Italy, hosting G20, will call for tougher ‘gig economy’ rules

ROME: Italy will call for tougher rules governing ‘gig economy’ workers when it hosts labour ministers of the world’s biggest economies in the Group of 20 next week. Italy’s labour minister, Andrea Orlando, said countries should require big companies such as Amazon to take responsibility for working conditions at their suppliers, as part of reforms to ensure contractors are well-treated.

“Large corporations must also take responsibility for small ones. They can no longer say that what happens outside their sheds does not concern them,” Orlando was quoted as saying by Italian daily La Repubblica.

Lockdowns to contain the Covid-19 pandemic have increased demand for casual workers such as food delivery drivers, while cleaners and care workers have faced health and safety risks.