Online Labour Platforms, Social Policy and Regulation: The Examination of a Disruptive Effect on Traditional Labour Market Actors

Online labour platforms are transforming work and employment relations in many ways. Importantly, their disruptive effect materialises through the restructuring and extending the boundaries of the firm, leading to a reshaping of power relations between traditional actors in the labour market. Not only are (mostly precarious) platform workers effectively considered as small businesses with limited representation rights, but at the same time platforms are abdicating the role of employer. The consequences of this role redefinition are directly experienced by workers in the form of limited access to labour rights and social protection, and difficulties in holding platforms accountable in any strive towards better terms and conditions. As a result, the debate on possible regulatory responses has focused on the employment status of workers. This study takes a complementary focus by considering the employer side as a key counterpart in a functioning employment relationship. It is argued that the renunciation of the employer role by platforms is leading to a redefinition of traditional categories of labour market actors and their roles in social policy and social dialogue, with important implications for future policymaking, legislation and collective bargaining, and with potential spill-over effects beyond the platform economy. The empirical testing of this argument is carried out using the actor-approach to analyse the views and positions of social partners during works on the European Union proposal for a directive on improving working conditions in platform work (in the period 2021-2023). The analysis reveals how actors’ prerogatives are affected by the blurring of the role of the employer and the redefinition of traditional categories of actors in social policy.