Maija Spuriņa (Project Leader, lead project participant)

Iveta Ķešāne (Lead project participant)

Liene Ozoliņa (Lead project participant)

Anda Laķe (Lead project participant)

Sabīne Ozola (Student project participant)

Anna Marija Kučinska (Student project participant)

Laura Brutāne (Student project participant)

Oto Kregzde (Student project participant)

Amanda Bizauska (Student project participant)

Arina Muravjova (Student project participant)

Lote Katrīna Cērpa (Student project participant)

The project will be implemented in four Working Packages.

WP1 -  Context Analysis.

At this stage of the research of the project we will collect data on the context in which food delivery gig-work is practiced in Riga, Latvia, using a diversity of sources and methods. This will involve: (1) interviews with representatives of Wolt and Bolt and discursive analysis of their public communication materials with the purpose to draft a history of Wolt and Bolt companies and their PR communication and strategies for development, as well as define corporate understanding of “autonomy” as it is publicly communicated to general public and to the workers; (2) analysis of normative framework and, if necessary, other systematizing interviews with local shareholders to derive a description of current institutional context of gig-work in general and delivery gig-work specifically in Riga, Latvia.

WP2  - Fieldwork.

At this stage of the research we will carry out the fieldwork. It will involve the following activities: (1) interviewing - of at least 60 delivery workers (30 – Wolt, 30 – Bolt) with a diverse sociodemographic profile; (2) participant observation - 8-10 fieldworkers engaged as Wolt and Bolt platforms as delivery workers will each work as a delivery worker for at least a month. All interviews will be transcribed and together with fieldnotes will constitute the empirical data of the project.  The proceedings of the research will be communicated via the project website.

WP3 – Data Analysis and Interpretation.

At this stage we will analyse the data harvested through the field work. We will do: (1)  the constructionist thematic analysis and combine it with the contextual analysis done in WP1; (2) Depending on our analysis and interpretation, at this stage we might possibly return to field work or contextual analysis in order to gain more information; (3) Based on this thematic data analysis we will plan and elaborate on thematic focuses of peer-review publications.

WP4 – Communication of the Results  - Academic Publications, Art Project, Conferences.

At this stage, we will: (1) draft the manuscripts for publications. Final results of the projects will be presented in four academic articles and submitted to relevant peer-reviewed journals of good academic standing. Potential  journals for these un subsequent publications might be Sociological Review, New Media and Society, Critical Sociology, and Media, Culture & Society or similar; (2) prepare policy recommendations and communicate policy recommendations to the appropriate governmental and non-governmental bodies; (3) communicate the results to appropriate audiences in academic and non-academic settings via the project website and social media; (4) develop a script for a performative arts project in a close collaboration with an arts professional.

Policy recommendations for more effective governance of the platform economy in Latvia 

09.01.2025.  

As a result of the project, the research team has drawn conclusions and recommendations that can be useful for policy makers and other responsible institutions in Latvia to manage the platform economy more effectively and to ensure greater social protection and well-being of its workers. These conclusions and recommendations are particularly relevant now, given that Latvia has until spring 2026 to implement the new EU Directive on Platform Work. The Directive aims to strengthen the labour rights of platform workers.  

The policy recommendations (in Latvian) can be found at https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/rezultati/politikas-rekomendacijas/

The final symposium of the research The Man Behind the Box in Research and Art 

29.12.2024.  

On December 17, the symposium The Man Behind the Box in Research and Art took place. In the first part of the symposium, project leader Maija Spuriņa, lead researcher Iveta Ķešāne and one of the students involved in the research Sabīne Ozola presented the academic results of the research. The second part was dedicated to two creative projects – Krista Burāne's upcoming performance Delivered on Time and Daniil Silovs' upcoming documentary Invisible People.  

In the third part of the symposium, the discussion on the work of platforms brought together research leader Maija Spuriņa, sociologist Oksana Žabko, urban planner and social anthropologist Viesturs Celmiņš, expert of the Union of Free Trade Unions Natalja Preisa and Director General of the Latvian Employers' Confederation Kaspars Gorkšs.  

A recording (in Latvian) of the symposium is available at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2024/12/29/petijuma-nosleguma-simpozijs-cilveks-aiz-kastes-petnieciba-un-maksla/ 

The journal Academic Life publishes an article on platform employment in Riga 

22.12.2024.  

The University of Latvia journal Academic Life, issue 60, published an article by Iveta Kešāne and Maija Spuriņa Platform employment in Riga: insecurity, autonomy and individualisation of one's well-being in a mutually distrustful society in Latvian. The article provides an insight into three aspects of the research: the diversity and sociological typology of workers on food delivery platforms, the affective inhibitions of the fight against insecurity, and the contradictory relationship between autonomy and control in platform work.  

The article is available at: https://journal.lu.lv/adz/article/view/2428/2359 

Participation in the Latvian Radio programme Culture rondo: a look at the everyday life of food couriers in Latvia through a cultural lens 

17.12.2024.  

On December 16, 2024, the research team – Maija Spuriņa, Iveta Ķešāne and Sabīne Ozola, as well as playwright Krista Burāne met with Gustavs Terzens on Latvian Radio's Kultūras rondo programme.  

How can our social reality – our fellow human beings who serve us not only through apps but also in real physical contact – be translated into the language of art? What is the "cyberproletariat" and the "resentment" that accumulates while doing our work and why?  

A publication on the conversation (in Latvian): https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/kultura/kulturtelpa/17.12.2024-turies-pasapzina-turies-skats-uz-ediena-kurjeru-ikdienu-latvija-caur-kulturas-aci.a580585/  

Recording(in Latvian): https://lr1.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/kulturas-rondo/simpozijs-cilveks-aiz-kastes-petnieciba-un-maksla-edienu-piegade.a200623/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIbAKNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbfnMkfIqNM80jhklclho-0-KFiplB5XoWd9FYl1DoUuaoLyAyrmnG4tkg_aem_-ugjEDIa3MMpvYg9QoIWrA 

Participation in a scientific conference in Romania 

13.12.2024.  

On December 11 and 12, 2024, in Romania, Sabīne Ozola, a student involved in the project, participated in the scientific conference Tendencies of Knowledge and Social Development in the 21st Century, organised by the University of Alba Iulia, with her paper Subjective Perceptions Of Self-Employment Status Among Food Delivery Couriers. Sabīne presented the data from the project to researchers from different fields of sociology, explaining how food delivery couriers perceive and understand self-employment status. 

Participation in the webinar Platform work: opportunities and challenges in Latvia organised by the State Labour Inspectorate 

30.10.2024. 

On October 30, researcher Maija Spuriņa participated in a webinar Platform work: opportunities and challenges in Latvia organised by the State Labour Inspectorate to discuss issues related to platform work in Latvia and its impact on the working environment and working conditions. 

Participation in the international conference organised by Riga Stradiņš University in Riga 

11.10.2024. 

On October 11, researchers Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Kešāne participated in the international conference The Getaway Conference: Mobilities, Societies, the State, and Detoxing, which took place in Riga. Iveta Kešāne presented her paper Why does class resentment not transform into political action?A study of the food delivery workers' affective dispositions in the capital of Latvia, explaining how the affective dispositions of members of the same occupational group explain their political (in)action towards their employers.   

Maija Spuriņa's paper Creating an illusion of control in gig-work: Analysis of Bolt Food communication to food delivery couriers in Riga shed light on the everyday reality of food delivery couriers by critically analysing the communication of the food delivery platform Bolt Food with its courier partners via Telegram messages. 

More information about the conference: https://www.rsu.lv/en/getaway-conference 

Participation in the European Sociological Association conference Tension, Trust and Transformation in Portugal 

02.09.2024.  

August 27 to 30, the European Sociological Association conference Tension, Trust and Transformation took place in Porto, Portugal. Researchers Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Ķešāne presented papers Creating an Illusion of Control in Gig-work: Why class discontent does not translate into political action? and Why Does Class Resentment Not Transform Into Political Action? A Study Of The Food Delivery Workers' Affective Dispositions In Capital Of Latvia. 

An article on a sociological typology of platform job insecurity published in Social Inclusion 

26.06.2024. 

The 2024 Special Issue No.12 of Cogatio's Social Inclusion magazine, The Global Extinction of Decent Work? Precarity, Exploitation and Work-Based Suffering in the Neoliberal Era includes an article by Iveta Kešāne and Maija Spuriņa A Sociological Typology of Insecurity Platforms at Work: an Analysis of the Experiences of Wolt and Bolt Food Food Delivery Couriers in Riga.  

The journal is indexed in Scopus and Web of Science databases with a citation index (CiteScore) of 3.5 and ranks among the 25% most highly cited social science journals.  

Original article available at: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/7696   

A summary of the article in Latvian is available at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2024/06/26/iveta-kesane-maija-spurina-nedrosibas-platformu-darba-sociologiska-tipologija/  

Participation in the International Labour Processes Conference in Germany 

06.04.2024.  

Researchers Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Ķešāne attended the International Labour Processes Conference at the University of Göttingen from 3 to 5 April. 

Participation in a conference organised by the European Sociological Association and the Irish Sociological Association 

15.02.2024.  

On February 15, researcher Maija Spuriņa participated in the European Sociological Association Research Network RN 03 European Societies in Biographical Perspective and the Irish Sociological Association conference The Role of Trust in Post-Pandemic Societies: Theoretical and Practical Aspects of a Biographical Perspective. At the conference, the researcher presented a paper on Choice and Experience of Food Delivery Gig Work in the Context of Workers' Biographies. 

Article: On symbolic borders, racial prejudice and media representations of couriers 

15.02.2024. 

Recently, the problem of drivers on the streets of Riga whose cars do not meet safety requirements has been widely reported in the Latvian media. The coverage of this topic falsely criminalised food couriers who have entered Latvia from other countries. The media repeatedly reported that food couriers coming from other countries were driving cars in poor condition with Finnish number plates and doing so to save money on insurance and avoid fines for traffic offences.  At the same time, the question was completely ignored: where do the commuters get these cars? Researchers Iveta Kešane and Maija Spuriņa point out in their article that in this way moral boundaries were unconsciously drawn between foreign and domestic couriers, framing immigrants as particularly immoral.  

The full version of the article can be found at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2024/02/15/par-simboliskajam-robezam-rasu-aizspriedumiem-un-kurjeru-reprezentaciju-medijos/  

Participation in the programme In the name of science: Wolt/Bolt: lifestyle or trap? 

30.12.2023. 

On 30 November 2023, researchers Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Ķešāne met with Ieva Siliņa, the host of In the Name of Science, to tell Radio Naba listeners about working on digital platforms.  

Available from: https://naba.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/zinatnes-varda/woltbolt-dzivesstils-vai-slazds-saruna-ar-m.spurinu-un-i.kesani.a184723/  

Read more: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2023/12/30/zinatnes-varda-wolt-bolt-dzivesstils-vai-slazds/  

Article: This week on couriers in Latvian media 

15.12.2023.  

In December, the Latvian media once again repeatedly mentioned the Wolt and Bolt couriers. Researcher Maija Spuriņa has compiled information on what the Latvian media wrote about the agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Parliament to push forward the Platform Work Directive, which focuses on social protection for platform workers, and how the Latvian and Russian perspectives on the topic differ.  

The article can be found at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2023/12/15/maija-spurina-sonedel-par-kurjeriem-latvijas-medijos/  

Participation in the Latvian Academy of Culture conference series Culture Crossroads XVII 

10.11.2023. 

On 10 November 2023, researchers Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Kešāne participated in the thematic section Culture and Inequality of the conference series Culture Crossroads XVII at the Latvian Academy of Culture, presenting the paper Symbolic borders and racism: an analysis of Latvian food couriers' narratives, explaining that Latvian food couriers draw race-based symbolic borders in their narratives, marking their work ethics as morally superior to those of foreigners from African and South Asian countries. At the same time, the meanings and metaphors that emerge around these narratives of moral superiority reflect strong tendencies towards racial discrimination.  

In addition, Sabīne Ozola, a student involved in the project, presented a paper in the section entitled Am I my own boss? Platform-based food delivery couriers' perceptions of self-employed status in the context of neoliberal ideas, arguing that analysing and exploring couriers' narratives helps to explain why they act in certain ways and how social, organisational and cultural aspects influence these actions.  

Conference proceedings: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tkYjfOfhnYLHhAP2l96SY8Zu_YENU4ub/view  

Participation in the International Labour Processes Conference in Glasgow 

19.04.2023.  

From 12 to 14 April 2023, researcher Iveta Kešāne presented a paper at the interdisciplinary conference International Labour Process Conference in Glasgow. The conference brought together researchers from different disciplines – anthropology, sociology, management, political science, law, etc. – to discuss the various manifestations and challenges of the employment phenomenon. Iveta presented a paper entitled The paradox of autonomy in the experience of food couriers in Riga.  

The abstract of the paper can be found at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/en/2023/04/19/iveta-kesane-international-labor-process-conference-in-glasgow/  

Participate in a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) seminar in Bilbao 

22.03.2023.  

On 21 March 2023, researcher Maija Spuriņa participated in a seminar on digital workers organised by EU-OSHA (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work). The seminar was attended by experts and policy makers from EU Member States and EU institutions. EU-OSHA presented a recently completed study on policies and practices related to digital platform working and the impact on occupational safety and health. Experts from other European agencies and research institutes shared their observations on platform employment, its legal framework, the risks involved and policy initiatives that seek to mitigate these risks. At the end of the workshop, all participants had the opportunity to share their experiences and observations on platform work and the risks and challenges it poses, as well as to make suggestions on how to address these challenges.  

Key takeaways from the workshop: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/en/2022/12/15/maija-spurina-eu-osha-seminar-in-bilbao/  

Participation in a conference on automation at Humboldt University in Berlin 

15.12.2022. 

At the beginning of December, the project's principal investigators Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Ķešāne participated in the conference-seminar Automation, Control and Incompetence: socio-technical ecologies of responsible filtration in the 20th and 21st centuries organised by the Humboldt University Excellence Cluster Matters of Activity: Image, Space, Material. In the framework of the conference, both researchers presented a paper Narrated and Practiced Autonomy of Food Delivery Gig-workers in Riga.  

The conference brought together representatives of many academic disciplines – data scientists, designers, historians, communication scientists, sociologists, art historians, lawyers and others – to analyse the historical and cultural-political aspects of automation, as well as the challenges of computer-human interaction and technology design in contemporary societies.  

For more information (in Latvian): https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2022/12/15/seminars-par-automatizaciju-humbolt-universitate-berline/  

Article: On couriers in European and Latvian media 

09.11.2022.  

The experience of food couriers working on the platforms has been widely reported in the European media. In general, the European media problematises the fetishism of the food courier service, that we as consumers enjoy this service, and romanticises the flexible employment opportunities of couriers and the autonomy of employees from their employer, but in this way glosses over the complex and precarious reality that platform workers face on a daily basis. Similarly, European media articles focus on the strikes of food couriers employed on the platforms, in which the couriers are arguing for fairer pay and an employment status that guarantees social protection. In Latvia, the media coverage of food delivery platforms is fundamentally different – it only looks at platforms from the perspective of the consumer.   

The researcher Iveta Kešāne carried out a European media analysis for which all available articles on digital food delivery platforms from digital media such as Eurobserve, Politico, Euronews, as well as selected articles from digital newspapers such as the Guardian, Sifted, Times of Malta, Helsinki Times and Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija (LRT) were selected. All articles were published in the media between 2019 and 2022. All articles on food delivery platforms and couriers in the Latvian media space were selected for the Latvian media analysis. They were published between 2020 and 2022. 

The article (in Latvian) can be found at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/2022/11/09/iveta-kesane-par-kurjeriem-eiropas-un-latvijas-medijos/  

Participation in the Labour Rights Forum 2022 

04.11.2022.  

At the invitation of the Latvian Free Trade Union Union (LBUF), on 3 November 2022 the project's principal researchers Maija Spuriņa and Iveta Ķešāne shared the first findings of the research at the Labour Law Forum 2022. In the context of the European Commission's directive on the protection of platform workers, currently under discussion in the Member States, LBUF was interested to learn about the experience of couriers and the researchers' views on the extent to which couriers qualify as self-employed.  

The data presented at the Forum can be found at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/en/2022/11/07/on-algorithmic-control-and-autonomy/  

Article: Wolt and Bolt – self-presentation on the internet 

04.07.2022.  

How do Wolt and Bolt present themselves in the media? How is the history and development of the companies in Latvia presented, what are the declared values of both companies, and how do the companies address potential courier partners? The researcher and project leader Maija Spuriņa has collected information (obtained in March 2022) from both companies' websites, other forms of communication in the mass media and published interviews with the companies' management between 2020 and February 2022.  

The article can be found at: https://gigwork.lka.edu.lv/en/2022/07/04/wolt-and-bolt-history-visions-and-values/  

Conversation about the Latvian Academy of Culture research on the new platform On the Way 

14.03.2022. 

The research team – Maija Spuriņa, Iveta Ķešāne and Liene Ozoliņa – talked about current cultural phenomena and processes in contemporary Latvia, the sociology of culture and the new research project Understanding and Practice of Autonomy of Employees on Digital Platforms: A cultural sociological analysis of the experiences of Wolt and Bolt delivery workers – what and how it intends to study, what it has to do with culture, and why it is important to have a deeper understanding of digital platforms and related work.  

The aim of the discussion platform On the Way is to gather the views of industry professionals on current developments in the cultural and creative industries, science, creativity and academia, to draw attention to important issues that concern not only industry professionals but also the public, and to present newly discovered issues and current developments. 

(More) 

Digital platforms, transformation of employment relations and socio-cultural context: exploring the experiences of employees working on digital platforms 

01.03.2022. 

On 1 January 2022, researchers and students of the Latvian Academy of Culture started work on the study Perceptions and Practices of Autonomy of Employees on Digital Platforms: a Cultural and Sociological Analysis of the Experience of Wolt and Bolt Delivery Workers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, traditional working relationships – those with employers and colleagues – were increasingly mediated by digital technologies. The results of the research undertaken will provide broader insights into how we see ourselves and social relations in an era that is increasingly mediated by digital technologies. 

(More)