Greek Labour Minister Niki Kerameus has introduced legislation curbing algorithmic management on food delivery platforms such as efood, Wolt and BOX to protect couriers.
The draft bill from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security places automated workplace systems under strict human supervision, prohibiting companies from relying entirely on algorithms to allocate orders, set pay rates, or cancel worker accounts.
Thousands of delivery riders across Greece will gain the right to inspect how automated tools evaluate their performance, dispute negative appraisals, and request formal reviews of decisions that affect their employment status.
Human oversight for order allocation and ratings
Under the existing setup, delivery applications use algorithms to distribute incoming orders, monitor courier speed, and calculate productivity scores without human intervention. These automated calculations directly influence how much money riders make, their daily shift terms, and whether platforms continue contracting them.
The new legal framework requires companies to overhaul their dispatch formulas. Automated software will no longer be permitted to assess workers without accounting for real world conditions that delay deliveries.
Under the legislation, performance evaluations must consider adverse weather conditions, the physical distance between pickup and drop-off locations, the number of simultaneous orders assigned to a rider, and the realistic journey times required for each route.
The ministry said couriers cannot be penalised exclusively on delivery speed when delays arise from external factors outside their control. Human managers must supervise the evaluation process so technology does not serve as the sole judge of worker performance.
Food delivery services have expanded rapidly across Greek cities in recent years, with couriers on mopeds and bicycles navigating congested streets in Athens and Thessaloniki. Labour advocates have frequently raised concerns about rider safety, particularly during severe heatwaves and winter downpours.
Strict bans on monitoring sensitive personal data
The draft law introduces strict boundaries on the collection and processing of personal information by digital platforms. Companies will face clear legal restrictions prohibiting them from feeding sensitive personal data into management algorithms.
Platforms are explicitly barred from processing information concerning the psychological state and medical history of couriers, their racial origin, their biometric characteristics, and their private communications.
This prohibition aims to curb intrusive workplace surveillance, ensuring tech companies cannot harvest private details that have no bearing on a courier delivering an order.
Workers will also gain a statutory right to understand how automated dispatch tools work. Platforms must disclose the operational criteria behind their algorithms, what data sets they collect, and how automated decisions are calculated.
Riders who receive an unfavourable algorithmic rating will have the legal right to demand a written explanation and an independent review. The bill also compels businesses to address health and safety risks tied to algorithmic pressure, including workplace intensification and demands to complete more deliveries in shorter timeframes.
New digital platform registry in ERGANI system
The draft bill establishes a dedicated Digital Platform Register within Greece's central ERGANI labour information system to monitor the gig economy.
Operating companies will be legally required to report every individual delivering services through their applications, alongside comprehensive operational figures regarding their workforce.
The ERGANI registry will record the total number of people engaged by each platform, the general terms of their contracts, their average working hours, their average income, and any third party intermediaries or fleet subcontractors used to supply labour.
The ERGANI platform serves as the Greek state's primary electronic employment registry, tracking hires, dismissals, and shift patterns across the country. Government officials expect the new specialised platform register to provide labour inspectors with a clear view of working conditions, pay standards, and contractual models throughout the app delivery market.
Presumption of employee status in contracts
The proposed legislation preserves the right of platforms to hire couriers under different contractual models. Companies may continue engaging delivery staff either as direct employees under dependent labour contracts or as self employed independent contractors providing services.
The reform introduces a rebuttable presumption of dependent employment whenever specific operational criteria outlined in the law are met.
This provision empowers couriers to assert that they are genuine employees entitled to statutory labour protections, regardless of what label a platform writes into a service contract. The clause targets disguised employment, tackling arrangements where platforms manage workers as staff while classifying them as freelancers to limit corporate liabilities.
Similar employment presumptions have been advanced across the European Union under the European Platform Work Directive, which seeks to clarify the employment status of gig workers and guarantee basic social rights for app based labour.
Ban on automated dismissals and account terminations
Among the most consequential measures in the bill is an outright ban on automated terminations. Delivery platforms will be barred from restricting account activity, suspending accounts, or permanently deactivating workers through automated software alone.
Human review will become mandatory for every disciplinary action. Platform representatives must assess the specific circumstances of each case before cutting off a courier, preventing wrongful dismissals caused by automated algorithmic flags.
Sudden account deactivations have long represented one of the most acute risks for gig economy couriers, because an algorithmic lockout instantly cuts off their ability to earn a living without warning or explanation.
Under the legislation, couriers facing unfair termination will have the right to lodge complaints with the Labour Inspectorate. Workers will also gain statutory rights to financial compensation and legal protection against wrongful dismissal.
The Labour Inspectorate, known in Greece as the SEPE, operates as an independent public body tasked with enforcing workplace safety regulations, reviewing disputes, and sanctioning companies that violate employment laws.
The Labour Ministry said the new legislation establishes a comprehensive protection framework for delivery workers and other platform staff, setting definitive limits on workplace artificial intelligence and restoring human accountability to employment decisions.
