Platform workers log extreme hours, raising health and road safety concerns

About one in four food couriers and taxi drivers in Estonia works more than 50 hours a week, with some logging over 100 hours, a study has found. The findings were reported by ERR.

The study by the Development Monitoring Centre and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications found that platform workers’ hours have become increasingly demanding. Estonia’s standard working week is 40 hours.

Researchers said such workloads can harm workers’ health and raise concerns about the safety of other road users. The ministry does not plan to intervene, saying platform workers are independent and can choose how long they work.

About 90 percent of platform workers earn additional income elsewhere, while the work is the sole source of income for around 2,000 people. Money is often the reason workers take on long hours: two-thirds earn less than 1,200 euros a month.

The study also identified gaps in social protection. Not all workers contribute to a pension, and most receive health insurance through another job or an educational institution. Fourteen percent have no health insurance.

Social Affairs Committee chair Signe Riisalo of the Reform Party said the issue was a broader societal problem that required solutions. One option, she said, would be for platform workers to form a trade union so they could seek social protections from platforms.

A new directive is expected to regulate platform work, and a bill is currently before parliament. Deputy Secretary General Hedi Arukase said the bill would help workers understand the conditions that apply to them and what they can do to earn more in less time.