Digital platform work must be regulated Panayiotou said after Employment Council

Ministers responsible for employment issues have agreed to promote the regulation of work carried out through digital platforms, by agreeing on the EU Council position ahead of negotiations with the European Parliament.

The agreement was made during the Employment and Social Policy Council of the EU which was held in Luxembourg on 12 June, and during which Cyprus' Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou stressed the need to tackle the misuse of self-employment.

After the meeting, Panayiotou said that EU Labour Ministers are actively supporting "better regulation of industrial relations, strengthening social dialogue, promoting equality and consolidating the social dimension of EU policies."

"Today we decided that work on digital platforms must be regulated and that the abuse of self-employment as a form of work must be tackled," Panayiotou noted.

"I also briefed my colleagues on the progress on labour issues in our country, particularly in relation to teleworking, for which a bill has been forwarded to the House of Representatives," he added.

According to Labour Ministry press release, the Council of the EU decided to adopt its negotiating position on a proposal for a Directive on better regulation of work on digital platforms, discussed the upgrading of the social dimension with concrete ways of monitoring, agreed on strengthening structures and policies that promote equality, and adopted a recommendation to Member States to upgrade the social dialogue.  

During a discussion on the Council's position on the proposal for a Directive on working conditions on digital platforms, Panayiotou stressed the need for immediate regulation of work in this environment, in order to combat the phenomenon of false self-employment and to ensure labour rights, as well as the safety and health of those employed through digital platforms.

In an intervention during the discussion on the EU’s policy priorities, the Labour Minister highlighted the importance of developing the right skills to ensure sustainable employment for the workforce, promoting policies and actions to improve work-life balance with a focus on teleworking, and ensuring decent wages, both through minimum wage protection and automatic indexation.

During a working lunch on mental health at work and future challenges, Panayiotou said that one of the causes of mental health strain for workers is their constant connection to personal electronic devices, especially in the context of teleworking. He added that the Council of Ministers in Cyprus recently forwarded a bill which regulates teleworking, with a specific provision to the right to disconnect.

(Source: CNA)