Plataformização do trabalho: estudo sobre as condições de trabalho nos serviços de aplicativo do município de Erechim/RS

Abstract

The categories of delivery drivers and app-based drivers have gained visibility in recent years, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, currently being considered synonymous with the absence of labor rights and job precariousness. In theoretical terms, the platformization of work is characterized as a new form of organization, management and control of the workforce through Information and Communication Technologies, in a context of intensification of work flexibilization processes and dissemination of rationality entrepreneur. The uniqueness of this research is particularly established in the choice of the study location, as most research conducted to date has focused on the labor reality of large urban centers, not on smaller municipalities like Erechim, in Rio Grande do Sul. The objective of this research is to analyze the working conditions of app-based drivers and delivery drivers in the context of this municipality, considered one of the main industrial hubs and generators of formal employment in the northern half of RS. This is a qualitative research developed through semi-structured interviews with delivery drivers and app-based drivers in the municipality. Among the main results of the research, it stands out that, for the most part, workers in Erechim are attracted to app-based work due to the flexible working hours of platform work and the low wages in the formal sector, unlike in large urban centers where motivations revolve around situations of unemployment or difficulty in relocating in the labor market. However, the low demand for deliveries on apps due to the size of the municipality and the high fees charged to delivery drivers, in the case of the Amo Ofertas platform, directly reflect in the lowering of delivery drivers' remuneration and the difficulty of staying in the activity. On the other hand, among drivers, the differentiated taxation of the Rota 77 platform (fixed) tends to maintain more satisfactory remuneration for these specific workers. This form of taxation, and the high adherence of workers to the Rota 77 platform, tends to raise the remuneration of these workers in the municipality of Erechim compared to the remuneration of drivers in large urban centers, where the app-based passenger transport market is largely occupied by the Uber platform, with taxation that can exceed 20% per ride. Regarding social protection, most platform workers are registered as individual micro-entrepreneurs (MEI) and contribute to social security, with emphasis on the municipal regulation of app-based passenger transport, diverging from most studies analyzed, where only a minority are registered and contribute to social security. It is evident that the working conditions reflect not only the different ways the platforms operate in the municipality but also the power asymmetry between the platform and the worker, reflected in the activity's dynamics and facilitated by the absence of legal checks that could curb worker exploitation. The precariousness process becomes evident, especially among delivery drivers, who constantly face social insecurity risks.