Online Platforms and Platform Work France Legally binding definition of online platforms Specific register of online platforms Specific regulation applicable to online platforms Online platforms are considered to be employers Under the 2016 Finance Act, and reinforced by the 2018 Law against Tax Fraud, platforms have to report the following information to tax authorities(DGFIP): identification details about the platform operator concerned, identification details about the user, the user’s status(private or professional), and the total gross amount of transactions carried out by the user during the previous calendar year. French workers have access to more than 100 online labour platforms. The share of men working for platforms tends to be significantly higher, with females accounting for 34% and males 66%. 32% of platform workers have a migrant background. Thus only 14% of couriers working in Paris area are French nationals. 34% 66% Along with transport and food-delivery platforms, such as Uber and Uber Eats, a large portion of the market is dominated by business services. In 2021, 72 freelance and microtasks platforms were in operation. Malt, a freelance platform that was founded in France in 2013 currently has over 260,000 registered freelancers. Freelance.com is another French platform that specialises in providing intellectual services to large businesses and SMEs. Currently, the platform has more than 370,000 registered freelancers.

Since 2016, platform workers have also been entitled to continuing vocational training. The contribution to this training is supposed to be paid by the platform. There is no collective agreement relating to platform work in France. Since 2017, workers’ organisations have been active in promoting the establishment of a balanced social dialogue between platforms and workers. Workers’ organisations have taken part in various initiatives started up by the public authorities: the“États Généraux des Nouvelles Régulations du Numérique” in 2018, the“Frouin” mission in 2020, and the“Mettling” mission in 2021. Well-established and emerging trade unions/workers collectives, such as CLAP, SCP-VTC or INV, offer legal and administrative advice to workers, including in court procedures involving reclassification of workers’ contracts. In 2018, the Court of Cassation presided for the first time over a case involving how to qualify the subordinate relationship between Take Eat Easy and delivery workers. In 2020, the Social Chamber of the Court of Cassation deemed the partnership contract of an Uber driver to be an employment contract. In 2022, Paris Criminal Court issued a€ 375,000 fine against Deliveroo for abusing the self-employed status of its workers. With regard to algorithmic transparency, a number of appeals have also been filed before the CNIL(National Commission on Informatics and Liberty), an independent French administrative regulatory body, notably in reference to Article 22 GDPR(automated individual decision-making). One of these appeals was filed by the Ligue des droits de l’Homme, seeking a court ruling condemning abusive disconnections of drivers. FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work – January, 2023 Background research conducted by Odile Chagny, Institut de recherches économiques et sociales Graphic Design: Galadriel GV