Resumen El artículo identifica las problemáticas que caracterizan a las condiciones laborales de los repartidores de dos plataformas de reparto a domicilio –la catalana Glovo y la colombina Rappi– que operan desde 2018 en varias ciudades argentinas. A partir de una investigación basada en entrevistas a trabajadores y trabajadoras, análisis de foros y redes sociales, observaciones de campo y relevamiento de prensa se analiza la situación en el empleo de los repartidores, en lo que se refiere a la relación entre la plataforma y su papel como empleador y al reconocimiento de estos en su carácter de trabajadores. A partir de una visión de conjunto, las condiciones laborales se describen como preocupantes porque reflejan el trato injusto que reciben los trabajadores y trabajadoras de plataformas. Se analiza también la naturaleza de la gestión algorítmica y su impacto sobre la organización del trabajo. Finalmente, el artículo se interroga sobre las dificultades que tienen los repartidores para organizarse de manera colectiva y presenta las estrategias que han desplegado los trabajadores de plataformas para hacer oír sus reclamos.

The growth of offshored services has brought about an important flux of jobs from developed towards developing countries. In this context, outsourced call centres, with their complex insertion of services across countries and organisations, demonstrate a high potential to create jobs, thus influencing the labour markets of a particular country. However, there are some doubts about the quality, longevity and working conditions that these jobs afford. This article uses the conceptual background of global value chains and global networks in order to analyse the impact of outsourcing and offshoring call centre activities on the employment practices, organisation, management and quality of jobs in the receiving economy of Argentina.

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the possibilities and the limits of trade union action under offshoring processes and relocation of activities. The guiding idea is that the difference between relocation processes are determined by the rules that governs labor markets and protects the workforce determine as well as by the level of organization and bargaining power of workers. The reserch area of this paper is an activity that is strongly impacted by the offshoring process: the customer care services of the call centers in Argentina. The issues adressed here refer to the workers strategies oriented to maintain the gains achieved in the concrete level of employment relationchips and to advance on the field of labor rights. Broadly, the analysis shows the deeper challenges of the unión action to adress the permanent corporate restructurings, emphasizing that the workforce can only regain bargaining power with greater unit at the sectorial level. This implies supported on strategies that go beyond the problems of each individual company and even beyond national borders.

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