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Global developments for on-demand work

Rules covering on-demand workers were called for by the European Parliament. Separately, the Japanese prime minister pushed for equal pay for equal work by temporary workers. In Canada, half of workers will be independents by 2020, but Uber is facing a new independent contractor misclassification suit.

Europe. The European Parliament wants rules on working conditions [1] that include new forms of work such as on-demand work and work intermediated by online platforms. Parliament called on the European Commission to propose the rules, and members of Parliament also called on member states to enforce labor standards more effectively. Members of Parliament also called for limits on on-demand work and called for disallowing “zero-hour contracts,” labor contracts that describe the conditions of work but without any guarantee of work.

Japan. Bloomberg reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for draft guidelines [2] that would require equal pay for equal work done by temporary workers. Abe’s proposal also calls for more benefits for temporary workers.

Canada. Almost half of Canadian workers will be freelancers [3], independent contractors or on-demand workers in 2020, according to a report by Yahoo Finance on a study by Intuit Canada. It found that 45% of Canadian workers would be in nontraditional jobs. Nearly half of people who are self-employed took on the jobs because of a greater desire for workplace flexibility.

Also, a new Canadian lawsuit argued Uber drivers are misclassified [4] as independent contractors and is seeking C$200 million in damages, the Financial Post reports. Lawyers are seeking class-action status and argue drivers are entitled to minimum wage, overtime pay and vacation pay. The suit is similar to ongoing lawsuits in the US. Separately, a Quebec judge OK’d a class action lawsuit [5] led by the taxi industry against Uber, the Toronto Star reports.

United States. The US trucking industry’s use of independent contractors is under attack, according to a report by Trucks.com [6]. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Arizona ruled that Swift Transportation Co. misclassified some of its drivers. And a federal judge in San Diego, Calif., dismissed a lawsuit against California Labor Commissioner Julie Su by the California Trucking Association.

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