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sharing economy apps


Dr Gloom
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we all love apps like uber and deliveroo because they make our convenient and cheap but it increasingly looks like these companies can provide what we want by shafting their workers. i've read a few reports that suggest many drivers struggle to make the living wage and are employed on per drop contracts - bit like zero hours contracts - with no protection, holiday pay or union rep because the sharing economy companies call them contractors, not workers. 

 

why are uber's prices artificially low? well, they're funded by venture capital, so they can run at a loss because there are no shareholders to answer to, for now. will they eventually raise prices once they've forced the world's taxi cartels out of business and they have a monopolistic situation? 

 

i'm reluctant to stop using these apps so i guess i'm a hypocrite. in the short term at least, short of boycotting, the best thing to do is pay generous tips to the drivers, who are almost certainly being stiffed. 

 

i wonder if this will lure CT out of the shadows 

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They did make a profit in the UK last year.

 

Is it exploitation? To me it's similar to the BA mixed fleet cabin crew strike. They were well aware of the conditions before accepting the 'job'. Had Uber come in and changed the pay and conditions of existing workers then I would be more sympathetic.

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is the gig economy exploiting workers? if they're paying less than the living wage and not even recognising unions - let alone listening to reps' demands for collective bargaining, then i'd say, yes. 

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is the gig economy exploiting workers? if they're paying less than the living wage and not even recognising unions - let alone listening to reps' demands for collective bargaining, then i'd say, yes. 

 

They will have to ensure that drivers get the minimum wage in the future. They aren't yet obliged to recognise any union. And as Chez says, the ultimate aim is to do away with drivers altogether.

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2012 wants its thread back.

 

i'm not just talking about uber. i might be wrong but i don't recall a thread examining the sharing economy more broadly, whether it's taskrabit, deliveroo, or whatever

Edited by Dr Gloom
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The business strategy is to go driverless so they don't give a shit about the drivers.

 

not sure how that'll work in the case of deliveroo. robots collecting the food from the restaurants is quite a way away. until that happens, the drivers are being screwed. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37905425

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A mate of mine told me about a documentry about DPD.  It is a joke how they basically just abandon their vans to deliver and a mate said this documentry highlighted why.  They were making something like 30p a drop and when you added it up they were getting paid below minimum wage.

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