Most people who provide services on digital platforms in Brazil face unfair working conditions and lack of social protection. The conclusion is from the 2023 Fairwork Brasil report, released this Tuesday (25), which evaluated and ranked working conditions on ten digital platforms. “The main results of the survey show that there are much more continuities and permanencies than changes in the platform economy in Brazil. On the one hand, [a pesquisa] shows, firstly, a local platform born two years ago. On the other hand, it shows that there is a lot to be done in terms of decent work in the platform economy in Brazil”, said Rafael Grohmann, professor of critical platform studies at the University of Toronto and one of the research coordinators in Brazil. The classifications are based on five principles that digital work platforms have to guarantee in order to be considered as offering basic minimum standards of fairness: remuneration, conditions, contract, management and representation. The ten companies evaluated in Brazil were 99, Americanas Entrega Flash, AppJusto, GetNinjas, iFood, Lalamove, Loggi, Parafuzo, Rappi and Uber. The scores assigned to the platforms cover the period from July 2022 to July 2023. The lower the score, the further the company is from complying with the evaluated principles. Most platforms did not score on any principle. Only three of the ten platforms scored at least 1 point – AppJusto, iFood and Parafuzo. AppJusto leads the table with 3 points, followed by iFood, with 2 points and by Parafuzo, with 1 point. The remaining companies zeroed in the score. According to the report, the low score of companies demonstrates that many changes still need to be made. For Rafael Grohmann, public policies and the context of regulation in the platform’s work must take into account the five principles of decent work. “We are still in the process of accelerating this ‘platformization’ of work in the Brazilian scenario. In terms of solutions, it is necessary to regulate work for platforms that are strong and that have the principles of decent work as a basis, and not just focus on one or another aspect, as well as building alternatives for existing platforms. Community, local, cooperative alternatives,” he said. Grohmann cited an example evaluated by Fairwork in Ecuador, a cooperative domestic work platform that scored 8 out of 10. “[Isso] shows how other platform models are also possible”, he said. Scores No company scored on fair working conditions, which means there was not enough evidence that the ten platforms comply with this principle. “Although some changes are underway across platforms, they have not been able to effectively demonstrate the provision of adequate equipment and training to protect the health and safety of all workers,” the report says. Furthermore, the conclusion is that there was no clear evidence that platforms design processes considering occupational health and safety. Another criterion on which no company scored was fair representation, as there was no evidence that the platforms ensure freedom of association and the expression of the worker’s voice. There was also no evidence that the platforms actually support democratic governance, as per the report. Only two platforms – AppJusto and Parafuzo – achieved a point in the fair remuneration category, which means that they guarantee that all workers earn at least the minimum wage, which is BRL 6 per hour, and that all payments are made on time and in full. The other evaluated companies scored zero in this regard, that is, they do not offer fair remuneration to workers. If the ideal minimum wage of R$ 30.22 per hour is considered, according to the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (Dieese), the survey reveals that the ten platforms do not reach the value. On the issue of fair contracts, the AppJusto and iFood platforms achieved 1 point each, based on evidence that they have clear, transparent and accessible terms and conditions. However, there was no evidence that the 10 platforms manage to ensure that no unfair terms were included in the contracts. For the fair management principle, the AppJusto and iFood platforms scored 1 point each, with evidence that there is an effective system in place for due process of decisions affecting workers, implying that there is a documented process for workers to significantly appeal low scores, penalties and other disciplinary actions. However, the research did not find evidence that the 10 platforms provide equality in the management process. The Fairwork project is coordinated by the Oxford Internet Institute and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. The network of researchers currently evaluates platforms in 38 countries on 5 continents.
Agência Brasil
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