EU members endorse diluted draft rules on rights for gig workers

Europe moved a step closer to giving so-called gig economy workers at online platforms such as Uber and Wolt greater social and labour rights on Monday, although companies said little would change under the watered-down rules.

The draft rules, first proposed by the European Commission in 2021, are aimed at an estimated 28 million workers in the EU, whose numbers are forecast to rise to 43 million next year.

European Union lawmakers and Belgium clinched a political deal last month, but only after diluting the Commission's proposal. They then failed to muster enough votes in favour from EU countries as France, Germany, Estonia and Greece abstained.

That preliminary deal scrapped a set of criteria proposed by the Commission to determine if an online company is an employer.

Instead national law, collective agreements and case law will dictate whether a...