INTHEBLACK August 2022 - Magazine - Page 28
F E AT U R E
// G I G E C O N O M Y
deliberately structured in such a way so as to
deny gig workers the rights and entitlements
many Australians take for granted, like
protection from unfair dismissal, sick leave and
superannuation,” says Michael Kaine, national
secretary of the TWU.
“As a result, workers are loaded up with
extraordinary pressure to work long hours, cut
corners and rush to make ends meet. Horrific
injuries and shocking deaths are all too common.”
This was the catalyst for Menulog, which,
after a series of deaths in the broader transport
industry and pressure from unions, announced it
wanted to employ many of its riders, rather than
classify them as independent contractors. As
employees, Menulog’s drivers are now covered
under the Road Transport and Distribution
Award 2020.
What do these developments mean for the
gig economy, and the economy more broadly?
With other platforms following in DoorDash’s
footsteps, and Menulog challenging the inherent
flexible employment model, will better protection
for workers mean a stronger economy?
RIDING THE WAVE
As of December 2020, approximately 250,000
Australians were part of the gig economy – and
this number includes many who perform these
tasks in addition to another job. It’s a figure
that keeps rising, and the economy’s growing
dependence on gig workers means the issue of
labour exploitation won’t go away.
There is rising awareness of how
environmental, social and governance (ESG)
factors and trends influence the financial
28 ITB August 2022
New South Wales Transport
Workers’ Union National Secretary
Michael Kaine (centre) addresses
the media with Senator Tony
Sheldon (second left) and Uber
drivers in Sydney, in June 2022.
“WORKERS ARE
LOADED UP WITH
EXTRAORDINARY
PRESSURE TO WORK
LONG HOURS, CUT
CORNERS AND RUSH
TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
HORRIFIC INJURIES
AND SHOCKING
DEATHS ARE ALL
TOO COMMON.”
MICHAEL KAINE, TRANSPORT
WORKERS’ UNION
performance of a business. Many businesses are
becoming more transparent about their operations,
highlighting their green credentials and promoting
their diversity policies, for example.
The “S” in ESG looks at how an organisation
maintains positive relationships with suppliers,
customers, employees and the communities it
operates in, as well as how it manages the risks
of negative impacts on these groups.
In practice, this can include providing safe
and healthy working conditions for employees,
as well as ensuring labour standards across the
supply chain that guarantee fair wages and
human rights protection.
Yet, recognising a dependency on using gig
workers or platforms that don’t offer rights to
gig workers has yet to hit the ESG radar of
many businesses.
“The gig economy is currently on the
margins of the ESG agenda, but is rising in
prominence,” says Adam Carrel, partner, climate
change and sustainability services at EY.
“Investors, in particular, are highly focused
on modern slavery. But this is maturing into a
broader interest and concern regarding labour
exploitation in general, both as a moral concern,
but also as an indicator of a business model or
assets that might be stranded by a substantial
change to the recognition of gig workers and
their entitlement to expanded labour.”