Not surprisingly under such conditions, digital platforms have gradually become the primary employers for motorbike food delivery riders and couriers in the industry. Nevertheless, platforms have not addressed the entrenched macho and informal work regulations in postal and courier services, and especially in fast-food stores, delivery restaurants, and grill houses. In other words, despite the disrupting effect on employment, digital platforms have not significantly impacted the working conditions across the industry. This happens for the simple reason that emphatically mentioned an interviewed delivery worker with more than 20 years of experience: “Platforms have not changed how small restaurants operate”.
In other words, digital platforms broke their initial promises as soon as they established a strong foothold in the market. Nevertheless, it should be noted that such broken promises and management control of the labour process by the platforms were made possible with policy incapacity and specific regulations taken by the government in 2021. As one participant in the interview highlighted: “The mobilization in the e-food sector began in September, but legislation under Article 69, initiated in July, laid the groundwork for freelancing. This legislative move was influenced by lobbying effortsfrom Delivery Hero”.
In a similar vein, a participant made the following critical comment on digital platforms: “They manipulated the entire delivery market, and the Competition Commission didn’t create any obstaclesfor them. We only have two digital platforms, creating a cartel-like environment and manipulating not just the ready-to-eatfood market but also retail trade”.
Another delivery worker, who works for both platforms (Wolt and e-food) as a freelancer provided an indicative aspect of this market hegemony: “Over the past two years, platforms have reduced their fees to riders. I believe that in the future, they will pay us the same amount as small food and coffee shops, or possibly even less while requiring us to cover our own social security, VAT, and taxes”.
To sum up, many participants noted that digital platforms offered better working conditions, and pay to attract the necessary workforce to dominate the market in comparison with courier services and fastfood restaurants. However, reduction of fees and instances of exploitation, similar to those seen with “neighbourhood capitalists”, soon began to escalate. The first such big change was related to the status of employment and the contractual arrangements. “The performance evaluation system used by the platform was advertised as a reward toolfor workers. It turned out to be it was used by the platform as a toolfor laying offdelivery workers to have only freelancers. Currently, 85% of delivery people are working as freelancers, which was not the case at all atfirst”.
2 MIGRANT LABOUR IN THE GREEK GIG ECONOMY
45