Raluca Marian, European Advocacy Director at the IRU, said: “An EU-level directive that essentially reclassifies most commercial associates as employees is unacceptable and a complete departure from the original intent of proposal.

“Rather than tackling the illegal behavior of some large multinational companies, it would penalize small and medium-sized companies in the transport sector.”

“These freight and passenger transport operators, as well as taxi dispatch centres, have been operating in the EU for decades and have played their role as strong and reliable contributors to national budgets and social security schemes,” said she added.

The participants were unanimous on the need to limit the scope of the directive to true digital work platforms. There was also strong consensus on the need for clear EU-wide criteria for reclassifying platform collaborators as employees. Many participants underlined the need to fulfill the majority of the criteria in the interests of correct classification and legal certainty.

Earlier this month, the IRU, CEEMET, HOTREC, EBF-BCESA and ECEG – representing the road transport, hospitality and banking sectors, as well as the chemical, metallurgical, d engineering and technology – called on MEPs to limit the scope of the directive to genuine digital platforms.

Following feedback received from MEPs in Strasbourg, the IRU remains hopeful that the EMPL Committee will strike the right balance and vote for a pragmatic Workers’ Platform text in December.

“A pragmatic directive on platform workers should include a good definition of platforms that does not artificially extend the scope of the new law to cover physical businesses. It should also provide clear criteria for the reclassification of platform workers,” concluded Raluca Marian.