#gigworkers — Public Fediverse posts

#China formalises labour rules for #gigworkers on #online #platforms
"1st comprehensive #policy framework for new employment gps, incl'g #delivery riders & livestreamers, signall'g a shift fr ad-hoc #regulation to normalisat'n of platform econ.. guidance calls for #standardised #contracts, fair pay & stronger labour protections.. Platforms must increase #transparency, consult worker reps, submit #algorithms for review & tighten regulatory scrutiny over core op'g models"👍
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/china-formalizes-labor-rules-for-gig-workers-on-online-platforms

Delivery robots as evocative objects

I came across these delivery robots on Sunday morning, clustered in the corner of a park. One had been covered in graffiti, two had their flags snapped and a third one was covered in some strange green slime. It looked like Saturday night had been tough.

I find it hard not to anthropomorphise these robots. I heard the way they crossed the road described as ‘scrabbling’ yesterday and it’s the perfect adjective for how they appear to look left and right, before accelerating out into the traffic. People interact with them, talk about them, respond to them. In many ways the vandalism is the flip side of the anthromorphism. They are evocative objects in Sherry Turkle’s sense of provoking responses in the humans who encounter them. You might find them cute, you might have the impulse to cover them in graffiti, you might want to help them cross the road, you might want to block their path to see if they do.

The key thing is that they are evoking a response from you. If their design enables them to do that reliably then they are likely to be normalised, even if the economic model might not currently work in its current form. The real significance of them is how they become evocative features of the urban landscape and what that means for the political economy of the city.

It occurs to me that if we are projecting into these robots, which we clearly are because they obviously do not feel anything, it raises the question of what we are projecting. My hypothesis is that when I saw them on my run this morning, feeling sad about the vandalism and exhibiting a spatial sense of having retreated into a corner of the park, I was doing something with my own insufficiently acknowledged guilt about the gig economy. I’ve stopped using delivery platforms but I still end up taking Ubers regularly, even if I’m slowly tipping the balance to black caps.

When I feel vaguely sympathetic for these robots (while recognising how absurd that reaction is) am I expressing in an alienated form my own desire to demonstrate solidarity with gig workers, which is being subordinated to my own convenience in a way that provokes guilt in me?

I wanted to add that I think vandalism against delivery robots can be a political act. There are clear examples of this in vandalism against robo-taxis for example. I’m just not sure this particular vandalism can plausibly be read in those terms, though perhaps I’m wrong.

Delivery robots as evocative objects

I came across these delivery robots on Sunday morning, clustered in the corner of a park. One had been covered in graffiti, two had their flags snapped and a third one was covered in some strange green slime. It looked like Saturday night had been tough.

I find it hard not to anthropomorphise these robots. I heard the way they crossed the road described as ‘scrabbling’ yesterday and it’s the perfect adjective for how they appear to look left and right, before accelerating out into the traffic. People interact with them, talk about them, respond to them. In many ways the vandalism is the flip side of the anthromorphism. They are evocative objects in Sherry Turkle’s sense of provoking responses in the humans who encounter them. You might find them cute, you might have the impulse to cover them in graffiti, you might want to help them cross the road, you might want to block their path to see if they do.

The key thing is that they are evoking a response from you. If their design enables them to do that reliably then they are likely to be normalised, even if the economic model might not currently work in its current form. The real significance of them is how they become evocative features of the urban landscape and what that means for the political economy of the city.

It occurs to me that if we are projecting into these robots, which we clearly are because they obviously do not feel anything, it raises the question of what we are projecting. My hypothesis is that when I saw them on my run this morning, feeling sad about the vandalism and exhibiting a spatial sense of having retreated into a corner of the park, I was doing something with my own insufficiently acknowledged guilt about the gig economy. I’ve stopped using delivery platforms but I still end up taking Ubers regularly, even if I’m slowly tipping the balance to black caps.

When I feel vaguely sympathetic for these robots (while recognising how absurd that reaction is) am I expressing in an alienated form my own desire to demonstrate solidarity with gig workers, which is being subordinated to my own convenience in a way that provokes guilt in me?

I wanted to add that I think vandalism against delivery robots can be a political act. There are clear examples of this in vandalism against robo-taxis for example. I’m just not sure this particular vandalism can plausibly be read in those terms, though perhaps I’m wrong.

Delivery robots as evocative objects

I came across these delivery robots on Sunday morning, clustered in the corner of a park. One had been covered in graffiti, two had their flags snapped and a third one was covered in some strange green slime. It looked like Saturday night had been tough.

I find it hard not to anthropomorphise these robots. I heard the way they crossed the road described as ‘scrabbling’ yesterday and it’s the perfect adjective for how they appear to look left and right, before accelerating out into the traffic. People interact with them, talk about them, respond to them. In many ways the vandalism is the flip side of the anthromorphism. They are evocative objects in Sherry Turkle’s sense of provoking responses in the humans who encounter them. You might find them cute, you might have the impulse to cover them in graffiti, you might want to help them cross the road, you might want to block their path to see if they do.

The key thing is that they are evoking a response from you. If their design enables them to do that reliably then they are likely to be normalised, even if the economic model might not currently work in its current form. The real significance of them is how they become evocative features of the urban landscape and what that means for the political economy of the city.

It occurs to me that if we are projecting into these robots, which we clearly are because they obviously do not feel anything, it raises the question of what we are projecting. My hypothesis is that when I saw them on my run this morning, feeling sad about the vandalism and exhibiting a spatial sense of having retreated into a corner of the park, I was doing something with my own insufficiently acknowledged guilt about the gig economy. I’ve stopped using delivery platforms but I still end up taking Ubers regularly, even if I’m slowly tipping the balance to black caps.

When I feel vaguely sympathetic for these robots (while recognising how absurd that reaction is) am I expressing in an alienated form my own desire to demonstrate solidarity with gig workers, which is being subordinated to my own convenience in a way that provokes guilt in me?

I wanted to add that I think vandalism against delivery robots can be a political act. There are clear examples of this in vandalism against robo-taxis for example. I’m just not sure this particular vandalism can plausibly be read in those terms, though perhaps I’m wrong.

Delivery robots as evocative objects

I came across these delivery robots on Sunday morning, clustered in the corner of a park. One had been covered in graffiti, two had their flags snapped and a third one was covered in some strange green slime. It looked like Saturday night had been tough.

I find it hard not to anthropomorphise these robots. I heard the way they crossed the road described as ‘scrabbling’ yesterday and it’s the perfect adjective for how they appear to look left and right, before accelerating out into the traffic. People interact with them, talk about them, respond to them. In many ways the vandalism is the flip side of the anthromorphism. They are evocative objects in Sherry Turkle’s sense of provoking responses in the humans who encounter them. You might find them cute, you might have the impulse to cover them in graffiti, you might want to help them cross the road, you might want to block their path to see if they do.

The key thing is that they are evoking a response from you. If their design enables them to do that reliably then they are likely to be normalised, even if the economic model might not currently work in its current form. The real significance of them is how they become evocative features of the urban landscape and what that means for the political economy of the city.

It occurs to me that if we are projecting into these robots, which we clearly are because they obviously do not feel anything, it raises the question of what we are projecting. My hypothesis is that when I saw them on my run this morning, feeling sad about the vandalism and exhibiting a spatial sense of having retreated into a corner of the park, I was doing something with my own insufficiently acknowledged guilt about the gig economy. I’ve stopped using delivery platforms but I still end up taking Ubers regularly, even if I’m slowly tipping the balance to black caps.

When I feel vaguely sympathetic for these robots (while recognising how absurd that reaction is) am I expressing in an alienated form my own desire to demonstrate solidarity with gig workers, which is being subordinated to my own convenience in a way that provokes guilt in me?

I wanted to add that I think vandalism against delivery robots can be a political act. There are clear examples of this in vandalism against robo-taxis for example. I’m just not sure this particular vandalism can plausibly be read in those terms, though perhaps I’m wrong.

Blinkit has removed its 10-minute delivery claim after Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya intervened over delivery partner safety. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/blinkit-removes-10-minute-delivery-claim-after-mandaviyas-intervention-hymr0w0q?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Blinkit #DeliveryPartnerSafety #GigWorkers

Strike for social security benefits, assured wages, and comprehensive labour protections for platform workers.
Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT)
Gig and Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU)
Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU)

https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/over-two-lakh-gig-workers-log-off-nationwide-in-new-years-eve-strike

#gigworkers #India #LabourMovement #Organize #Solidarity #Strike #Unions #WorkingPoor

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-25/minimum-wage-for-gig-workers-in-historic-deal-uber-eats-doordash/106048976

#deliveryworkers #DoorDash #gigworkers #labourmovement #minimumwage #organize #transportworkers #unions #TWU #UberEats

Protection for gig workers would be awesome. Gig workers get abused so hard in this terrible job market. Mamdani has to take her idea for NYC.
https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/cityforworkingfamilies

#gigworkers
#workerrights
#contractwork
#katiewilson
#zohranfornyc
#workerprotections

Protection for gig workers would be awesome. Gig workers get abused so hard in this terrible job market. Mamdani has to take her idea for NYC.
https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/cityforworkingfamilies

#gigworkers
#workerrights
#contractwork
#katiewilson
#zohranfornyc
#workerprotections

Protection for gig workers would be awesome. Gig workers get abused so hard in this terrible job market. Mamdani has to take her idea for NYC.
https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/cityforworkingfamilies

#gigworkers
#workerrights
#contractwork
#katiewilson
#zohranfornyc
#workerprotections

Protection for gig workers would be awesome. Gig workers get abused so hard in this terrible job market. Mamdani has to take her idea for NYC.
https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/cityforworkingfamilies

#gigworkers
#workerrights
#contractwork
#katiewilson
#zohranfornyc
#workerprotections

Protection for gig workers would be awesome. Gig workers get abused so hard in this terrible job market. Mamdani has to take her idea for NYC.
https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/cityforworkingfamilies

#gigworkers
#workerrights
#contractwork
#katiewilson
#zohranfornyc
#workerprotections

Protection for gig workers would be awesome. Gig workers get abused so hard in this terrible job market. Mamdani has to take her idea for NYC.
https://www.wilsonforseattle.com/cityforworkingfamilies

#gigworkers
#workerrights
#contractwork
#katiewilson
#zohranfornyc
#workerprotections

"Gig workers in the EU scored a landmark victory against delivery apps.

Platforms like Uber and Deliveroo have relied on exploitative practices like classifying their drivers as independent contractors and paying workers below minimum wage.

Now, thanks to years of relentless organizing and legal battles, 30 million workers will be protected under the world’s first comprehensive gig worker protection law." From perfectunion y elisejoshi IG

#unionstrong #unions #gigworkers
#Uber #uberwachung #lyft #doordash
#exploitation #turbocapitalista
#turbocapitalist #NeoLiberalismus
#deliveroo #neocolonialism

Read the complete analysis by Veda Singh,an Advocate and member of Digital Defenders Network.

https://ddn.sflc.in/blog/ai-and-the-future-of-gig-work-disruption-transformation-and-the-ethics-of-innovation-2/

Digital Defenders Network Applications are now open!

Apply Now: https://form.sflc.in/sflc-in-ddn/

Deadline: July 31st, 2025

#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #gigwork

Towards Ethical AI & Worker Empowerment in Gig Work

Ethical, worker-centric AI platforms such as Namma Yatri (Bangalore) uses commission-free, open protocols disrupting dominant platforms.
#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #Gigworkers

Legal Gaps & Emerging Regulatory Landscape

India’s “Code on Social Security 2020” recognizes gig workers but lacks AI governance or algorithmic fairness provisions.
#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #Gigwork

Data as Discipline: Surveillance & Rights Erosion

The invasive proliferation of smartphones and low-cost internet harvests extensive personal data, including GPS, biometrics, app and internet usage, often without informed consent.
#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #gigwork

Algorithmic Control in Gig Work: Freedom or Digital Exploitation?

Increased automation results in invisible replacement of low-income, semi-skilled human managers, dictating when, where, and how workers get jobs.
#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #gigwork

Gig economy growth is exponential, especially in India, with platforms such as Ola, Swiggy, Zomato, and Dunzo.

#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #gigwork #Ola #Uber #Zomato

AI is transforming gig work, creating opportunities, while also deepening concerns around labour rights, privacy, and algorithmic control.

Read the complete analysis on how AI is changing the landscape of gig work, written by Veda Singh, an Advocate and member of the Digital Defenders Network.

https://ddn.sflc.in/blog/ai-and-the-future-of-gig-work-disruption-transformation-and-the-ethics-of-innovation-2/

Digital Defenders Network Applications are now open!

Apply Now: https://form.sflc.in/sflc-in-ddn/

Deadline: July 31st, 2025

#AI #Gigworkers #sflc #Ola #Uber #Zomato #application

Yale Insights: A Simple Thumbs Up or Down Eliminates Racial Bias in Online Ratings‌‌. “In a study of an online gig-economy platform, Yale SOM’s Tristan Botelho and his co-authors found that the ubiquitous five-star rating system could subtly propagate discrimination. But they also found a surprisingly simple fix: switching to a two-point scale (thumbs up or thumbs down) eliminated […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/02/22/yale-insights-a-simple-thumbs-up-or-down-eliminates-racial-bias-in-online-ratings/

"On Facebook and Reddit, workers compared notes. Previously, they’d known what to expect from their pay because Shipt had a formula: It gave workers a base pay of $5 per delivery plus 7.5 percent of the total amount of the customer’s order through the app. That formula allowed workers to look at order amounts and choose jobs that were worth their time. But Shipt had changed the payment rules without alerting workers. When the company finally issued a press release about the change, it revealed only that the new pay algorithm paid workers based on “effort,” which included factors like the order amount, the estimated amount of time required for shopping, and the mileage driven.

The company claimed this new approach was fairer to workers and that it better matched the pay to the labor required for an order. Many workers, however, just saw their paychecks dwindling. And since Shipt didn’t release detailed information about the algorithm, it was essentially a black box that the workers couldn’t see inside.

The workers could have quietly accepted their fate, or sought employment elsewhere. Instead, they banded together, gathering data and forming partnerships with researchers and organizations to help them make sense of their pay data. I’m a data scientist; I was drawn into the campaign in the summer of 2020, and I proceeded to build an SMS-based tool—the Shopper Transparency Calculator—to collect and analyze the data. With the help of that tool, the organized workers and their supporters essentially audited the algorithm and found that it had given 40 percent of workers substantial pay cuts. The workers showed that it’s possible to fight back against the opaque authority of algorithms, creating transparency despite a corporation’s wishes."

https://spectrum.ieee.org/shipt

#GigWorkers #Shipt #USA #Algorithms #BlackBoxes

Same-day delivery service Shipt to pause Seattle operations, blaming recently passed labor laws - (Shipt Photo)

Citing new ordinances recently passed in Seattle that aim to hel... - https://www.geekwire.com/2023/same-day-delivery-service-shipt-to-pause-seattle-operations-blaming-recently-passed-labor-laws/ #cityofseattle #gigworkers #target #civic #shipt

Uber warns of 85 per cent price rise under Labor's gig economy laws
https://www.9news.com.au/national/uber-warns-of-85pc-price-rise-under-labors-gig-economy-laws/a82056ee-3041-40ef-b21c-8e44c629c7d5

This article has a strange spin. Seems it's trying to scare customers and imply Labor is to blame for threatened price-hikes, but all I'm seeing is an admission from Uber that the company is ripping-off its gig-workers to the tune of FOUR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

Uber doesn't pay its workers minimum wage, casual award rates, or penalty rates for public, holidays, weekends and night, and it's a massive problem that they're stealing superannuation from workers.

Uber is running an unsustainable business model, and has lost money practically every financial quarter for all of its existence. Uber has been finding it more difficult to get more rounds of funding, so it will need to increase its prices or go broke before long. In the meantime, Uber needs to pay its workers.

#PayYourWorkers #Uber #UberEats #GigEconomy #GigWorkers #AusPol

Instacart shopper activist group asks customers to delete the app until demands for better conditions are met - Yesterday, the Gig Workers Collective — representing a body of about 13,000 Instac... - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/j61QvB6KUjA/ #apoorvamehta #telemedicine #gigworkers #healthcare #fidjisimo #instacart #activism #economy #labor #apps #food #ceo #gig #vp

Catch takes hold of $12M to provide benefits that aren’t tied to employers - Catch is working to make sure that every gig worker has the health and retirement ... - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/dTpH9flxKE8/ #urbaninnovationfund #employeebenefits #andrewambrosino #healthinsurance #kindredventures #kristenanderson #khoslaventures #recentfunding #nycapartners #gigeconomy #gigworkers #ecommerce #crosslink #startups #doordash #funding #health #labor #tc