FREELANCERS SERVICE IS COMING UP TO SPEED

3792. That is the number of cases United Freelancers has already processed. Thus, the freelancers service of ACV is performing satisfactorily. What started as an experiment three years ago has grown into a solid service.

Bart Lanckmans has been one of the drivers of the freelancers service for the last six months. He worked in the financial sector for more than 20 years, but left at the start of the Covid pandemic. “As middle management, we clashed with a CEO focused on controlling micromanagement. For me, that was yet another example of a policy framework being based on mistrust, whereas I always believed in trust until proven otherwise.”

He left and ended up at ACV. “I’m now on the other side of the table,” he laughs. But it isn’t that different. “I have always believed in the power of social dialogue and good agreements. They’re a win-win for all parties involved. If you make sure that the people working for you are looked after, it will have a more positive effect in the long run than if you don’t pay attention to your employees. The cost of frustration and demotivation is not reflected in the accounts. But it can cost you a lot of money.”

More negatives than positives

It’s that conviction that motivates him to now advocate freelancers’ rights. “They find their way to us more and more, because they are being put under increasing pressure. And their position is less comfortable than that of employees, who are legally much better protected. We have been working on solid agreements in various sectors for some time now. Many freelancers are confronted with big players in their sector who try to seize their market and minimise them to ‘small subcontractors’ working for the bigger companies. It has often become some sort of platform work, with immense pressure on the work and pay conditions. Freelancers determine their own rates less and less, as the big players set those for them. The purchasing power of self-employed people is declining sharply. They are feeling the consequences of the crisis too.”

Take, for example, self-employed camera people. “The golden years in major production companies have long been a thing of the past. And freelancers in that sector now notice that their rates have not changed in the last ten years. I was recently contacted by a self-employed kitchen installer. They are increasingly being paid by their clients per order instead of per hour worked. The answer from those clients is usually: “You have to accept both the negatives and the positives.” But freelancers notice that they experience more negatives than positives.

Hub and spokes

Bart was also introduced to other sectors over the last few months, including self-employed career advisors, journalists, recruiters, physiotherapists, etc. Next autumn, intense social dialogue will take place in the performing arts sector, where we will be focusing on minimum rates. Fortunately, Bart can always count on trade union secretaries monitoring the sector for the employees during that social dialogue. “They have a lot of knowhow. They are also a great asset in the social dialogue about freelancers. I sometimes compare it to a wheel. I am the hub, but around me are the spokes. They are trade union secretaries, militants, our research department, the professional service providers of United Freelancers, etc. A wheel cannot turn without all those spokes.

Creativity

Making collective agreements with clients is no easy task. “But we are making progress, albeit step by step,” Bart explains. “Unlike for employees, there is no mandatory framework to make or enforce agreements for freelancers. On the one hand, that creates more room to come up with creative solutions. The agreements can go either way. There is no set format.” But, on the other hand, everything depends heavily on the willingness to listen of the clients. “It takes a lot of time at first to win the client’s trust and to convince them to make agreements. But we get there. We are, for example, currently working with interpreting agencies on a Charter for Good Practice. And in the media sector, we have even included agreements for freelancers in a CLA. To the extent that we succeed in involving freelancers in our traditional trade unions, we can promote common interests.”

 

“Purchasing power is becoming more of a concern for freelancers too”

 

At the same time, it is not always easy to reach collective agreements on the basis of individual cases of freelancers. “The reluctance of freelancers to do so is sometimes still great,” Bart explains. “They are, at times, still afraid to stand up for their rights. Because they are much less protected. Moreover, their colleagues are also their competitors. That doesn’t make it easy. But our first realisations show that collective willingness to take action benefits all freelancers in a sector”.

Social mistakes

Freelancers are increasingly finding that joining United Freelancers pays off. “Their membership is tax deductible, so the cost is relative,” Bart laughs. “And we really can make a difference. They can also opt to take out legal assistance insurance with an insurer, but it’s not the same.” An insurer adheres strictly to the policy conditions and prefers to intervene as little as possible. As a trade union, we are not focused on profit, but on the service we provide. We want to correct social mistakes. And we’re willing to go far to do so. That’s a different approach to the same issue. They can go to a professional association too, but if one entrepreneur has a conflict with another, it can cause some issues. So United Freelancers is not the worst solution. Consider it to be a solidary insurance, which you hope you never need, and which also offers you other administrative support.”

We also notice that more and more employers are pushing their employees towards freelance work. We are ready to assist them in that process. We provide advice on the difference between the statuses and tell them what they should pay attention to when making the transition to the freer but less protected status. And, of course, they can continue to benefit from our expertise and support as ‘self-employed people’.

Never Work Alone 2022 | Author: Jan Deceunynck | Image: Daniël Rys