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Comment by malermeister | Hacker News Reader

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.

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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?

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

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.

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.

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

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