Self-Employed Workers and Collective Action: A Necessary Response to Increasing Income Inequality

• Orsola Razzolini ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Milan

     University of Milan

     Milán, Italia

     
• Localización: Comparative labor law and policy journal, ISSN 1095-6654, Vol. 42, Nº. 2, 2021, págs. 293-326
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • According to European reports, the number of working poor has increased substantially in the self-employment sector.

    European collected data reveal that the in-work poverty risk rate for self-employed workers (with and especially without employees) is now much higher than that for ordinary employees.

    Being self-employed or working as a professional (lawyer, architect, engineer) is no longer a status symbol of wealth, independence, and power as it was in the past. In Italy, lawyers—who cannot be classified as ordinary employees but independent contractors—declare an average annual income of €38,620 with sensible disparities between men (€51,827) and women (€23,357), north (€55,775) and south (€23,205).

    A report about the publishing sector points out that freelancers declare less than €15,000 per year;

    the median annual earning for male architects and engineers does not exceed €35,500, while it is slightly over €18,000 for females.

    From a broader perspective, a 2017 analysis shows that the number of Italian freelancers and other unregulated self-employed workers amounted to 370,000 with a growth of 67% from 2008–2017. In the same period, as a response to increased competition amongst workers, the median annual income decreased by 24.5%, reaching €16,200 in 2017.

    In 2015, the Consulta dei Professionisti (CGIL) presented a report outlining the increasing need for unionization perceived by several independent professionals (including lawyers, artisans, architects, engineers, psychologists, journalists, editors, photo-reporters, actors, consultants, and so on) who were in a position of vulnerability and disparity. Of these professionals, 31.7% claimed protection against the risk of sickness, 34.5% against the risk of unemployment, 24.7% complained about the inadequacy of pension schemes, 68.5% declared they had no bargaining power about wages or time, and 76% declared they had a non-union experience.

    It is worth noting that many professionals (especially lawyers) are generally hostile towards unions because they are too focused on employment and thus, are unable to understand or interpret self-employed interests and needs. As a result, they favor new forms of collective organization.

    Similarly, in the United Kingdom, and in the United States, following the successful experience of Freelancers Union, self-employed Instagram influencers are trying to form new unions—AIC, TCU, IG Meme Union—to fight discrimination, achieve proper protections and transparent working conditions, eliminate exploitative practices by brands.