[From a faceb**k post made in September 2020]

These screenshots are from a US based uber eats drivers page. It captures an aspect of the gig economy that rarely gets much attention (from the ‘progressive’ media at least) . It captures a common sentiment I have found chatting with my fellow couriers.

Any labour organising around the gig economy needs to take seriously the desire of many workers to get out of the office, away from that manager breathing down their neck, and regain control over both when they work and how they work!

While it’s absolutely true that a system which retains these freedoms for workers while, for example, giving a minimum wage guarantee for hours logged on, or sick pay, is theoretically possible, the bosses will do whatever they can to turn it into a trade-off between rights and flexibility. In this case (assuming pay etc remain around current levels) , I think most workers would take the side of flexibility.