Platform work is often advocated as offering freedom of work to labour. Contesting this claim, this article undertakes a comparative analysis of the pros and cons of food delivery platform work prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and argues that the freedom of food delivery platform workers is essentially an ‘illusory freedom’. In reality, platform work has only changed mechanisms through which companies can exercise control over labour and evade their employer obligations. As a case, the article examines the illusory freedom of food delivery platform workers associated to Uber Eats in Japan. The collective bargaining efforts of food delivery workers against the excessive control of Uber Eats and the extent of success of these efforts are also examined. The article concludes by discussing the possible factors that have undermined the effectiveness of the collective bargaining efforts of the labour union.

JEL Codes: J52; J81

经常提倡平台工作为劳动提供工作自由。对此主张提出异议，本文对COVID-19大流行之前和期间食品配送平台工作的利弊进行了比较分析，并认为食品配送平台工人的自由本质上是一种“虚幻的自由”。实际上，平台工作只是改变了机制，公司可以通过该机制对劳动力进行控制并逃避其雇主义务。作为案例，本文考察了与日本Uber Eats相关的送餐平台工作人员的虚幻自由。还研究了送餐工人针对Uber Eats过度控制而进行的集体谈判努力，以及这些努力的成功程度。

JEL代码：J52；J81