A Tailspin for Taxi Drivers: Platform Labor, Deregulations, and a Migrant Occupation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.129365

Keywords:

Employment, Wages, Unemployment & Rehabilitation, Gender, Ethnicity, Age and Diversity, Labor Market Institutions & Social Partners, Organization & Management

Abstract

In this article, we investigate Norwegian taxi drivers’ perceptions and experiences of the introduction of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber. We find that taxi drivers are highly critical, but not over technology or TNCs as such. Their critique is directed at government deregulations of the taxi industry, which paved the way for TNC re-entry. Our findings suggest that, if we are to understand how the platform economy changes work-life and its social consequences, we need to comprehend (1) current digital change in its political context, which in our case pertains notably to deregulations. Equally important (2) is that consequences and struggles are seen in light of the history and social trajectory of the specific occupations affected; a central factor in our case being that the taxi industry has become a typical migrant occupation. Our paper contributes to a more comprehensive picture of structural changes in the digital work-life.

Author Biographies

Helga Hiim Staalhane, University of Stavanger

Research Fellow in Sociology, Department of Media and Social Sciences. E-mail: helga.h.stalhane@uis.no

Anders Vassenden, University of Stavanger

Professor of Sociology, Department of Media and Social Sciences

References

Aarhaug, J. and K. H. Skollerud (2019). “Drosjeregulering i norske byer – utfordringer og alternativer” [Taxi regulations in Norwegian cities – challenges and alternatives]. TØI report 1698/2019.

Aarhaug, J. Oppegaard, S.M.N. Gundersen, F. Hartveit, K.J.L. Skollerud, K.H. and Dapi, B. (2020) “Drosjer i Norge fram mot 2020” [Taxis in Norway towards 2020]. TØI report 1802/2020. Fafo report 2020:24.

Alsos, K. Jesnes, K. Øistad, S.B. and Nesheim, T. (2017). “Når sjefen er en app” [When the boss is an app]. Fafo report 2017:41.

Berry, C.P and McDaniel, S. (2018). “Young Workers and Trade Unionism in the Hourglass Economy”. Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) Report. Publisher: Unions21 in conjunction with Slater and Gordon.

Blaikie, N. and Priest, J. (2019). “Designing Social Research” (3.edt.) Policy Press, Cambridge.

Blyverket, L.I. (2019) “Nye regler for ei ny tid” [New rules for a new time] Dagbladet, June 17, 2019.

Breivik, A. (2019). “Deregulerer taxinæringen” [Deregulating the taxi industry] Dagbladet, December 12, 2019.

Choi, J. M. and J. Murphy. (2001). “A Postmodern Critique of Neo-Liberalism” “Postmodern Productions”, Eds. Nonhoff, M. Bunzmann, K. and Angermuller, J. New Brunswick: Transaction Publisher, pp. 63-73.

Eckstein, S. and Peri, G. (2018). “Immigrant niches and immigrant networks in the US labor market” RSF: “The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences” 4 (1): 1-17.

Esbenshade, J. and Shifrin, E. (2019). “The leased among us: Precarious work, local regulation, and the taxi industry” “Labor Studies Journal” 44(3): 193-213. DOI: 10.1177/0160449X18768047

Friberg, J. H. (2012). “Culture at work: Polish migrants in the ethnic division of labour on Norwegian construction sites” “Ethnic and Racial Studies” 35 (11): 1914-1933. DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2011.605456

Friberg, J. H. and Midtbøen, A. H. (2018). “Ethnicity as skill: immigrant employment hierarchies in Norwegian low-wage labour markets” “Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies” 44(9): 1463-1478. DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2017.1388160

Friberg, J. H. and Midtbøen, A. H. (2019). “The Making of Immigrant Niches in an Affluent Welfare State” “International Migration Review” 53(2): 322-345. DOI: 10.1177/0197918318765168

Gandini A. (2019). “Labour process theory and the gig economy” “Human Relations” 72(6): 1039-1056. DOI: 10.1177/0018726718790002

Giroux, H. A. (2004). “The Terror of Neoliberalism” London: Paradigm Publishers.

Giæver, H. and Solgård, J. (2020) “Den omstridte drosjetjenesten Uber gjør comeback i Norge” [The controversial taxi service Uber makes a comeback in Norway]. Dagens Næringsliv, October 27, 2020.

Hansen, K. Haaland, G. and Vagle, I. (2019). “Makt og innflytelse i prosessen med å endre strukturen i yrkesopplæringen” [Power and influence in the process of changing the structure in vocational training]. “Scandinavian Journal of Vocations” 4(1): 136-173.

Harvey, D. (2007). “A Brief history of Neoliberalism” Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ilsøe, A. (2020). “The Hilfr agreement: Negotiating the platform economy in Denmark”. Report from: Employment Relations Research Centre Department of Sociology University of Copenhagen.

Ilsøe, A. Jesnes, K. & Hotvedt, M. (2020). “Social partner responses in the Nordic platform economy” “Platform work in the Nordic models”, Eds. K. Jesnes, & S. Oppegaard. Nordic Council of Ministers. TemaNord, 2020(513): 68-78.

Ilsøe, A. Larsen, T.P. (2020). “Digital platforms at work. Champagne or cocktail of risks?” “The Impact of the Sharing Economy on Business and Society: Digital Transformation and the Rise of Platform Businesses” Eds. A. Strømmen-Bakhtiar, E. Vinogradov. Routledge, pp. 1-20. DOI: 10.4324/9780429293207

Ilsøe, A. Larsen, T. P. and Felbo-Kolding, J. (2017). “Living hours under pressure: flexibility loopholes in the Danish IR-model” “Employee Relations” 39(6): 888-902. DOI 10.1108/ER-03-2017-0049

Irani, L., & Silberman, M. (2016). “Stories We Tell About Labor: Turkopticon and the Trouble with Design” Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. San Jose California USA: ACM, pp. 4573-4588. DOI: org/10.1145/2858036.2858592

Jesnes, K. (2019). “Employment Models of Platform Companies in Norway: A Distinctive Approach?” “Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies” 9(Special issue no. S6): 53-73. DOI: 10.18291/njwls.v9iS6.114691

Jesnes, K. and Oppegaard, S.M.N. (2020). “Platform work in the Nordic models: Issues, cases and responses.” Report from: The Future of Work: Opportunities and challenges for the Nordic models, Oslo: Nordic council of ministers; 2020.

Klein, N. (2007). “The Shock Doctrine, The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” New York: Picador.

Mason, P. (2016). “Postcapitalism: A guide to our future Macmillan” London: Penguin Books:

Masoud, K. and Jönsson, J. H. (2018). Preference in “Neoliberalism, Nordic welfare states and social work: Current and future challenges.” Oxfordshire: Routledge.

Mavelli, L. (2020). “Neoliberalism as Religion: Sacralization of the Market and Post-truth Politics,” “International Political Sociology” 14(1): 57-76. DOI: 10.1093/ips/olz021

McKenzie, W. (2014). “Digital Labor and the Anthropocene” DIS Magazine, November 29, 2014.

Monbiou, G. (2016). “Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems”. The Guardian, April 15, 2016.

Morse, J. M. (2008). “Confusing Categories and Themes” “Qualitative Health Research” 18(6): 727-728. DOI: 10.1177/1049732308314930.

Mydske, P. K. Claes, D. H, Lie, A. (2007). “Nyliberalisme – ideer og politisk virkelighet” Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.

Norges taxiforbund, OsloTaxi, Bytaxi and Christiania taxi (2018). Report: “Systematisering av høringssvarene til Samferdselsdepartementets forslag til endringer i drosjereguleringen” [A systematization of the consultation statements regarding the Ministry of Transport`s suggestion to change the taxi regulations]

Oppegaard, S.M.N. Ilsøe, A, Jesnes, K. Rolandsson, B and Saloniemi, A. (2019). “Uber in the Nordic countries: Challenges and adjustments” Nordic future of work Brief 1.

Oppegaard, S.M.N “Gig- Og Plattformøkonomien i Den Norske Arbeidslivsmodellen – Forutsetninger Og Konsekvenser. En Casestudie Av Uber Black i Oslo” [The gig- and platform economy in the Norwegian working life model - preconditions and consequences. A case study of Uber Black in Oslo] “Norwegian Journal of Working Life Studies” 37(3): 168-182. DOI: 10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2020-03-03

Oppegaard, S.N.M. (2021). “Regulating Flexibility: Uber’s Platform as a Technological Work Arrangement,” “Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies” 11(1): 109-127. DOI: 10.18291/njwls.122197

Purcell, C. Brook, P. (2020). “At Least I’m My Own Boss! Explaining Consent, Coercion and Resistance in Platform Work” “Work, Employment and Society”, 00(0): 1-16. DOI: 10.1177/0950017020952661

Regjeringen.no. (2020). “Spørsmål og svar om nytt drosjeregelverk” [Questions and answers about the new taxi regulations]. August 14, 2020.

Rosenblat, A. (2019). “Uberland: how algorithms are rewriting the rules of work” Oakland, California: University of California Press.

Rosenblat, A. (2018). “Uber shows us that technology is political – not neutral” The Globe and Mail, November 9, 2018.

Scholz, T. (2017). “Platform Cooperativism vs. the Sharing Economy”. “Big Data & Civic Engagement” ed. Douay, N. and Wan, A. Milan: Planum publisher, pp: 47- 54.

Schwab, K. (2016). “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” World Economic Forum, January 14, 2016.

Schildt, H. (2018). “Servants: Algorithmic management of work”. Unpublished, working draft. Helsinki: Aalto School of Business.

Slavic, Z. (2015) “Taxi drivers: ethnic segmentation, precarious work, and informal economic strategies in the Swedish taxi industry,” “Journal of Business Anthropology” 4(2): 298-319. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22439/jba.v4i2.4894

Slee, T. (2017). “What's Yours Is Mine: Against the Sharing Economy” New York: OR Books.

Swick, A. (2018) “Welcome to the Gig Economy: neoliberal industrial relations and the case of Uber,” “GeoJournal” 83(4): 679-691. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-017-9793-8

Van Doorn, N. (2017). “Platform labor: on the gendered and racialized exploitation of low-income service work in the ‘on-demand’ economy” “Communication, Information & Society” 20(6): 898-914. DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2017.1294194

Vassenden, A. (2018) “Productive Anomalies. Theory Development in Empirical Sociology,” “Norwegian Journal of Sociology” 2(2): 145-163. DOI: 10.18261/issn.2535-2512-2018-02-03

Westregård, A. (2020). “Digital collaborative platforms: A challenge for both the legislator and the social partners in the Nordic model” “European Labour Law Journal” 11(2): 142-153. DOI: 10.1177/2031952520905154.

Downloads

Published

2022-06-20

How to Cite

Staalhane, H. H., & Vassenden, A. (2022). A Tailspin for Taxi Drivers: Platform Labor, Deregulations, and a Migrant Occupation. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.129365

Issue

Section

Articles