Theorising labour unrest and trade unionism in the platform economy
Open accessAbstract
The article develops a novel conceptualisation of labour unrest and trade unionism in the platform economy, extending current understandings in two ways. First, we situate platform work historically, in the longue durée of paid work under capitalism. Secondly, we introduce a consideration of social structure into debates on union practices often framed in terms of agency. Building on Silver and the Webbs, we highlight the importance in platform work of associational power over structural power; legal enactment over collective bargaining; and geographical over workplace unionism. While mainly a theoretical article, we draw on empirical evidence from research into platform work over five years, comprising interviews, case study, observation and documentary analysis. We conclude that platform labour unrest and unionism bear marked similarities with 19th century forms rather than the 20th century models that often dominate industrial relations perspectives. Consequently, unions organising platform workers should consider adapting their approach accordingly.
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Workers politicize their conditions, engage in informal organizing, and form networks aimed at collective resistance.
“Workers politicize their conditions, engage in informal organizing [27, 71], and form networks aimed at collective resistance [7].”
From 'The plan is just survival': Data Work in Kenya and the Regime of Entrapment (2026) · cites this paper as [71]
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Barandiaran, X. E., Calleja-López, A., Monterde, A., & Romero, C. (2024) · SpringerBriefs in Political Science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-50784-7 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
'The plan is just survival': Data Work in Kenya and the Regime of Entrapment
Kapania, S., Yang, T., Abdelkadir, N. A., Scheuerman, M. K., Miceli, M., Taylor, A. S., & Fox, S. E. (2026) · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3772318.3791097 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Workers politicize their conditions, engage in informal organizing [27, 71], and form networks aimed at collective resistance [7].”
- Authors
- Joyce, S., Stuart, M., & Forde, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Leeds (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Joyce, Simon
- Venue
- New Technology, Work and Employment
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2022-07-15
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 21-40
- ISSN
- 0268-1072 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-005X
- OpenAlex
- W4285594434
- Cited by
- 88
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 23.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- New Technology Work and Employment (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Labor Movements and Unions
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Industrial relations › Legal and Labor Studies
- Keywords
- platform work, labour unrest, labor movement, platform economy, associational power, structural power, collective bargaining, workplace unionism, union organizing, labor relations
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