The Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) Committee hosts a public hearing on the so-called “Uber files”, lobbying and workers’ rights with the intervention of the Uber whistleblower and former Head of Public Policy, Mark MACGANN. Extracts from the hearing.

Brussels

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

SCHMIT, Nicolas (LU, EC)

hearing

collaborative economy (T)

working conditions in the EU (T)

PÎSLARU, Dragoş (Renew, RO)

Uber files, lobbying and workers’ rights: extracts from the Hearing at the EMPL Committee

Title: Uber files, lobbying and workers&#8217; rights: extracts from the Hearing at the EMPL Committee (I-232192)

Arrival of Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower

Dragoş P&Icirc;SLARU, Chair of EMPL Committee and SOUNDBITE (English), Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower

Arrival of Nicolas SCHMIT, European Commissioner for jobs and social rights, and handshake with Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower

SOUNDBITE (English), Dragoş PÎSLARU, Chair of EMPL Committee, A very important point for us on the agenda it's the hearing on Uber files, lobbying and workers rights. The aim of the hearing, just to be very precise, is to give an overview of the situation of drivers in Europe and show to what extent, through Uber's lobbying activities, their workers rights have been affected across Europe, within the scope of existing labour and social rights.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dragoş PÎSLARU, Chair of EMPL Committee, Empowering and protecting people and making inclusive growth a reality in Europe is at the heart of our committee's work and preoccupation, especially now in the context of rising cost of living and accelerated green and digital transition.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower, Today, I am here to call on the European Parliament to defend the interests of drivers and platform workers everywhere. I hope that my testimony today will help you to better understand why giving disproportionate power in legislation to huge tech platforms risks shattering the social justice that this body fought very hard to establish and defend.

SOUNDBITE (English), Dragoş PÎSLARU, Chair of EMPL Committee, Democracy is about protecting the powerless from the powerless from the powerful. Then I believe respectfully it is time to rebalance the scales in this legislative debate. We weaponized our drivers and we weaponized our customers. They were ours to use in the service of the mission. Governments and politicians just needed to get out of the way. Our driving mantra was, Do whatever it takes.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower, Ladies and gentlemen, even in those days, we had disproportionate power. I would encourage the members of this committee to ask for the source data on which such claims are based. I know better than anyone how easy it is to produce and manipulate such such data that supports your messaging. When I was at Uber, we paid academics to use skewed datasets to produce numbers that favoured Uber's position.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower, My view is that when human capital is central to your commercial success, you would better find a way to ensure that your business model works for all your stakeholders, including your workers. Otherwise, sooner or later, your stock price is going to hit the bottom. I still believe that well-organised, transparent lobbying is a fundamental component of a healthy parliamentary democracy.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mark MACGANN, Former Uber lobbyist, Whistleblower, It should be of concern to any Democrat, however, when you reach a point in a legislative debate where the balance of power is so heavily tipped in favour of one side over the other, there is something truly undemocratic happening. That's why I'm here today. I have a voice, and therefore I have a responsibility to help fix what I helped to break. Disruption can be creative, but it doesn't have to be disruptive. Human decency is not a zero sum game.

SOUNDBITE (English), Nicolas SCHMIT, European Commissioner for jobs and social rights, The Commission has adopted an ambitious, yet balanced proposal for a directive last December to improve working conditions in the platform economy, ensure a level playing field and supported sustainable development.

SOUNDBITE (English), Nicolas SCHMIT, European Commissioner for jobs and social rights, And I have always repeated that our aim is not to destruct or to destroy platforms, or to make life for platforms impossible in Europe, because platforms respond also to a new way of life, to new demands in our society. But you cannot build a business model on the social regression, on ignoring the social guarantees which have been established all over during decades and decades.