It's the second year of Fairwork scoring of platforms in Germany, based on the Fairwork principles.
- A total number of 12 platforms scored: Zenjob (9 out of 10), Wolt (7), Lieferando (7), Flink (6), Careship (6), Getir (5), Amazon Flex (3), Betreut.de (2), Helpling (2), Gorillas (2), FreeNow (1), Uber (1).
- Almost six percent of the workforce in Germany earn at least a quarter of their income through platform work.
- Getir, Gorillas and Flink have come to dominate grocery deliveries, while the almost market dominance in food deliveries once enjoyed by Lieferando is now shared by the likes of Wolt and Uber Eats. Several platforms are homegrown and/or headquartered in the country. They have found a fertile environment for development and growth in Berlin.
- The pandemic has exacerbated the precarity and insecurity of these workers. Although the majority of platforms in the food and grocery delivery sector provide employment contracts, which, by law, entitle workers to a minimum wage, and provide paid sick, holiday, and parental leave, the legal framework also presents important loopholes. The vast majority of platform workers are not proficient in German and have limited knowledge of their legal rights because they are either immigrants or are born to parents or grandparents who have migrated to Germany.
- Fair Pay - Most platforms in Germany could provide evidence that they provide wages to their workers that exceed the minimum hourly wage of 9.60 Euros (valid July-Dec 2021), after costs associated with work. Some platforms (in particular those that employ workers on a self-employment, independent contractor or subcontracting model) however, fail to meet this basic threshold.
- Fair Conditions - Many workers in the platform economy work in precarious conditions as most workplaces are not regularly audited for safety.
- Fair Contracts - As contracts in Germany are highly regulated, workers are offered contracts or terms and conditions that are comprehensive. Platforms in the ride-hailing sector have moved
away from a self-employed to an increasingly subcontracting- focused business model, where the platforms have limited checks over the contracts offered to the workers. - Fair Management - Most platforms operating in Germany could show they have human representatives to address queries by workers. The efficacy of these channels, however, is questionable, as many fail to provide workers with an adequate response in a timely manner.
- Fair Representation - We have witnessed an increase in worker activism this year, especially in food and grocery delivery platforms, leading to the formation of new bodies of
worker representation (such as Works Councils). We have evidence, however, of some platforms hindering this process by obstructing worker activism (e.g. giving workers who attend demonstrations a warning) or by changing their business models abruptly to render existing bodies of worker representation obsolete. Few platforms could provide evidence of functioning bodies for workers to raise their voice in a collective manner.
Read report: in English