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Comment by RamblingCTO | Hacker News Reader

Just what we need, more regulation! Great job guys!

In Germany this stuff is regulated to death already. Uber is just a bunch of companies ripping off their drivers. Theirs no agency for them anymore. Likewise, everything (food) delivery is certainly no gig-economy. These people are employees with contracts as far as I know. What more do you want to regulate? It already costs around 4-5€ to get shit delivered, you're gonna destroy those jobs with more regulations.

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If a company's profit margins rely on their "employees" not understanding how depreciation leaves them with wages below the minimum, then yes those jobs need to be destroyed via regulation.

Is it wrong to enforce basic human rights?

Uber's drivers are not workers. /s

Silly you, they are just not humans!

Sorry, but what a stupid straw man argument. Where are uber drivers in Europe (or Germany, which is what I was talking about) not being granted their human rights?

It was indeed very provocative of me, I admit it.

However my point stands; very basic labor rights, and contributions to social security are human rights.

Fundamentally, a lot of those companies haven't created anything new; their incredible ability to circumvent workers rights as to be able to extract more from them, and thus offer lower prices than their competitors was their main "innovation". That's how they also got to attract so much capital!

But again, does this apply to Germany? If so, where? I'm very explicit about my argument but every response so far made a general one. I would even agree that the US could use better worker protection in some areas. But in Germany everything is regulated to the max. We even have to track time by law.

/e: and to make it even more explicit. In Frankfurt, where I live, they aren't allowed to use their own vehicles and need to be employed. So uber can only work with companies. They need to be licensed as well. That lost a lot of people a lot of money, because now you're either bolt or uber, not both. There's no competition anymore. You're directly dependent on one of the companies/the company you work with. Making a quick buck on the side? Nope. Letting uber/bolt compete for drivers? Nope. And that sucks imho.

Uber itself is a company ripping off their drivers. This is there to put a stop to that. It should cost much more than 4-5 Euros to get stuff delivered, other people are not your slaves and their work needs to be compensated fairly.

no it's a business that spent literally billions to come into this point.remarkable that calling them ripping off while entire business was well invested loss making machine for years, maybe wework was at level but not close at all

Most Europeans are wearing clothing, using electronics, and obtaining raw materials from slave-like labour already.

Why have laws that prevent people from voluntarily taking up certain kinds of work?

Politicians like to think they stop people from making bad decisions because they are obviously not capable to decide on their own. Thinking people need protection from themselves is a core belief in Europe. People are afraid of freedom.

The problem here is the workers have no protection for when the algorithm stops picking them. There need to be laws for how disputes like that are solved, because the person has already made some investment to participate, expecting to pay that by getting gigs, so they're left with nothing and the company isn't liable for anything. People need to be protected from the actions of the companies they choose to work for, yes.

With that I don't even disagree with. But I find it sad that they need to be employed, that they need to be dependent on one employer. Protection from algorithms and fair treatment is important!

Investments have risks. Should I be refunded by everyone else if the stock I purchased goes down?

Except that working, unlike stock investments, isn't gambling. It's supposed to have a stable, secure, predictable outcome.

You're incorrect, if you get paid at the end of the month, you're an unsecured creditor against the company.

Legally and economically speaking you're taking on more risk than most banks take on when they give you a mortgage.

There is no freedom in a capitalist system where the options are either wage slavery or starvation and to think there is reeks of silver spoon privilege. Your so-called freedom is built on economic oppression of the masses.

Yeah sure, the only thing that can save us is a utopia where food just magically appears and there's no fight over resources, right? We're always dependent (or in your words, "slaves") to the system that brings food to the table. Even if we're just growing it ourselves in a trade society. Maybe think a step ahead, will ya?

The rhetoric of the extreme left never changes, huh?

I don't know what problem you have with your life, but these people are not slaves. And having to pay 4-5€ just to get your pizza delivered will mean what? Yes, most people don't want to get pizza delivered anymore, putting those people and the pizza places out of work. Then what?

/e: btw, have you ever talked to any of those people? I always loved to talk to my uber drivers (not riding uber anymore, cuz it's way too expensive) and they told me how much money they make. They come to the big cities just for the weekend and leave with more money than I make in a month. But yes, they need protection from the big bad uber by cutting into their pay. Get informed dude.

Of course they are. They're literal wage slaves.

Pizza places existed before too. They didn't spring into existence when these companies were founded.

Delivery was still a thing.

Yep. I schlepped pizza 50+ years ago, as an employee, and with the employer's vehicle.

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