Introduction In Argentina, the most significant irruption of
standard employment relationship — which
platform delivery companies occurred around
implies a formal, full-time and indefinite-term
2018.
salaried work contract (Berg et al. 2018, Rogers
The
environment
favoured
the
2017).
recruitment of workers, as the entry of these platforms coincided with a severe economic
As a result of the lockdown established in
crisis that had a strong negative impact on the
March 2020, the precarious working conditions
labour market (INDEC 2019; Fernández and
of platform delivery workers became even
González 2019)—which only worsened with the
more evident since they were considered
pandemic.
“essential workers.” When the majority of the
Digital platforms are registered as computer
population
services providers and, for that, they do not
workers—even
appear as employers of delivery workers, who
infected—were the ones who ensured the
must register as self-employed workers. The
provision of basic needs. Thus, between March
imposition of this labour statute has been
and November 2020, five preliminary projects
widely questioned by the literature (Cherry
were presented to Congress in order to
2016; Di Stefano 2016; Pralss 2018). The debate
establish a regulatory framework able to
around their legal status focuses on a series of
recognise labour rights and social security
indicators of labour dependency, such as
benefits to these workers, which are added to
platforms’ setting of the deliveries’ price; their
two other projects previously presented in 2019.
intermediation
in
These gather a variety of legal frameworks that
communication between workers and clients;
range from the employee statute to the self-
the control they exercised in terms of the
employed worker, passing through versions
definition of tasks to be performed (and the
that combine these statutes in the same
way to carry them out) through different
labour regime.
in
payments
and
incentives and penalties; and the economic
remained at
the
at risk
home, of
delivery
becoming
The article seeks to understand the ways in
dependence of workers on this source of
which the proposed regulations attempt to
employment, among others (Ivanova et al.,
solve the dilemma around the classification of
2018).
digital platforms delivery workers, placing
In any case, the shape these labour relations
special emphasis on the analysis of the
take brings back pre-existing problems that
treatment of certain aspects that workers
are usually observed around various forms of
themselves express as concerns about a
labour precariousness that can range from
potential regulation of the activity. Without
total informality to various forms of “atypical
ignoring that riders view is marked by the
employment” (ILO, 2016). Undoubtedly, one of
economic urgency and the most immediate
the most recurrent concerns in this regard
problems they experience, the aim of this study
points to the difficulties that these labour
is to contribute to the knowledge on the subject
insertions may imply in terms of access to
based on the concerns expressed by those
social protection, traditionally linked to the
involved. The article focuses on the analysis of
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