The EU has the means to give platform workers the social protection and working conditions they deserve, former Uber chief lobbyist Mark MacGann told MEPs.
Dragoș Pîslaru (Renew, RO), Chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, said: “The European Parliament and our committee will always take very seriously any allegations concerning the well-being of European workers, their labour rights and their working conditions, regardless of their statute or the time when such issues happened.
“In line with the established practice of the EP of providing whistleblowers with an open platform for bringing important issues to light, we decided to host a public hearing on the Uber Files. We devoted ample time for a discussion with Mr. Mark MacGann about the files he has provided to the press and seek solutions to the misdeeds he has highlighted.
“We believe new business models and new technologies can be a driving force for good in the world, as long as they are pursued in a sustainable and ethical way both for workers and employers.”
Members asked MacGann about how employees can entertain platform work without losing right and dignity and if the unlawful lobbying practices employed by Uber are still being emulated by platforms worldwide. They also wanted to know if Uber ever tracked their workers’ personal data and disclosed it, whether the current framework is breaking up European social justice, and if a new model can be introduced to abolish “bogus self employment”.
The video recording of the hearing will be available here.
The Uber files are a collection of thousands of documents leaked by Mark MacGann and published in July by a British newspaper, suggesting that Uber attempted to lobby high-ranking politicians in order to gain a market advantage, while disregarding their drivers’ working conditions and well-being.
