CATUS is actively promoting regulation of non-standard forms of work which undermine workers’ position in achieving decent work and decent life. Digitalisation processes have boosted some of the new forms of atypical work such as the work on digital platforms. Dozens of thousands of citizens of Serbia have started online work for (mostly foreign) employers and later on thousands began to make deliveries in large cities. These jobs were mainly performed by unemployed youth in the beginning, and in such amount that it attracted international attention. After the pandemic and its effects on the labour market, the diversity and flexibility of jobs on digital platforms, as well as the opportunity for additional earnings, have attracted even more workers. Still, both workers and users of platforms experience opportunities and challenges since this area is only partially regulated.
In 2021 Serbia started drafting the ‘Law on Flexible Forms of Work’, which was supposed to define the terms and regulate employment status of freelancers and workers doing their job over those platforms. By joining the FairWork Pledge ( fair.work/wp-content/uploads/sites/131/2021/12/The-Fairwork-Pledge_2.0_EN_final.pdf), CATUS stresses the importance of achieving decent work, right to organizing and collective bargaining in this area.
Fairwork Foundation, founded under the auspices of the Oxford University, marks and ranks digital platforms as employers in Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as North and Latin America based on five decent work principles – fair pay, fair working conditions, fair contracts, fair management and fair representation. Marks are published every year through a national ranking list and Report for Serbia 2021 can be downloaded here (fair.work/wp-content/uploads/sites/131/2022/05/Fairwork_Report_Serbia-2021.pdf). Marks on ranking lists show that unfair working conditions represent the consequence of decisions made by certain platforms, which means that the purpose of these reports and ranking lists is to improve working conditions and diverting attention to the areas needing enhancement. Companies, institutions, organizations and consumers are not advised to cooperate with platforms ranked lower than 7.
In 2021 Serbia started drafting the ‘Law on Flexible Forms of Work’, which was supposed to define the terms and regulate employment status of freelancers and workers doing their job over those platforms. By joining the FairWork Pledge ( fair.work/wp-content/uploads/sites/131/2021/12/The-Fairwork-Pledge_2.0_EN_final.pdf), CATUS stresses the importance of achieving decent work, right to organizing and collective bargaining in this area.
Fairwork Foundation, founded under the auspices of the Oxford University, marks and ranks digital platforms as employers in Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as North and Latin America based on five decent work principles – fair pay, fair working conditions, fair contracts, fair management and fair representation. Marks are published every year through a national ranking list and Report for Serbia 2021 can be downloaded here (fair.work/wp-content/uploads/sites/131/2022/05/Fairwork_Report_Serbia-2021.pdf). Marks on ranking lists show that unfair working conditions represent the consequence of decisions made by certain platforms, which means that the purpose of these reports and ranking lists is to improve working conditions and diverting attention to the areas needing enhancement. Companies, institutions, organizations and consumers are not advised to cooperate with platforms ranked lower than 7.
