employed individuals as employees, we foresee a risk of a decrease in platform workers and, consequentially, in the quality and efficiency of services provided by our industry.

We firmly believe that the Directive should exclusively impose obligations on digital labour platforms and exclude other businesses from its scope. Additionally, it should establish clear and robust EU criteria to trigger the legal presumption, ensuring that these criteria are easily applicable to companies at the national level. It is crucial to avoid automatic reclassification and protect genuine self-employed individuals who wish to maintain their current status.

We appeal to the co-legislators to adopt a balanced approach to this matter, taking into account the interests of both platform workers and the businesses they serve.