Eppur si muove. The difficult journey of collective bargaining in the food delivery sector

Abstract

This paper recalls some of the steps that led to the first experiments of collective bargaining within the food delivery sector in Italy. Riders’ conditions became public knowledge following a cycle of mobilisation that signalled the absence of rights within the gig economy. The dispute took on central importance as it became a symbol of precariousness and lack of protection of large sectors of the labour market. After numerous strikes, something has been done in legislative and contractual domains. A territorial agreement was signed in Bologna; a round table was convened at the Ministry of Labour, but it failed due to the divergent positions of social partners. Ultimately a law, that has its merits and demerits, was approved. Some companies signed an agreement with a union considered by many to be unrepresentative, which appeared to be an attempt to avoid the rules of labour law. This was followed by a new wave of protests. As a result, the first collective agreement - signed by main unions and a large company - finally recognised that riders were employees with all rights.