Abstract
Digital labour platforms, which have long operated outside conventional employment frameworks, are now facing a regulatory drive. Spain seems to be at the forefront of this international effort, notably through a set of legislative initiatives – most prominently the so-called Ley Rider. Based on an 18-month extended qualitative case study involving various stakeholders, this article assesses the extent to which Spain has succeeded in re-embedding platform-based couriers within conventional employment relationships. Findings reveal mixed outcomes. While workers have achieved fixed salaries, paid leave and social protection, practices such as outsourcing, involuntary part-time work and intensified control and surveillance have eroded expectations of fair treatment, autonomy and mutual trust. The ineffectiveness of legal initiatives granting workers’ representatives access to platform algorithms further underscores the challenges involved.