Spain: the ‘riders’ law’, new regulation on digital platform work

The employment status of digital platform workers is often ambiguous. As such, their rights regarding occupational safety and health, working hours and compensation are not clearly established under existing laws. This is further worsened by algorithmic management of platform workers that influences their working conditions and work allocation. 

This case study highlights an initiative in Spain to regulate rights of platform workers by introducing the so-called Riders’ Law through provisions to the Workers’ Statute. These provisions address key issues such as dependent employment status for platform workers in the delivery sector and the need for algorithmic transparency of all digital platforms.

The case study concludes by outlining the strong points and shortcomings of this initiative.