Collective agreement
Olivier Allain, who has worked for Foodora: riders are in need a collective agreement
According to Olivier Allain the trade unions should immediately have engaged in collective agreement issues for workers within the platform economy when new ways of working disembarked in Finland. Photo: Liisa Takala.
Olivier Allain is in search for a collective agreement for Foodora riders and other digital age workers. The Frenchman, who has worked at Foodora, is passionate about the authentic Finnish Mölkky game.
Collective agreement. Foodora riders should have a collective agreement. At the moment they are mostly selfemployed and they are not beeing paid e.g. during sick leaves. I came to Foodora as a rider and a team leader due to the encouragement of my friend, who also urged me to be a shop steward. However, I did realise shortly after that the employment conditions in the field only could be improved by a collective agreement.
Frustrating. I am afraid that the trade unions missed their opportunities when they did not engage in the platform economy immediately after its arrival in Finland. I was in touch with PAM in order to initiatev a collective agreement on behalf of the Foodora riders. The discussions went well and I asked several times how things are moving along. The answer was that it is a slow process. This felt frustrating.
Understanding. Many of Foodora riders are originally from other EU-countries, and therefore they are relying on their residence and work permits. To become a member of a trade union could be seen as a threat to staying in Finland. Working as a rider is somewhat of an opening to Finnish working life, and those who have moved here from abroad do not want to take unnecessary risks. I do understand their point of view.
The French in me. In my home country, those with rider jobs would have marched in the streets and they would have demanded better working conditions. It is hard to imagine something similar happening here in Finland. It is not a question about working stipulations beeing worse in France. Instead it is a matter of cultural differences and traditions that descend from generations way back.
Mölkky game. I live, eat and breathe this game. I actually have a company, which is exporting Mölkky games to France. People do ask me why not Petanque. The answer to this can be found in my background: I used to be a teacher of mathematics and someone who is facinated by numbers. Mölkky is also charming due to the fact that it is a equal game, as you can play it equally if you happen to be in a wheel chair. Mölkky is indeed a game for everyone.
Update 3.1.2018 at 5.20 pm. The headline has been changed because it was incorrect. It stated that Olivier Allain is a shop steward for Foodora. At the moment Allain is not having any working hours for Foodora and he has not been a shop steward for the company.
