Online Platforms and Platform Work Lithuania Legally binding definition of online platforms Specific register of online platforms Specific regulation applicable to online platforms Online platforms are considered to be employers Although the term‘online platforms’ is used in the country’s legal documents, there is no legally binding definition of Internet/ online platforms in Lithuania. A term close to online platforms is to a certain extent regulated by Law No X-614 of the Republic of Lithuania of 25 May 2006 on Information Society Services. +140 In 2021, Lithuanians had access to more than 140 platforms. x3 The number of food delivery couriers tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania. There is an ample supply of people who would like to engage in platform work. Food delivery companies receive more applications for delivery jobs than they can provide. 21-40 Most on-location platform workers tend to be between 21 and 40 years old and work in large cities. The most popular platforms are Wolt, Bolt Food, Bolt, Uber, ZITICITY, LastMile, Barbora, and Trobos The ZITICITY platform was founded in Vilnius in 2017. The platform offers food/product delivery from different ranges of business. By the end of 2020, ZITICITY had partnered with a total of 1,500 businesses. LastMile was founded in 2019. The platform offers an e-commerce and delivery service for the retailers. By the end of 2021, LastMile had signed cooperation agreements with more than 1,100 couriers and collectors. In total, the platform has more than 200,000 registered users.

In Lithuania, discussions about the legal status and social guarantees for platform workers intensified greatly in 2020. Discussions are mainly initiated by the Courier Association(CA), which was established in October 2020 under the auspices of the trade union G1PS, which currently represents delivery couriers in Lithuania. According to the Courier Association, there are a number of fraudulent practices affecting platform workers. 1. Platforms do not always sign an employment or service contract with platform workers, which enables them to unilaterally change service rates. 2. Some platforms deliberately miscalculate the distance in the provision of food delivery services to customers. 3. Platforms do not regulate work and break time in Lithuania. To earn more money, a person can work 24/7 and may exceed the maximum limit of 60 hours per week, which means a high risk of burnout. 4. As platforms do not provide accident insurance for their workers, platform workers are not protected against work incapacity. There have been no collective agreements covering platform workers at sectoral, regional or company levels in Lithuania. There have been no legal proceedings in Lithuania relating to platform work. According to the Courier Association, three food delivery couriers were planning to lodge a complaint with a court for being illegally‘fired’ from Wolt. However, they changed their mind because a civil case would not have held out the promise of any benefits for them, and only a small fine for the Wolt platform. FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work – January, 2023 Background research conducted by Dr Inga Blaziene and Dr Rasa Mieziene, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences Graphic Design: Galadriel GV