Platform unionism in Georgia: Rocky path toward better social security

Abstract

This study examines the mobilization of platform workers in Georgia and the role of mainstream unions in their struggle for labor and social rights. While existing literature explores the varied outcomes of cooperation between mainstream and grassroots unions in shaping the labor movement, less attention has been given to the implications of such cooperation for platform workers’ social security. Findings suggest that mainstream unions have played a pivotal role in organizing platform workers. However, their strategic focus on legal enactment has proven less effective in Georgia’s context, where fundamental social safety nets are lacking. Despite the emergence of platform unionism, this narrow legalistic approach has failed to deliver substantive improvements in platform workers’ social security. The findings suggest that meaningful progress requires both mainstream and grassroots unions to expand their advocacy beyond legal reclassification. A more comprehensive approach – incorporating broader social policy reforms – is essential to ensuring social security for platform workers.