Online Platforms and Platform Work Latvia Legally binding definition of online platforms Specific register of online platforms Specific regulation applicable to online platforms Online platforms are considered to be employers Platforms are considered to be a kind of collaborative economy regulated by two different types of legislation. The first category of platforms surrounds the transportation network for commercial use and is regulated by amendments to the Law on Carriage by Road. The second type relates to online service platforms and is regulated in amendments to the Law on Information Society Services. 3,000 The Conceptual Report by the Cabinet of Ministers identified 11 active platforms in 2016, operating in the transport, accommodation and financial sectors. These platforms provided over 3000 jobs, accounting for 0.33% of total employment. The current figure is expected to be higher. According to ETUI research, Latvia is among those countries where platform workers tend to earn well below the national or sectoral minimum wage. The Latvian market is predominantly shared by international platforms operating in the food-delivery and transport sectors, e.g. City Bee, Bolt, Bolt Food and Wolt. In the recent years, some national platforms have emerged. Carguru was founded in 2016. The platform provides a car-sharing service. Fiqsy is another car-sharing service, specialising in eco-friendly solutions. In 2020, the company bought 100 electric cars.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, discussions on platform work as a new type of employment have been ongoing at the public authority level and characterised by a strong inclination to promote digitalisation in Latvia. Two strategic documents were adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2021: Guidelines for the Digital Transformation of Latvia and Latvia’s recovery and the Resilience Mechanism Plan, in which digitalisation is one of the main aims. Employment aspects of platform work and ethical issues relating to the use of algorithmic management by platform companies have not received much attention, however, either from the government or the general public. The Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia(LBAS) has been supporting the notion that work via online platforms should be recognised as an employment relationship and platforms as employers with all the commitments and obligations related to this status. In 2020, as a result of the Covid19 pandemic, LBAS published a call for the protection of workers in atypical form of employment, such as platform work, zero hours’ work, occasional work and portfolio work. There are currently no trade union initiatives to institute collective bargaining on behalf of platform workers. Nor does there appear to be any major demand for support from trade unions on the part of informal groups. Latvia has not seen any specific court cases or alleged misclassifications of the employment status for platform workers yet. FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work – January, 2023 Background research conducted by Dr Raita Karnīte, Economic Prognosis Centre Graphic Design: Galadriel GV