The Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour would like to see this province follow in the footsteps of British Columbia and change legislation to provide better protection for workers in the gig economy.
People who drive cabs for ride sharing and food delivery companies are considered independent contractors, therefore they do not have the protection of the Labour Standards Act, including minimum wage guarantees.
NL and the City of St. John’s have paved the way for companies like Uber to set up in the province, which it plans to do in time for the tourism season.
Federation President Jessica McCormick told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly that minimum wage can be complex for such workers because of the nature of the job and the specifics of the definition of “downtime.”
“You could be dealing with an assault from a passenger in between those engaged hours so it’s not a simple solution. It will take some time and it seems like we’re just waiting in this province to see what happens.”