Representing Solo Self-Employed Workers: The Strengthening of Relations between Traditional and New Collective Actors in Industrial Relations

Abstract

To date, the emergence of representation of hitherto under-represented workers has mainly been analysed in terms of strategic choices of traditional industrial relations actors. This study – focused on solo self-employed workers (SSE) – instead analyses the interactions between unions, employer organisations and new collective actors, namely SSE associations. More specifically, drawing on a comparative ethnography conducted in three European countries, it conceptualises the representation of SSE as a ‘subfield’ of the ‘parent field’ of employee and employer representation and shows how interactions between traditional and new collective actors consolidate the subfield of SSE representation by also shaping the industrial relations’ institutions. This article thus contributes, first, to the debate about the representation of under-represented workers by emphasising the importance of interactions between traditional and new actors in industrial relations, and second, to the theory of fields by conceptualising interactions as a central element of field-level change.

Dissenting and innovating: Freelancers’ emerging forms of organising in the Netherlands

“…To understand the different configurations of workers' agency, a key element relates to the geographical and historical context in which workers are embedded, that in our case is represented by a political and industrial relations scenario with a high level of cooperation and centralization (Gumbrell McCormick and Hyman, 2013) and, at least on paper, a strong capacity to represent freelancers' interests (Mezihorák et al, 2023;Conen and Schipper, 2019). Our study did not allow us to investigate how freelancers' collective actions were reflected in the implementation of social policies or new labour rights.…”

“…The last few years have seen a growth in the relationships between traditional unions and other collective actors in civil society with the purpose of organising and representing precarious workers, as well as an increase in grassroots forms of organising and mobilising emerging outside well-established unions (Cini et al, 2022;Meardi et al, 2021;Mezihorák et al, 2023;Royle and Rueckert, 2022). Consequently, a fruitful comingling has occurred between industrial relations and social movements' theoretical frameworks that has stimulated in both fields the development of approaches that take workers' agency as a starting point (Alberti and Però, 2018;Murgia and Pulignano, 2021;Però, 2020;Vatansever, 2022).…”

“…The Netherlands is an interesting example in Europe not only because it is the country with the largest increase in the number of freelancers in recent decades (Conen and Schippers, 2019;Eurostat, 2022), but also because of several attempts to give them a voice in the industrial relations arena (Mezihorák et al, 2023;Jansen and Sluiter, 2019).…”

Resistance exercise: competition, coopetition and collective action among self-employed personal trainers in the UK

“…Our focus is primarily on collective resistance and the potential for trade union organizing. Much has been written about the strategies of trade unions vis-a-vis atypical workers (see Cini et al, 2022;Gumbrell-McCormick, 2011;Heery et al, 2004;Heery, 2009;Meardi et al, 2021) and more recently the focus has been on attitudes to collective action among the solo self-employed (Haake, 2017;Jansen, 2020;Mezihorak et al, 2022;Murgia and Pulignano, 2021;Tassinari and Maccarrone, 2020;Vandaele, 2020). Whether such workers are receptive to trade unions will depend among other things on their perception of job quality (see Vandaele et al, 2019) and on the interrelated issues of their status and how they view themselves.…”

“…, 2004; Heery, 2009; Meardi et al. , 2021) and more recently the focus has been on attitudes to collective action among the solo self-employed (Haake, 2017; Jansen, 2020; Mezihorak et al. , 2022; Murgia and Pulignano, 2021; Tassinari and Maccarrone, 2020; Vandaele, 2020).…”