Chapter Platform Workers, Autonomy, and the Capability Approach

Abstract

In this short essay dedicated to the memory of Riccardo Del Punta, my aim is to highlight one of his (many) contributions to labour law, and to reflect on possible ways to apply it on a timely question. Is it argued that the capability approach can be used as an aid to help determine the status of on-demand platform workers. More specifically, because such workers often have some freedom to choose when to work and how much to work, we can use the capability approach to examine to what extent this freedom is real and meaningful, and also, to what extent it is relevant for the need of specific labour law protections.