Bill seeks to regulate messenger service employment model

By Investor Empires On Nov 11, 2024

Today, a special member was presented before the Knesset aimed at regulating the situation of employees of digital platforms. This will cover thousands of delivery workers in Wolt, and some delivery workers in Mashloha, Hutt, Yangu and Tin Piece.

The bill is separately sponsored by Knesset members Vladimir Bilyak (Yesh Atid), Dan Illouz, and Moshe Basal (Likud).

Under the proposal, the contract between the worker and the company that provides a service platform will not constitute a relationship between the employer and the employee, as long as the worker is not obligated to provide the service at certain times or within a certain scope, is allowed to work with other companies, and is not obligated to provide the service as a condition for continuing dealings with the company. .

Backend is a model whereby companies engage reporters as freelancers, offering a great deal of flexibility. A class action lawsuit was filed by a Wolt reporter, claiming that his business relationship with the company should be recognized and heard. Volt appealed the ruling, and the National Labor Court referred the parties to mediation proceedings, which are still ongoing.

Last week, a representative of the Attorney General’s Office informed the court of the work of an inter-ministerial team set up by the Ministry of Labor to examine the employment model. He stated that the team lacks data on the volume of employment through digital platforms in Israel, and that it will be assigned to study the matter.

safety net

The new proposal seeks to preserve the advantages of the business model, but provide a safety net. For example, it stipulates that the legal minimum wage be paid, that the worker not work more than twelve hours a day, that a hearing be held before the engagement is terminated, and that there is protection from sexual harassment and discrimination.

The preamble of the draft law stated that the current law relating to self-employed workers and salary earners does not provide an appropriate framework for the new reality that has become. “The rapid rise of the platform economy in recent years demonstrates that the traditional distinction between salaried employee and independent contractor, developed primarily by employment tribunals, and examined in each case according to the circumstances, does not provide an appropriate response for those who work in the platform economy and for companies that… You manage the platform.

“Therefore, the current legal situation would lead to a wrong classification, which would first and foremost harm the desire of independent activists for a decent living, their flexibility and self-management. Besides, the ability of the platform operator to mediate effectively and efficiently between the consumer and the worker, with all the advantages “What this activity brings to the economy will also be affected.”

Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on November 11, 2024.