Short of the Week: Reclaiming Work - Countering the gig economy

Cycle courier cooperatives are turning technology on the gig economy giants.

"As a customer, I love the ease of Deliveroo, but I worry about the worker rights, I wish there was a worker-owned alternative," says a commentator on YouTube. Reclaiming Work addresses just that and should be shared far and wide.

Made by Cassie Quarless and Usayd Younis of Black and Brown Film, it tells the story of cycle courier cooperatives who offer a fairer alternative to the likes of Deliveroo and Uber and their exploitative practices. Created to support workers and counter the precariousness and race to the bottom of the gig economy, they are backed by the umbrella organisation and "platform cooperative" CoopCycle. Their aim is to socialise the workplace, offering workers security, protection and adequate wages. A number of such cooperatives have flourished in various countries, such as Spain’s Mensakas or the UK’s York Collective or online marketplace Fairmondo. Let’s hope this model keeps growing.

An uplifting short doc offering hope for the workplace. Much needed at this time.