The gig economy has made it possible for individuals to capitalize on the surplus value in a product or their spare time. However, the companies who operate in the gig economy see themselves as tech companies and state that they only provide an intermediary platform where a customer and a gig worker can meet. Other than that, they don’t assume any responsibility for the performance of the service. This position is also possible to discern in the companies terms of service, who the customer needs to accept to be able to use the platform.                        Tort law states a vicarious liability in general for the employees of the company. However, this raises the question regarding who is to be seen as a worker.  Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to place the gig economy in the context of traditional tort law. As this is a new societal phenomenon, it is of interest to further analyze the socio-economic consequences of the result.                        To fulfill the purpose, the thesis applies the accepted legal sources, namely, legislation and its legislative history, court practice and literature of jurisprudence. The legislation does not define the term worker, therefore other legal sources need to be applied. Necessary material from doctrine and practice is also used in the description of whether contractual clauses can be adjusted. This material then forms the basis for a concrete application of the law. Based on this result, a legal economic perspective is then applied to answer whether the current legal situation entails an effective cost distribution in society.                       Gig work as such is not a uniform type of work but consists of two different categories that are also sorted into sub-categories that also differ depending on the platform. However, the vicarious liability should be possible to apply in all cases. What has mainly led to that conclusion is that the financial reasons behind the vicarious liability must have a material effect.                          In two cases vicarious liability has not been applicable due to the effect of the companies terms of service. In the first case since the cost of damage is likely to be of a low value. Therefore, no intervening effect occurs. In the second case, compensation is already paid to the injured party as in these cases there is a requirement that the gig worker has valid insurance.                       The gig economy consists of various possibilities for the principal to monitor the work. This creates an incentive for the gig worker to exercise the necessary caution as otherwise he or she risks losing his job. Thus, an overall economic efficiency arises in society as the platform can internalize this cost within the company instead of placing it on the injured party hence the worker assumes to be insolvent under a rule of personal liability. Surprisingly, the companies in those cases where a rule of personal liability occurs are also the ones who take the most measures to prevent injury. However, the worker assumes to demand to be compensated for the risks that he or she undertakes. Therefore, the cost of production increase and economic welfare decline as a result as the companies needs to charge higher prices.

Med huvudsakligt fokus på budföretaget Foodora och de otrygga arbetsförhållanden som växer fram i samband med gig-ekonomins utbredning har denna studie som syfte att bilda en djupare förståelse för hur det fackliga arbetet påverkas, samt vilka huvudsakliga utmaningar som finns med att höja den fackliga organisationsgraden inom företaget Foodora. Det teoretiska ramverk som använts genom studien utgörs av Guy Standings teori om prekariatet. Standing framhåller hur prekariatet är en klass i vardande som idag växer fram till följd av de otrygga förhållanden denna grupp tvingas förhålla sig till. För att besvara studiens syfte har en kvalitativ metod använts där semistrukturerade intervjuer med fackligt anställda på Svenska Transportarbetarförbundet utgjort vårt empiriska material. Vår slutsats visar hur det fackliga arbetet påverkas negativt av hur de potentiella medlemmarna befinner sig i otrygga arbetsförhållanden och därför upplever det som riskfyllt att engagera sig fackligt. Vi identifierade främst hur en avsaknad av anställning-, inkomst- och representationstrygghet hos buden orsakade svårigheter för Transport med att organisera gruppen. Vi kunde även identifiera att det främst är migranter som anställs inom Foodora, där både den typ av dubbla otrygghet individen befinner sig i, samt kulturella skillnader och språkliga barriärer var försvårande i arbetet med att organisera gruppen fackligt. / With the main focus on the company Foodora and the precarious working conditions that emerge in connection with the gig economy, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of how union work is affected and which primary challenges there are in reaching a higher level of trade union organization within the company Foodora. The theoretical framework used in the study is based on Guy Standing’s theory concerning the precariat. Standing emphasizes how the precariat is a becoming class whose growth is caused by the precarious work conditions that this group is forced to adhere to. The basis for gathering our empirical material has been a qualitative method with semi structured interviews with employees organized within the Transport union. Our results show that there is a negative attitude towards engaging in organized unions among the potential members since they perceive it as a risk, which then has a negative effect on the work of the union. We identified that the lack of insecurity with employment, insecurity with salary and lack of representation caused problems when trying to organize members in the trade union. We could also identify that those who are mainly employed at Foodora are immigrants, who are affected by insecurity based on various interplaying factors. Caused by the lack of civil rights as well as the lack of work-related safety. The cultural and linguistic barriers, in combination with the insecurity within the group caused obstacles when trying to organize members in the trade union.