A suite of protections for gig workers will be contained in legislation to be introduced into parliament next week, and will also include measures on rights for casual workers and stopping wage theft
TVO employees and supporters are seen on the picket line outside of TVO offices in Toronto on Aug. 21, 2023. Dozens of workers at TVO have walked off the job.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
Although work in journalism has never been a safe bet, it’s now rife with deepening uncertainty. The TVO strike aimed at job security is a matter of public interest.
Instead of owning physical copies of DVDs or CDs, for example, people subscribe to streaming services, allowing them to access a wide range of products without the burden of traditional ownership.
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These days people prefer to simply have access to goods and services, rather than outright owning them. But what does this mean for the future of consumerism?
Since 2011, I’ve worked in more than 20 precarious workplaces in hospitality, manufacturing and logistics – and I have only seen a union once.
Striking workers picket outside of Warner Bros. Studios on the second day of the Hollywood writers strike on May 3, 2023, in Burbank, Calif.
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Gig companies like Uber often promote the freedom that comes with independent contractor arrangements. They talk less about the impact that pay volatility can have on workers’ health.
A rally for Uber and Lyft drivers in 2019 reflects desire for workers to have same benefits as employees.
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
What a ‘gig worker’ is remains ill-defined, which can suit employers. But the spread of the gig economy means more workers don’t have the same rights and protections as employees.
Coffee shops can be a “third space” – not home or the office – where remote or gig workers can go to feel less isolated.
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Gig workers navigate the challenges of solo work by seeking out relationships and cultivating skills to cope with emotional turbulence
Workers take on side hustles not just for the money, but also to compensate for limited control in their traditional jobs.
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‘Career portfolioing’ is a trend where people assemble different sources of income, such as side gigs, to give them a measure of independence from employers who provide little job security.
Will precarious alternative forms of work, like gig platform jobs, become the norm for immigrant care workers?
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Alternative working arrangements like gig platforms might help immigrant workers find temporary work, but many care professionals are still unable to find permanent jobs in their industry.
The Uber Files leak reveals that the company embarked on a deliberate public relations strategy that involved the media, public officials and academics.
Our five years of research reveals an industry facing push back from both workers and customers. Many workers we spoke with sought to leave the gig economy.
Service provider apps are set up in ways that endanger gig workers.
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Ning Ma, University of British Columbia and Dongwook Yoon, University of British Columbia
Rating services on ride and task apps disadvantage gig workers, whose future work assignments are affected by their ratings. Women workers are made vulnerable, and have to contend with harassment.
Uber Australia’s deal with the transport workers union signals the Albanese government won’t mess about with attempts to reclassify gig workers as employees.