Response to interpellation 2024/25:580 on working conditions within the gig economy
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 L believes that the Swedish labor market model should be protected and that the labor market parties have the primary responsibility for working conditions and wage formation 1. L argues that the government is working on the platform directive to improve conditions and has appointed an inquiry into its implementation in Swedish law 1. L emphasizes the importance of innovative power and countering crime in the working life by strengthening the authorities' tools 2 3. L believes that it is an important issue that needs to be highlighted and discussed with the labor market parties 3 and that one should return to the issue after ongoing legal processes and inquiries 3. 4 S argues that current conditions within the gig economy are exploitation and that workers are being exploited as slaves 4 5. 6 S believes that the legislation is not sufficient and calls for the government to take responsibility for stopping unreasonable conditions 6 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Nina Larsson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Eva Lindh has asked me if I intend to act to rectify the working conditions and the work environment for those who work within the areas of the gig economy where this is not functioning.
I want to start by thanking Eva Lindh for an important question. All workers in Sweden shall have good working conditions and a safe working environment, regardless of the form of the work. We best achieve this through the Swedish labor market model, where the parties in the labor market take primary responsibility for the working conditions and are responsible for wage formation in the labor market. The Swedish labor market model shall be protected even in this part of the labor market.
The government has, like the previous government, been very active during the negotiations in the EU regarding the so-called platform directive. The directive aims, among other things, to improve working conditions for platform work, that is, work within the so-called gig economy.
The Platform Work Directive contains provisions ensuring that the correct employment status can be determined for persons performing platform work. It is primarily about being able to determine whether a person performing platform work is an employee. The Government has appointed an inquiry to investigate how the Platform Work Directive should be implemented in Swedish law. The inquiry shall report its findings by December 31 this year (dir. 2024:116). I look forward to reviewing the inquiry's analyses and proposals.
Parallel to the work on the platform directive, as Eva Lindh has pointed out, issues regarding the working environment within the gig economy have been tested in court on several occasions – Arbetsmiljöverket is and has been a party to the cases. I and the government are also following that legal development.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I want to start by saying hello to the new Minister and congratulating her on the very important assignment. It is crucial and important issues that fall within the Minister's area of responsibility.
People work twelve hours a day, six or seven days a week, for a salary of approximately 10,000 kronor a month before tax. One could almost believe that it is not about Swedish conditions or Swedish circumstances, but it is. It means that not all employees in Sweden have good working conditions or a safe working environment.
Norrköpings Tidningar has written about the strike that the Wolt workers had a few weeks ago. They struck against their working conditions. NT wrote about the completely unreasonable conditions for the workers who work for the company Wolt. They have a salary of 10,000 kronor a month before tax. This means they have an approximate hourly wage of 17 kronor an hour.
But it is not just that they receive a poor wage, they must also provide the conditions for performing the job themselves. With all this deducted, it means 17 kronor per hour.
The drivers are self-employed, but Wolt determines the conditions. The written agreements do not seem to be upheld. There is no collective agreement.
It is difficult to obtain reasonable working conditions when there is no collective agreement. It is also difficult because they are not formally employed. It is a special form of employment, and this is how it looks within the gig economy.
Workers in Sweden today are subjected to this exploitation. Those who have been interviewed, those who have struck and who work for Wolt, have themselves said that they are being exploited as slaves.
Work shall, as said, always take place under fair and just conditions with reasonable wages, secure employment terms, and a work environment that respects the individual's rights and dignity. This is important and should apply to everyone who works in Sweden.
I and many with me believe that what occurs within the gig economy are not acceptable conditions for workers. We must pay attention to this, and we must also act. That was also why I submitted this interpellation to the then Minister. It has now been fruitfully taken over by Minister Nina Larsson.
From the answer, I do not see that there is any intention to act. My question remains: Does the Minister intend to act, and does the Minister think these are reasonable conditions for workers in Sweden?
Statsrådet Nina Larsson (L)
Madam Speaker! Many of us have taken part in the stories about poor working conditions and a poor working environment in this part of the labor market. Naturally, all employees in Sweden shall have the right to the protection that follows from the labor law or occupational health and safety legal framework.
The questions of how we are to address the working conditions and the work environment within the gig economy are questions that affect several areas. It is legally complex when it comes to finding an appropriate balance between different interests. It is important to continue to safeguard companies' innovative power and competitiveness and at the same time ensure that workers in Sweden have good working conditions and a good work environment.
The technological development and innovative power that enables and offers solutions for people in general to facilitate their life puzzles in different ways is fundamentally a very positive thing. But it must be understood, which I also agree with Eva Lindh on, that it must occur in an orderly fashion. We must have order and clarity on the Swedish labor market.
As a Minister, I cannot comment on conditions in individual companies or the like. In some cases, it could involve labor-related crime and that people are being exploited and utilized in this part of the labor market. Labor-related crime distorts competition and is also system-threatening. Here, the government has taken several measures to strengthen the work against labor-related crime.
Madam Speaker! I also want to return to the question of the platform directive. It is also central here.
When we look back a few years, we can see that there were also initially challenges within the staffing industry, and these were regulated as everything was followed regarding the development in the area. Here I mean that the platform directive is an important part of moving forward. Now there is a decision within the EU. We have a directive. We have an ongoing investigation looking at how we can introduce the platform directive into Swedish law. We will have reason to return to the investigation's proposals and analysis.
Eva Lindh (S)
Madam Speaker! The working environment for those who work within the so-called gig economy is something that must be taken seriously. The example of those who have struck against the working conditions and the working environment at Wolt is one part. But there are more examples, and the poor conditions also risk spreading to more areas. The time to act is now.
Regarding the working environment, a legal dispute is currently ongoing, just as the Minister mentioned. Arbetsmiljöverket has pursued the legal dispute because there is currently no one who seems to take responsibility for the working environment that the workers who work within the gig economy in Sweden are actually exposed to.
Domen, som gav Arbetsmiljöverket rätt i att Wolt faktiskt har ett arbetsmiljöansvar, har företaget självt överklagat. Vi vet ännu inte riktigt vad som kommer att hända med detta. Men detta är situationen nu.
My opinion is that if it does not become clear that Wolt has a responsibility here – I do think that the company has a responsibility, but the legislation may not be sufficient in this case – we must take responsibility and review the legislation.
I love the Swedish model. It is fantastic. It is fantastic that we have had such a long period of cooperation between the business community, companies, and trade union organizations to improve the conditions for workers and that trade union organizations for a long time have advocated for a better working environment and better working conditions for workers in Sweden. It is incredibly important.
I am not usually the one who longs for legislation in this area, as such matters can usually be resolved by the parties in the labor market themselves. But here we have a special situation. It is not clear that one is employed, but the company only pays when one has assignments and so on. That lies in the problems of this. Therefore, society should have a greater responsibility, naturally together with the trade union organizations. They are also very engaged.
I met the Transportarbetareförbundet quite recently and spoke about this. They are also clear. Trade union organizations are driving the issue. But it is a bit tricky who should take responsibility, and then perhaps we should all take a responsibility – the politicians, trade unions and others knowledgeable in the area – and collectively review what we can do to stop these unreasonable working conditions for a fairly large number of employees in our labor market.
In several countries, legislation has also been enacted regarding this. I have understood that Finland, Norway and Spain have done so. In those cases, it does not look the same way.
I do not know if this is correct. Therefore, I appeal to the government to take responsibility. The government not only has the power and the strength but also the prerequisites to do something about this. I therefore appeal to the new cabinet to tackle this issue, to invite and review what needs to be done to stop the completely unreasonable conditions.
Statsrådet Nina Larsson (L)
Madam Speaker! I truly agree with the view that the Swedish model is here to stay. It is also a completely central part of Sweden's competitiveness and an incredibly given basis for why we have such a well-functioning labor market as we do in Sweden. I truly agree with that.
Another strength that Sweden has concerns the innovative power and the technological development. We really need to ensure that we marry the two great things, if one is to call them that.
But the basis holds. Workers in Sweden shall have good working conditions and a good working environment. Here it is important that more actors take their responsibility, just as Eva Lindh is pointing out. The Government does this with the platform directive, which I now return to. It will have a central significance for these issues. But the parties in the labor market, employers and other parties, need to take their responsibility and follow the regulations.
One of the issues that the investigation into the implementation of the platform directive shall look into is how a so-called legal presumption of correct employment status can be implemented in Swedish law. The purpose of the provision is to counter so-called false self-employed persons, which Eva Lindh also touches upon.
We need to await the investigation's analysis and see which proposals they identify in order to be able to introduce this into Swedish law. It is also an issue that touches on other areas. I am thinking of many of the very vulnerable people who are in need of this type of gig work. Here, an important measure that the government has taken is to introduce wage requirements for labor migration so that this type of job – which is seen as temporary jobs, gig jobs – cannot be used on a false basis to get to Sweden as a labor migrant.
This type of job, with the enormous technical possibilities and innovations that they actually entail, are excellent as concrete entry-level jobs. They are jobs that one can take temporarily. One can then contribute in different ways and have an occupation and an income. But it needs to take place under organized forms.
My view is that we need to follow the legal processes that are ongoing, and in the relatively near future, we will have reason to return to precisely those examples that Eva Lindh raises. And then we have the investigation on the platform directive, which will come with proposals.
Eva Lindh (S)
Madam Speaker! It is unworthy that in a country like Sweden, appalling, slave-like working conditions for people occur. We must stop this. It is not reasonable.
I welcome this debate. I think it is good that we are taking up the conversation. It is easy to get stuck in this, because one becomes upset over these conditions and the incredibly low wages. But I also want to point out that it is also a workplace environment issue that we must take very seriously.
These are questions that can be life-deciding. It is about, for example, that the vehicles they drive must be road-safe. Who has the responsibility – if there is an accident or something happens – that the vehicle is not road-safe? Who is it that has it? We must investigate and ensure that this really becomes clear.
We have for a long time had good rules for this, with the Swedish model. If you are at work, you should be protected and safe. That is not the case everywhere. We know that work-related crime and that rules are not followed have unfortunately resulted in workplace accidents and even deaths. We therefore have a lot to do.
I do not think we have taken this issue as seriously as we need to. Therefore, I welcome, for example, that Norrköpings Tidningar has produced a good report series to wake people up and to open the eyes of many more who have not seen that this is occurring.
Is there anything that the Minister might consider doing and taking initiative on to put a stop to the appalling working conditions and get the working environment in order, for everyone's safety?
Statsrådet Nina Larsson (L)
Madam Speaker! I truly share Eva Lindh's commitment to these issues. This type of misconduct does not belong on the Swedish labor market – absolutely not.
I have great hopes that the investigation regarding the platform directive will return with good proposals when it comes to moving forward in these issues. But these are also issues that concern more areas.
Just as Eva Lindh pointed out, Arbetsmiljöverket has an incredibly central and important role when it comes to supervision. It is important that the legal situation is clarified, so that it becomes clear and distinct for everyone what applies. That is also why we follow the legal developments and the ongoing processes within these areas. Who is the employer and who therefore has the responsibility for the work environment is a central issue. We will be able to return to that.
It is also incredibly important to continue working resolutely against crime in the workplace. It is an area where this government has strengthened the work on several levels. Among other things, the nine cooperating authorities have been given more and better tools in their work against workplace crime. This includes, among other things, strengthened opportunities to share information in connection with their joint inspections of workplaces. It is incredibly important work. Further removing secrecy barriers between authorities is also an important part of this government's work.
I greatly appreciate Eva Lindh's initiative on this issue. I agree that it is an important issue that we need to highlight and that we need to discuss with the labor market partners. Following the ongoing legal processes and the ongoing investigation, we have reason to return to it.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.