Online Platforms and Platform Work Turkey Legally binding definition of online platforms Specific register of online platforms Specific regulation applicable to online platforms Online platforms are considered to be employers Online platforms are defined in a regulation governing e-commerce(Law No. 6563, enacted in 2014). According to this regulation, an“electronic commerce environment” means platforms such as websites or mobile applications where e-commerce activities are carried out and an“electronic commerce service provider” contracts or receives orders for the supply of goods or services in the e-commerce marketplace or in its own electronic commerce environment. 1,000,000 Although there is no reliable data on the number of platform workers in Turkey, the number of delivery workers is estimated to be about 1 million. Yemeksepeti(Delivery Hero) is the first and largest online food ordering site in Turkey; it was founded in 2001. It was acquired by Delivery Hero in 2015. The platform is used by 60,000 restaurants in Turkey and Cyprus and has more than 20 million registered users. 13-14h/day The wage levels of moto-couriers is estimated at slightly above minimum wage with a 13-14 hour shift typically being worked each day. Uber entered the Turkish market in 2014. However, taxi drivers in Turkey sued UBER on the grounds that it was engaging in unfair competition. In 2020, the court lifted the blocked measure. The platform is active in some big cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Diyarbakı, Bursa, and Adana.

The effects of digitalisation on the labour market have been discussed extensively in the public arena. Labour unions in particular have been critical about working conditions for platform workers in Turkey. Several studies have been conducted by the trade unions Nakliyat-İş, Sosyal-İş, TÜMTİS and Tez-Koop-İş highlighting the interests of platform workers. One lawsuit was filed by the Tourism, Entertainment and Service Workers Union (TEHİS) in 2022 regarding clarification of employment status against a platform company owned by Delivery Hero in Turkey. The Union of Tourism, Entertainment and Service Workers(TEHİS) and the Motor Courier Workers’ Union(Moto-Courier-Sen) have been established in recent years. Both unions are directly focusing on the working conditions of moto-couriers. The TÜMTİS, Nakliyat-İş and TEHİS unions have carried out different organising activities for platform workers in Istanbul and Izmir. In addition, various initiatives such as We Are at the Neck of the Bosses(Patronların Ensesindeyiz) have been active on social media informing people about working conditions of moto-couriers and efforts to achieve recognition of their union rights. FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work – January, 2023 Background research conducted by Emirali Karadoğan, Tez-Koop-İs Union Graphic Design: Galadriel GV