Will greater labour power lead to a fairer gig economy?
15,000 Uber drivers striked across Australia last week demanding the company pay all drivers minimum wages. The gig economy has had a meteoric rise and has changed the nature of employment and how consumers access services.
But it seems working conditions and in particular minimum pay is a major issue that is affecting many workers who operate in the gig economy with companies such as Uber being able to get away with paying the minimum wage. New York City became the first city last week to legislate changes to minimum wages for ride share drivers and it is this sort of change that has been needed.
So is Australia likely to see a similar legislative change and can greater collective action from workers in the gig economy lead to a gig economy that works for everyone?