Demystifying flexibility, exposing the algorithmic boss : a note on the first Italian case classifying a (food-delivery) platform worker as an employee

Abstract

In November 2020, the Palermo Tribunal—a court of first instance in the capital of the region of Sicily—reinstated a Glovo rider and reclassified him as a full-time, permanent employee, to be remunerated according to the collective bargaining agreement for the service sector, on the grounds that his autonomy was merely notional, since the platform could organize the execution of work and discipline noncompliance with rigorous instructions issued through the internal booking system. The judge ordered compensation for wage differentials and reimbursement for the unpaid time the worker spent waiting for orders.