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I've read that Germany and Canada have a middle ground between independent contractor and employee, the dependent contractor. Does anyone know how well that wo

by lokar 7y ago

I've read that Germany and Canada have a middle ground between independent contractor and employee, the dependent contractor. Does anyone know how well that works out in practice? Are Uber drivers dependent contractors in these countries?

rolltiide 7y ago
We only like false dichotomies around here
Waterluvian 7y ago
I don't know (re: Canada) but given you can be an Uber driver and do other driving jobs too (I think?) there's no exclusivity, which I think is what delineates the contractor types.
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago
  > there's no exclusivity If there were a middle ground between independent contractors and employees, where such "dependent contractors" e.g. worked exclusively for one client, I'd bet some drivers would pick teams. A middle ground for contractors makes sense. It makes more sense than the status quo, where ersatz employees get no benefits. And it makes more sense than the Californian law, which effectively outlaws freelancing and part-time contracting. Such a middle ground relationship would involve some obligations of employment (e.g. re-imbursement for expenses, paid sick leave and time off, basic health benefits) but not all (e.g. no retirement accounts, limited dismissal recourse, no training), just as it would entail some of the restrictions of employment (e.g. exclusivity), but not all of them (e.g. no gardening leaves, corporate NDAs, time management, et cetera).
kekebo 7y ago
I can only speak for Germany, here "Uber’s ride-hailing business works exclusively with professional and licensed private-hire vehicle (PHV) companies"[1] Not sure how that plays out in terms of dependent contractors. At the same time they just got hit with another ban in relation with their app[1] [1] https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/19/ubers-ride-hailing-business-hit-with-ban-in-germany/ https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/19/ubers-ride-hailing-busines...

by lokar 7y ago

rolltiide 7y ago

We only like false dichotomies around here

Waterluvian 7y ago

I don't know (re: Canada) but given you can be an Uber driver and do other driving jobs too (I think?) there's no exclusivity, which I think is what delineates the contractor types.

JumpCrisscross 7y ago
> there's no exclusivity If there were a middle ground between independent contractors and employees, where such "dependent contractors" e.g. worked exclusively for one client, I'd bet some drivers would pick teams. A middle ground for contractors makes sense. It makes more sense than the status quo, where ersatz employees get no benefits. And it makes more sense than the Californian law, which effectively outlaws freelancing and part-time contracting. Such a middle ground relationship would involve some obligations of employment (e.g. re-imbursement for expenses, paid sick leave and time off, basic health benefits) but not all (e.g. no retirement accounts, limited dismissal recourse, no training), just as it would entail some of the restrictions of employment (e.g. exclusivity), but not all of them (e.g. no gardening leaves, corporate NDAs, time management, et cetera).

kekebo 7y ago

I can only speak for Germany, here "Uber’s ride-hailing business works exclusively with professional and licensed private-hire vehicle (PHV) companies"[1] Not sure how that plays out in terms of dependent contractors. At the same time they just got hit with another ban in relation with their app[1] [1] https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/19/ubers-ride-hailing-business-hit-with-ban-in-germany/ https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/19/ubers-ride-hailing-busines...