Digitalisation of the economy and its impact on labour markets —

<strong>Digitalisation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>economy</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>its</strong> <strong>impact</strong> on labour markets
— <strong>the</strong> European Journalists’ Federation initiated an overall reflection on
<strong>the</strong> <strong>impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> digital <strong>economy</strong> on <strong>the</strong> occupation <strong>of</strong> journalist <strong>and</strong> on
working conditions in this sector.
3.1 The acquis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> European social dialogue
Numerous agreements have been adopted at national or company level in <strong>the</strong>
wake <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> European social dialogue framework agreement on teleworking
(16 July 2002), which contains points that can serve as a basis for reflection
on teleworking, mobile work, or distance-working.
It is true that teleworking is no more than one aspect <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> stakes that we have
analysed in this study; <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>re exist, what is more, major differences between
<strong>the</strong> context at that time (2002) <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> current situation. Back in 2002 it was
a question above all <strong>of</strong> practices encountered in <strong>the</strong> context <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> traditional
company, with a view to ‘modernising <strong>the</strong> organisation <strong>of</strong> work’. As defined by
<strong>the</strong> agreement, teleworking was to be practised in <strong>the</strong> framework <strong>of</strong> a contract
or employment relationship 57 <strong>and</strong> this is today frequently no longer <strong>the</strong> case,
in particular in digital <strong>economy</strong> companies (management, organisation, etc.)
where <strong>the</strong> work is carried out by self-employed workers, freelancers, or even
workers operating outside any kind <strong>of</strong> legal framework, i.e. on <strong>the</strong>
‘underground’ labour market.
None<strong>the</strong>less, <strong>the</strong>re remain a whole series <strong>of</strong> stakes for <strong>the</strong> world <strong>of</strong> labour. The
following are some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> important areas in which questions arise:
— financing <strong>of</strong> work equipment;
— installation <strong>and</strong> maintenance <strong>of</strong> this equipment;
— utilisation costs (internet subscriptions, telecommunications);
— technical support;
— costs linked to <strong>the</strong> loss or damage <strong>of</strong> equipment (insurance);
— responsibilities in relation to health <strong>and</strong> safety during time spent
working: sickness, accident, h<strong>and</strong>icap, etc.;
— labour inspection;
— working time organisation;
— workload <strong>and</strong> output assessment criteria;
— access <strong>of</strong> workers to information concerning <strong>the</strong> company;
— relations with colleagues;
— access to training possibilities (designed, for example, to learn how to
use technical equipment or to develop skills to improve one’s
performance, etc.);
— respect <strong>of</strong> private life (to what extent are service providers ‘policed’ <strong>and</strong>
controlled?).
57. It should be noted that <strong>the</strong> follow-up agreement to this report (2006) mentions precisely
that <strong>the</strong> definition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> teleworker is a question that has been dealt with differently in each
member state.
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