In Spain, gig worker Sebastián Honorato, who
makes deliveries by motorbike, said a new
national law introduced this year hasn’t resulted
in the benefits the government promised. He said
it’s unfair because it only regulates food delivery
riders, while others like Amazon package delivery
drivers aren’t covered.
And instead of hiring gig workers directly, foreign
tech platforms in Spain resorted to temporary
staffing agencies. Honorata, a spokesman for the
Association of Freelance Riders, said he used to
bring in over 1,600 euros ($1,800) a month after
paying his social security costs but now makes 900
euros in a good month.
Honorata, who lives in the southern Spanish
city of Granada, said delivery workers should
be regulated the same way across Europe but
worried Brussels’ approach could produce results
similar to Spain’s model.
“What we wanted was not to be an employee,
nor completely freelancers. We wanted an
intermediate model, like they have in California,”
Honorata said. Before the Spanish law, gig work
“was an economically viable model, even if it it
had a murky legal status. We wanted to give it a
legal framework, but not lose any of its viability.
Now, it is a disaster.”