The mobilisation of gig economy couriers in Italy

Abstract

In October 2016, in Turin, northern Italy, cycle couriers working for the German food delivery
\ncompany Foodora staged a series of public protests which quickly attracted considerable media
\nattention and became known as the first case of workers’ mobilisation in the Italian ‘gig economy’.
\nThe protests sparked a lively debate in Italian public opinion about working conditions in the
\nso-called ‘gig’ or ‘on-demand’ economy. However, the debate remains confused by the ambiguous
\nmeaning of these terms, often conflated with unrelated concepts such as that of the ‘sharing
\neconomy’ (Blanchard, 2015; Drahokoupil and Fabo, 2016); and by the as yet limited understanding
\nof what these ‘new’ work organisation forms entail for the evolution of employment practices
\n(Eurofound, 2015; Valenduc and Vendramin, 2016) and for the possibilities of workers’ collective
\norganisation. Analysing the case of the Foodora riders’ mobilisation in Italy thus offers a timely
\nopportunity to reflect on the current challenges facing the labour movement, in Italy and in Europe,
\nin the brave new world of the ‘gig economy’.