Online Platforms and Platform Work Austria Legally binding definition of online platforms Specific register of online platforms Specific regulation applicable to online platforms Online platforms are considered to be employers Austrian law provides a“Freier Dienstvertrag” status, which is a sort of hybrid between genuinely employed and freelance work. The biggest problem with this type of status is that it is covered neither by labour law, nor by collective bargaining agreements(including collective agreements on minimum wage). 4,000 According to unofficial estimates, there are a maximum of 4,000 workers who work directly for one of the main delivery platforms in Austria. There is no reliable data for cleaning or taxi services, however. Vienna 10/h Salzburg 11/h Graz 9.50/h 4/ Riders with employment status who work for Lieferando.at earn on average € 10 per hour in Vienna, € 11 in Salzburg and€ 9.50 in Graz. Mjam riders, who are classified as independent contractors, earn€ 4 per delivery. The Austrian market is dominated by international platforms such as: Lieferando/ Just Eat, Mjam/ Delivery Hero, JokR, Uber, Bolt and Flink. Some national platforms operate only in urban areas, e.g. Vienna, Graz or Salzburg. VeloFood was founded in 2016 and operates only in Graz. The platform offers food delivery by bike with 100% biological packaging. FoodNinja was founded in Salzburg in 2018. The platform offers an on-demand food-delivery service. In 2020, the platform was acquired by Velonto – another local food –delivery platform based in Linz.

There have been several important initiatives seeking to provide information and legal advice to platform workers. In 2017, the ÖGB(Austrian Trade Union Federation), IG Metall(Germany), the Vienna Chamber of Labour(AK Wien), Unionen There have been no court cases concer ning the employment status of platform workers in Austria. Lieferando.at(Just Eat) has one ongoing court case pending since 2019 challenging the founding of a works council in Vienna. According to Lieferando, the company has no legal entity of its own in Austria. All major decisions are made either in Germany or the Netherlands, while the app´s servers are based in Ireland. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the court proceedings have been postponed several times already. The works council itself is active, but still faces the challenge before the court. (Sweden) in cooperation with Encountering Tech and M&L Communication Marketing launched an initiative called CrowdWork. Their website provides information on existing platforms and their working conditions. A rating has been performed evaluating payment, fairness, transparency and other factors based on information collected and collated with the help of platform workers. The Austrian trade union GPA(trade union for private sector employees) offers membership to platform workers along with advice, consulting, information and legal support. The Austrian Chamber of Labour(Arbeiterkammer) offers consulting and legal support for platform workers, regardless of their employment status. Since 2020, bike workers (who have employment contracts) have been covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The agreement stipulates the minimum wage, maximum working hours, compensation for the use of workers’ own bikes and phones, holiday and Christmas bonuses, period of notice for termination and surcharges for night work and on Sundays. FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work – January, 2023 Background research conducted by Robert Walasinski, international. Department Austrian Trade Union Federation(ÖGB) Graphic Design: Galadriel GV