Online Platforms and Platform Work Bulgaria Legally binding definition of online platforms Specific register of online platforms Specific regulation applicable to online platforms Online platforms are considered to be employers Some forms of atypical employment such as domestic work, teleworking and temporary work(Article 107) are regulated in the Labour Code. Workers in atypical employment have the same labour and trade union rights as other workers. However, this does not apply to platform workers, who are not covered by Bulgarian labour law. According to the ETUI Internet and Platform Work Survey conducted in 2018-2019: 1.5% The Bulgarian market is dominated by international platforms, although national companies are represented in various sectors, including food delivery, taxi, cleaning and housekeeping, auto services, IT services and healthcare. only a small group of people rely on platform work for their basic income; 1.5% of respondents in Bulgaria performed platform work on at least a monthly basis; Internet and platform workers were more likely to work on temporary contracts or without any formal contract. BGMENU.com(БГменю) was founded in Sofia. BGMENU.com was acquired by Just Eat Takeaway for€ 10.5 million in 2018. The Glovo platform in Bulgaria started to function in 2021 after the acquisition of the online platform Foodpanda. Domestina(ДОМЕСТИНА) is a national online platform for ordering cleaning services. Domestina was founded in 2013. In 2018, the platformed declared a net income of BGN 270,000(€ 138,000).

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB) has been critical of working conditions for platform workers and has proposed some amendments to the Labour Code laying down the rights and obligations of digital workers in particular and work via digital platforms in general. Platform work is not an issue in political debates or discussed in the public discourse in Bulgaria. Some evidence of platform worker resistance can be found online, however. On the BG Rabotodatel website, for example, workers anonymously share information regarding working conditions and their salaries. In 2015, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that shut down the Uber platform in Bulgaria. Provoked by strong opposition on the part of taxi drivers, in February 2015 the National Revenue Agency, the Ministry of the Interior, the Automobile Administration Agency and the Ministry of Transport started an investigation into Uber’s activities in Bulgaria. The debate over Uber’s activities in Bulgaria also triggered changes in the law. Amendments to the Road Transport Act revoking the possibility for drivers to perform taxi services on behalf of registered carriers for their own account were adopted in 2016. Drivers who want to continue working on their own account must register as carriers under the Road Transport Act and the Taxi Passenger Transport Ordinance. Thus, the new legislation required all taxi drivers to have labour contracts. FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work – January, 2023 Background research conducted by Atanaska Todorova, Institute for Socials and Trade Unions Researches Graphic Design: Galadriel GV