The food delivery service Wolt’s office in Helsinki on 18 June 2025. Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva
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Food delivery platform Wolt is asking Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court to annul its recent ruling that classified Wolt couriers as employees, not independent entrepreneurs. The company claims the decision misapplied legal principles and failed to consider relevant EU case law.
Wolt confirmed on Tuesday it had filed for annulment of the May ruling, which reshaped the legal landscape for platform-based work in Finland. The decision found that Wolt’s couriers operate under conditions that resemble employment, citing limited autonomy and control exercised by the platform.
In a statement, Wolt said it believes the court erred in both its legal reasoning and its handling of the case. The company pointed to the EU Court of Justice’s “Yodel” judgment on platform work, which the Finnish court dismissed without seeking a preliminary ruling from the EU court on how the Working Time Directive should apply.
“We believe we have strong grounds for annulment,” Wolt said, citing opinions from two legal experts supporting its position.
The company warned that the ruling may have far-reaching consequences for various sectors using digital platforms, including healthcare, domestic services and childcare.
Wolt is also exploring how courier work could continue as both employment and entrepreneurship outside the scope of Finland’s Working Time Act. It said this will require dialogue with relevant authorities.
The court’s original decision reversed a 2024 ruling by the Hämeenlinna Administrative Court, which had accepted Wolt’s position that its couriers act as self-employed contractors.
Since the May verdict, Finland’s Immigration Service (Migri) has suspended approvals of entrepreneur-based residence permits for applicants whose business activity is limited to courier work with Wolt.
Dozens of foreign couriers who obtained or applied for such permits now face legal uncertainty and, in some cases, possible deportation.
The broader status of platform work in Finland remains legally unsettled. Wolt said it supports clearer national legislation aligned with the EU Platform Work Directive.
The directive, which is currently being implemented across member states, aims to ensure proper classification of platform workers while preserving flexibility.
Wolt said the Finnish ruling could influence how other forms of digitally mediated work are regulated, and called on lawmakers to establish sustainable rules that reflect modern labour markets.
The company said it will continue discussions with authorities to find workable models for flexible work that comply with Finnish and EU law.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
