This report presents the findings of the Polish case study within the European research project GDPoweR – Recovering workers’ data to negotiate and monitor collective agreements in the platform economy. It analyses platform work in the ride-hailing and food delivery sectors, focusing on three interconnected areas: the regulatory context and characteristics of platform work, collective bargaining dynamics, and the collection and use of workers’ data by digital labour platforms. The research combines desk studies, focus groups with workers and trade unionists, interviews with activists, and an innovative data recovery and analysis exercise involving platform workers’ personal data obtained via GDPR requests.
Platform work in Poland has grown significantly since 2014 but remains poorly regulated, largely operating through civil law or B2B contracts. Legislative measures, such as the "Lex Uber" law, have primarily addressed licensing and consumer safety rather than improving employment rights. The widespread use of intermediaries, especially fleet partners, further obscures employment relationships and limits platforms' accountability towards workers. Most platform workers, especially young people and migrants, experience precarious working conditions, low pay, informal employment, and minimal access to social protections. Although a small proportion of workers engage in platform work regularly, their structural vulnerability underscores the need for systemic regulatory reforms.
Despite Poland’s constitutional protection of trade union rights, collective bargaining remains extremely limited in the platform economy. Legal frameworks are poorly suited to the realities of platform work, and the fragmented, transitional nature of the workforce inhibits unionisation efforts. Workers fear retaliation, such as account deactivation, and traditional trade unions often lack the strategies and resources to effectively organise platform workers. Although some grassroots initiatives have emerged — notably the successful unionisation at Pyszne.pl — formal collective agreements in the sector are absent.
The study also highlights critical concerns around the collection and use of worker data by platforms. Workers have limited awareness of how their data is collected, used, or impacts their job security and earnings. Opaque algorithmic management practices contribute to a broader sense of surveillance, disempowerment, and confusion among workers, reinforcing inequalities and limiting their ability to advocate for fairer conditions.
The report concludes that improving industrial relations and collective bargaining in the Polish platform economy requires ambitious regulatory reforms, especially regarding the role of intermediaries. It also calls for greater data transparency and empowering workers and unions to access, interpret, and use data to negotiate better working conditions. Without decisive action, Poland’s platform economy risks entrenching precariousness and undermining fundamental labour rights.
