France: Moving towards reinforced social rights for digital platform workers
A bill currently under discussion provides for transparency obligations for mobility platforms (ie those providing transport services with vehicles with drivers (known in French as VTC) as well as delivery services) with regard to their self-employed workers: before each service, they should be informed of the minimum price per service and may refuse to perform the mission. The platform should also publish on its website indicators on activity income, activity time and the average price of missions. Finally, the independent workers of these mobility platforms could freely connect and disconnect and choose their activity times.
A social responsibility charter would also be envisaged, in order to encourage the platforms that so wish to make commitments to improve the working conditions of VTC drivers or delivery drivers, without these commitments constituting a legal risk for the platforms. Thus, this charter and the elements it contains could not constitute elements towards the re-characterisation of the contractual relationship into one of actual employment.
Finally, the right to vocational training for workers on all platforms would be strengthened.