Contracts, compensation, accidents, maternity, sickness. There are many new things coming for riders with the Save Business Decree, on which the Senate Chamber gave the green light to trust on Wednesday (168 votes in favor and 110 against). Now the text passes to the Chamber, where it will almost certainly be armored again with trust, also because the last day to convert the decree is November 3rd.
Thus a journey that began in the yellow-green era is completed under the sign of the Giallorossi government. When Luigi Di Maio was appointed Minister of Labor in the Conte 1 executive, in fact, he immediately wanted to meet a representation of the riders, a professional category that has become a symbol of underpaid and unprotected work. Since then, the negotiations have continued in fits and starts amid protests from digital platforms specializing in home deliveries (Foodora, Just Eat, Deliveroo, but not only) and the perplexities of the trade unions.
Now the new rules are finally on the launch pad, but the departure will be deferred: three months for protection and a year for compensation.
Let's see in detail all the news.
RIDERS BECOME EMPLOYEES
The text approved in the Senate amends the Jobs Act by including work services "organized through platforms, including digital ones" among subordinate employment relationships. The riders therefore become employees, unless they have an occasional collaboration relationship (up to 5 euros a year).
FEES: TOWARDS THE ABOLITION OF PIECE PAYMENT
Piecework remains a feasible path only for occasional workers: for all the others it is abolished. The parties will therefore have to negotiate a sectoral contract. If they don't, 12 months after the entry into force of the law some "parachute rules" will be triggered. For example, there is a minimum hourly wage linked to the minimums of the contracts in force (that of logistics, presumably), as well as some allowances equal to at least 10% of the basic wage for night work, public holidays and in "unfavorable weather conditions" .
INJURY, ILLNESS AND MATERNITY
The new version of the decree improves the protections for those enrolled in the separate management in matters of sickness (doubles the hospital stay allowance) and maternity (paid leave if the worker has paid at least one month of contributions to the separate management in the previous 12 months upon request). Furthermore, the employer is obliged to take out insurance against accidents at work according to the Inail criteria. These rules will take effect from the 90th day after the entry into force of the law.
MANDATORY WRITTEN AGREEMENT
Each rider will be entitled to a written contract. If the employer denies it to him, the rider will be able to ask for compensation. The amount of compensation must not exceed the amount of "fees received in the last year" and will be calculated on the basis of the seriousness and "duration of the violations".
STOP DISCRIMINATION
Riders will also be protected by the anti-discrimination sanctions envisaged for all other workers. Furthermore, the text prohibits platforms from "reducing job opportunities" due to "non-acceptance of the service". It means that the distribution of work can no longer be entrusted to a productivity algorithm, a tool that entrusts more deliveries to riders who accept more assignments, cutting out the others.
THE OTHER RULES CONTAINED IN THE SALVA IMPRESE DECREE
During the examination in the Industry and Labor commissions, the amendment of the 5 Star Movement was approved which cancels the shield for Arcelor Mittal Italia (ex-Ilva) managers. The Save Business Decree then contains the rule on theend of waste (the unblocking of waste recycling and recovery activities), measures for the precarious workers of Anpal and the extension of the rankings in the Pa.
