#YoungLocalLeaders: HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT SOCIAL RIGHTS ARE RESPECTED IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY?

Euroopan unionin alueiden komitea j?rjest?? nuorille kuntap??tt?jille YEP-koulutusohjelman. T?n??n 23.9.2021 j?rjestettiin Cohesion as a value: Benefits and costs for young people of transitioning to a post Covid-19 world -tilaisuus Slovenian Lipicassa. Puheenvuoroni aiheena oli How to make sure that social rights are respected in the digital economy?

-?Ladies and gentlemen,

-?I am honoured to be addressing today Young European Politicians on a topic of extremely high political relevance.

-?By social rights in the digital economy, I understand workers' rights but also the right to connectivity and this is how I will structure my presentation.

-?The green and digital transitions are necessary for a Europe fit for the future. The growth of digital economy is an integral part of this trend.

-?At the same time, this has resulted in a significant rise of digital platform work.

-?This can be explained by the fact that platform work offers a range of advantages for both employers and workers given the need for a flexible labour market.

-?According to Eurofound, platform work also brings a number of opportunities to the labour market, such as:

- easy labour market access,

- source of additional income,

- stimulant for self-employment,

- working time flexibility, and

- preventing discrimination of workers based on ethnicity, disability, age but also geographic situation.

-?Furthermore, according to the Joint Research Centre, platform work can positively influence labour market integration of vulnerable groups of jobseekers and facilitate transitions to more stable forms of employment.

-?This can happen only in one condition: that appropriate measures are put in place to ensure decent working conditions.

-?But this is not the case.

-?The social rights of digital platform workers are yet to be clearly defined. Indeed, as the status of platform workers remains inconsistent with traditional labour law, they cannot enjoy the rights and benefits enshrined in it. Very often, they are even deliberately misclassified as self-employed by their employers.

-?This helps employers avoid employment regulations, fiscal obligations and workers' representation. This way, all risks are shifted onto the platform worker.

-?Given that young people are more familiar with the digital transformation and technological developments, they see work on digital platforms and the flexibility it often offers as an attractive employment opportunity, despite the lack of clearly defined labour rights.

-?It should be noted that platform workers today are on average 10 years younger than those who work offline.

-?Unfortunately, the absence of a clear framework defining platform workers' rights increases precarious employment among young people.

-?So, here comes the paradox: young people, who are the best equipped in terms of skills to go through the digital transition, are the biggest victims of it because it is unregulated when it comes to employment.

-?While platform work was meant to bring more people into the labour market and enhance inclusiveness through its flexibility, it is rapidly becoming a race to the bottom in terms of security, resulting in the exploitation of predominantly young workers.

-?This is why the European Committee of the Regions has urged for fundamental labour and social provisions to be extended to the platform economy and its workers.

-?We have indeed highlighted the need to urgently address the social effects of the Digital Single Market at European level.

-?A fair digital transition must be built on a level playing field for the platform economy and the "traditional" offline economy, based on the same rights and obligations for all interested parties, including social protection rights and the right to collective bargaining.

-?Let me now briefly address the right to connectivity.

-?Nowadays, access to internet is necessary for all purposes: employment, education, health, social contacts, purchases, financial translations, keeping fit and recreational reasons.

-?With this in mind, connectivity is not only a social, but a fundamental right. In fact, it has gradually become a public good.

-?The pandemic has shown its importance because it has further deepened the already deep digital divide.

-?This is why I have always called for the promotion of "digital cohesion" as an important additional dimension of the traditional concept of economic, social and territorial cohesion defined in the EU Treaty.

-?Bridging digital divides through coordinated and comprehensive strategies, involving all levels of government across the European Union, is nowadays a bare necessity for a sustainable recovery in a post-COVID era.

-?This means ensuring affordable and stable high-speed broadband access for all, regardless of their geographical location or socio-economic background.

-??Local and regional authorities play a key role in ensuring universal and affordable broadband access in areas where the market fails. This is why they should have access to adequate funding.

-?At the same time, digital development projects in rural, remote and sparsely populated areas should be recognised as services of general economic interest.

-?I would like to conclude with one last consideration: digital inequalities are a severe barrier not only to the digital economy but to European integration as a whole.

Thank you!