(in Polish) PROBAD: Praca platformowa w logistyce

elective courses

Openness to qualitative methods. Passive knowledge of the English language (reading in English).

Classroom

Labour platforms have gained a prominent place in many service sectors. One of the sectors particularly transformed by labour platforms is the logistics sector, including the transport of persons (ride hailing) or food delivery. Labour platforms create new forms of employment based on non-standard forms of employment, such as self-employment or civil law contracts, which are generally not subject to typical labour law rules. As part of the classes, students will interview employees of labour platforms operating in logistics sector - such as UberEats, Glovo, Pyszne.pl or Wolt. The interviews will cover working conditions on these platforms – salaries, working hours, and health and safety.

The research project will be carried out as part of the wider international Fairwork project (https://fair.work/) coordinated by the Oxford Internet Institute. On the basis of the data collected by the participants, Polish Fairwork report will be prepared.

It is estimated that about 200,000 people work on labour platforms in Poland. At the same time, managerial and HR methods initiated by labour platforms, such as the use of algorithms to manage work and aggressive outsourcing, are spreading across virtually all sectors. The platform work sector is highly precarious - platforms offer employees non-standard forms of employment, do not comply with the minimum standards provided for by regulations, which results in low salaries, unstable working time, taking advantage of the fact that the sector is largely attracting younger people and migrants.

The classes are aimed at preparing students to plan and carry out a team project and will involve participation in scientific research conducted at the Faculty of Sociology. During the course, participants will be required to:

-recruit respondents

-conduct interviews

-prepare the transcripts

-analyze research material

The research material collected during the course will be used to prepare the Polish edition of a Fairwork report, a large international research project coordinated by the Oxford Internet Institute. The Fairwork project is an example of academic activism focused on researching and improving the working conditions of platform workers. Fairwork reports are designed to influence both policy makers (in order to speed up regulatory actions) and platforms management (through reputational pressure).

I encourage (although it is not necessary) participants to sign up for the course "Platform work in services" in the summer semester, which is also a part of the project.

Fairwork reports - https://fair.work/en/fw/ratings/

Heiland, H. (2022). Neither timeless, nor placeless: Control of food delivery gig work via place-based working time regimes. Human Relations, 75(9), 1824-1848.

Muszyński, K., Pulignano, V., Domecka, M., & Mrozowicki, A. (2022). Coping with precarity during COVID‐19: A study of platform work in Poland. International labour review, 161(3), 463-485.

Piasna, A., Zwysen, W., & Drahokoupil, J. (2022). The platform economy in Europe: results from the second ETUI Internet and Platform Work Survey (IPWS). ETUI Research Paper-Working Paper.

Polkowska, D. (2021). Platform work during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of Glovo couriers in Poland. European Societies, 23(sup1), S321-S331.

Rosenblat, A., & Stark, L. (2016). Algorithmic labor and information asymmetries: A case study of Uber’s drivers. International Journal of Communication 10(2016), 3758–3784

K_W09 Knows how to plan and carry out complex qualitative and quantitative empirical research; is aware of the consequences of methodological choices

K_U05 Can plan and carry out a social study using advanced quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques of social research

K_K01 Can initiate, plan, organize and manage work of a task team

K_K08 Is aware of the existence of social dilemmas related to the work of the sociologist

K_K10 Takes responsibility for planned and performed tasks

Participation in the discussion, preparation of a research project, written work - research report