An incomplete double movement: Spain's legislative strategy for platform courier reclassification.

This article analyzes Spain’s legislative efforts, particularly the 2021 Ley Rider, to reclassify platform-based food-delivery couriers as employees under conventional employment law. Drawing on an 18-month qualitative case study involving interviews, ethnographic observation, and document analysis,...

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Publicado en:International Labour Review Vol. 164; no. 4; pp. 1 - 21
Autor principal: Vieira, Tiago
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Open Library of Humanities 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: An incomplete double movement: Spain's legislative strategy for platform courier reclassification.
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        au: Vieira, Tiago
        affil: European University Institute
      su:
        Spain
        Labor laws
        Workers' rights
        Employee participation in management
        Labor law reform
        Express service (Delivery of goods)
        Federal legislation
        Outsourcing management
        Organization management
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        subj:
          Labor laws
          Workers' rights
          Employee participation in management
          Spain
          Couriers and Express Delivery Services
          Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors
          Labor law reform
          Express service (Delivery of goods)
          Federal legislation
          Outsourcing management
          Organization management
      keyword:
        algorithmic management
        delivery platforms
        employment relationship
        labour legislation
        Ley Rider
        platform work
        workers rights
        working conditions
        algorithmic management
        delivery platforms
        employment relationship
        labour legislation
        Ley Rider
        platform work
        workers rights
        working conditions
      ab: This article analyzes Spain’s legislative efforts, particularly the 2021 Ley Rider, to reclassify platform-based food-delivery couriers as employees under conventional employment law. Drawing on an 18-month qualitative case study involving interviews, ethnographic observation, and document analysis, it finds that while couriers gained formal employment rights such as fixed salaries, paid leave, and social protections, challenges persist due to outsourcing practices, involuntary part-time work, and intensified algorithmic management. The latter, characterized by pervasive surveillance and micromanagement, undermines workers’ autonomy, trust, and fair treatment, with limited effectiveness of legal provisions granting unions access to platform algorithms. The study concludes that Spain’s regulatory approach represents an incomplete “double movement” toward re-embedding platform workers in traditional employment relations, highlighting the need for stronger legal frameworks and capacity-building to address algorithmic management’s impact on labor conditions.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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