Addressing Inequality in the World of Gig Work: The Role of Trade Union in the Successful Litigation of Workers Status in the Case of Uber BV v. Aslam (2021)

ARIOBUMI PRADITYA, Treviliana Eka Putri, MIntSec.

2022 | Skripsi | S1 ILMU HUBUNGAN INTERNASIONAL

Rapid development of digital technology has reinvented how business is conducted. Emerging from the heart of this change is the gig economy. The gig economy is the collection of markets that match providers to consumers on a gig (or job) basis in support of on-demand commerce. Working under a ‘flexible’ arrangement with an ‘independent contractor’ status, a gig worker is prone to exploitation as the business model does not provide them with minimum wage or health protection due to their status. To elevate the rights of those gig workers, there is an increasing effort to first establish the ‘worker’ status from around the world - one of them being Uber BV v. Aslam case that has become the milestone for the struggle of the gig workers in a fight with the global gig behemoths. Seeing the humongous impact it has made towards gig workers, this study examines the role of trade unions behind the successful litigation of the ‘workers’ status in the case of Uber BV v. Aslam and how it has changed the landscape of employment rights globally.

Rapid development of digital technology has reinvented how business is conducted. Emerging from the heart of this change is the gig economy. The gig economy is the collection of markets that match providers to consumers on a gig (or job) basis in support of on-demand commerce. Working under a ‘flexible’ arrangement with an ‘independent contractor’ status, a gig worker is prone to exploitation as the business model does not provide them with minimum wage or health protection due to their status. To elevate the rights of those gig workers, there is an increasing effort to first establish the ‘worker’ status from around the world - one of them being Uber BV v. Aslam case that has become the milestone for the struggle of the gig workers in a fight with the global gig behemoths. Seeing the humongous impact it has made towards gig workers, this study examines the role of trade unions behind the successful litigation of the ‘workers’ status in the case of Uber BV v. Aslam and how it has changed the landscape of employment rights globally.

Kata Kunci : gig economy, gig workers, trade union, Uber BV v. Aslam