Couriers on digital platforms such as Glovo and Uber Eats are being vetted by “about 30 inspectors” from the Office of Working Conditions (ACT) in Lisbon and Porto, the inspector general said.
Maria Fernanda Campos spoke to reporters at the beginning of the action, which takes place in the Park of Nations in Lisbon until the end of the day.
“This action starts today, will last until the end of the year” and will “monitor the position of workers on the platforms, their relationship,” the inspector general of the SPO began.
“We have a strong legal instrument, which is the new legal framework under the Decent Work Agenda, which gives other tools to the Employment Authority to test the attitudes and labor relations of these workers,” he continued.
In this operation, “we are focused on couriers,” platform workers, “so that we can check here for real duties,” or “a connection that may be hidden that may not correspond to what actually exists,” the ACT Inspector General emphasized. .
It is for this reason that labor inspectors will arrive early this Wednesday morning.
It is “an action involving about 30 inspectors located in different areas of the city of Lisbon and Porto, with the aim of studying this reality, checking the working conditions of these workers and supervising these workers very clearly in relation to their employment – not only to inform and apply the law entrusted to the Employment Authority,” but also to verify that “the connection is real” and to do “consequences with the tools that we now have,” said Maria Fernanda Campos.
This is due to the fact that platform employees, “being subordinate employees, have exactly the same rights as other employees”, such as insurance against industrial accidents, the right to rest, vacation, reconciliation of professional and family life, social protection.
When asked about the reason for this action now, rather than before, the Inspector General explained that it was “an activity that currently has a different regulatory framework and gives the Employment Environment Authority the legal tools to act more effectively.”
The Inspector General explained that these are not workers who were not accompanied by the ACT, the problem is that the Decent Work Agenda, which came into force on May 1, “enshrined a list of rights, namely the presumption of efficiency for workers on digital platforms.” .
Therefore, “the time is right after we have trained our staff and tested everything that is necessary for the success of this intervention.”
In this case, “this is a work area where the majority of workers or temporary workers are migrant groups” and therefore “are a vulnerable group of workers”, which is part of the ACT plan.
The person in charge acknowledges receiving instructions on the labor issues of these workers, but referred to the fact that this is a “planned action” that has nothing to do with testimonies or complaints.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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