Croatia is among the first countries to attempt to regulate the status of digital platform workers through the recent amendments to the Labor Act.

Based on our knowledge and the experiences shared by the workers themselves, the legal solutions currently adopted in the Labor Act place workers in a permanently disadvantaged position. Digital platforms are enabled to avoid direct responsibility toward their workforce, while collective bargaining and workers’ influence over material rights and working conditions are effectively prevented.

For this reason, we have begun lobbying for further amendments to the Labor Act regarding the regulation of digital platforms, effective January 1, 2024. We demand that the direct responsibility of digital platforms for all workers performing tasks for them be legally established. Furthermore, we believe the best solution is to eliminate the possibility of employment through intermediaries, commonly known as “aggregators.”

Additionally, we are seeking better regulation for the employment of foreign nationals. This would protect the dignity of migrant workers in Croatia and prevent the exploitation of foreign labor to drive down overall wages.

Yesterday, we attended meetings with three parliamentary groups to present our demands: HSLS, SDP, and HDZ. Representatives from all groups showed an understanding of the problems in this sector. The SDP promised concrete support for our proposed changes to the Labor Act, which align With the suggestions of the initiative for the Workers’ Zor and which the Workers’ Front (Radnička fronta) previously submitted to parliamentary procedure.

We will continue our fight and our lobbying efforts.