How would a trade union work for the self-employed and freelancers?
Is there a way to provide those people with the benefits of a traditional trade union? Does such a thing exist? How does it function.
Posted Feb 23, 2016, 6:30 PM UTC
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The only one I know of is Freelancers Union. They are not anarchist in theory or in practice, even though their core idea of "new mutualism" advocates worker control, mutual aid, and community solidarity.
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A union of independent contractors is a guild.
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Citation? Anything I can find suggests that's not Correct.
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I do freelance work and I'm a member of the Nation Writers Union.
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As far as freelancers, the IWW used to organize the rural agricultural workers that traveled from site to site so it definitely can be done. In Europe, there are also organizations and unions focused on "precariat" worker unions and organizing. You tend to still have a boss or series of bosses, so your targets and focus in campaigns can still generally follow traditional union organizing models. The exception being that all of you are less likely to be continued to be hired after unionization and it's harder to organize. Benefits of unionization could also include more of an association of where to contract out to and where to sell your labor, "X is a bad place to work and won't pay you," "here are places we've made good contacts with that can get you work."
As far as self-employed? Very unlikely. Your boss is the market itself or the random people hiring you for your particular job. But even then you're not fighting them, you're just losing them as a client as the contract you've made is now done.
Can you point me towards some of the unions and organisations in Europe that you speak about?
Mostly Anarcho-syndicalists. French CNT, CGT, and this group AC! (something French for Act Against Unemployment). I've seen the IWA protest and organize some precarious workers, but usually aligned with a specific entity that does day-laborer type hiring. CNT Spain has done work organizing these workers as well.
There are some PDFs I found but I can't load them, but they compare different approaches to unionization of precariat workers in Italy, Greece, and Spain. If I remember I'll look when Im not at work.