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Gig economy

August

Uber says it is “deeply concerned” about state governments bringing in their own parallel gig worker laws.

Landmark bid for gig worker pay prompts warning of ‘legal chaos’

Transport Workers Union applies to set minimum rates for food delivery workers, truck drivers and couriers just days after government’s laws came into effect.

  • David Marin-Guzman

July

Uber is changing how it calculates prices, enraging the transport union but relieving customers.

Uber cuts prices – but also pay rates for drivers

The company is expected to pull prices back by up to 5 per cent despite rising costs of insurance and fuel.

  • Nick Bonyhady

May

Emma Foley is Uber’s new Australian managing director, while Ed Kitchen will run Uber Eats.

New Uber bosses to see through gig economy transition

There will be new heads of both Uber and Uber Eats in Australia, ahead of gig economy rules that threaten to significantly raise its cost of doing business.

  • Paul Smith
Susan Anderson Global VP Uber Retail and Grocery in Sydney this week.

Uber’s new retail boss has a plan to shake up groceries in Australia

Susan Anderson says online penetration for the $130 billion Australian grocery sector is still low. She predicts a big step change within the next few years.

  • Patrick Durkin

April

Steven Cohen is the owner of Point72. He is pictured with Julie Macklowe, the chief executive of Vbeaute.

This billionaire sees a four-day week coming

Steve Cohen has invested in golf courses because he predicts the dawn of the four-day work week will leave people with more time for leisure.

  • Katherine Burton
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January

Tim Fung

No easy task for would-be Airtasker acquirers, shares spike

Shares in the Tim Fung-founded company surged 35 per cent over five days in January.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

November 2023

Minister for Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said the amendments ensure minimum gig worker conditions are “fit for purpose”.

Labor makes concessions on gig economy laws

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has sought to address Uber’s concerns over Labor’s proposed gig worker conditions by limiting penalty rates.

  • David Marin-Guzman
Uber global chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi in the company’s Sydney office last October.

Has Uber finally solved its ‘employee’ problem?

A settlement in New York shows the preconditions necessary for the rideshare company to settle its fight with the government over pay rules.

  • Nick Bonyhady

October 2023

Casual workers will have their relationship with employers redefined.

These IR changes are not ‘modest’ but breathtakingly naive

Piling new cost and complexity on to employers will do anything except create secure new jobs.

  • Innes Willox
The in-depth analysis by the e61 Institute is a warning to the Albanese government about its proposed “same job, same pay” workplace changes.

More machines and casuals the cost of Labor’s workplace rules

Past industrial relations changes making it harder to sack workers led to the hiring of more casual staff and the replacement of workers with machines, new research reveals.

  • John Kehoe
Gig economy workers have no rights to minimum wages, penalty rates or workers’ compensation schemes.

Australia is Uber’s crown jewel after ‘collections’ surge to $9.2b

But new labour laws are likely to mean the company’s customers face higher prices as wages go up. The TWU says the jump in sales supports the need for change.

  • Updated
  • Nick Bonyhady
Menulog managing director Morten Belling argues the government’s laws fail to fully recognise the value of gig work.

Menulog warns of $15 price rise unless value of gig work enshrined

Managing director Morten Belling says the Closing Loopholes Bill does not recognise that workers prefer the “dynamic earnings” of gig work that lifts pay with demand.

  • David Marin-Guzman
DoorDash claims “the sky is effectively the limit” under Labor’s gig economy laws.

DoorDash fears food delivery prices could triple under gig worker laws

The on-demand delivery service claims “the sky is effectively the limit” under the government’s bill to set minimum conditions for gig workers.

  • David Marin-Guzman
All employers of casuals would need to reconsider their work arrangements in the wake of such amendments.

Radical casual work overhaul will cost jobs

That is not just the belief of increasingly anxious big and small organisations across the country; it is the considered view of a leading industrial relations barrister.

  • Bran Black

Uber warns of 85pc price rise under Labor’s gig economy laws

Modelling by the digital platform shows it may have to lift rideshare and food delivery prices by 60 to 85 per cent if it’s forced to pay gig workers penalty rates.

  • David Marin-Guzman
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September 2023

Michael Pomroy still lectures in medicine, but spends most of his time online gaming.

Why this Newcastle doctor switched from scrubs to video games

Michael Pomroy made about $140,000 last year playing construction and building games online and posting videos about them after burning out as a doctor.

  • Larry Schlesinger

‘Closing loopholes’ law opens minefields for freelancers

With no clear line defined between casual and permanent employment, the proposed legal framework will create new levels of uncertainty for businesses.

  • Katie Sweatman and Brad Popple
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke.

Labor’s gig worker laws are far more radical than they look

It’s the gig worker laws that may have just opened the door for Labor to radically shape what an independent contractor looks like across the economy.

  • David Marin-Guzman
The laws are aimed to cover rideshare, food delivery and the care economy, but could extend to any type of work that satisfies the “employee-like” definition.

Labor laws risk double standard for gig workers: experts

Gig economy workers who use platforms such as Uber eats could be treated differently to those who use traditional notice boards to pick up work under Labor’s new workplace laws.

  • Tess Bennett and David Marin-Guzman
Tim Fung

Airtasker may be caught in the gig economy laws

Airtasker’s apparent exclusion from Labor’s gig economy laws while other online marketplaces are included has sparked controversy.

  • Updated
  • David Marin-Guzman

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/gig-economy-1ly4