Getting Organised: Low-paid self-employment and trade unions

Trade unions need to better represent the UK’s 4 million self-employed workers, according to a new report by the Fabian Society.

Getting Organised calls on unions to respond to the rising number of self-employed workers – 49% of whom are low-paid – by adopting a 3-part plan which includes campaigning for a statutory definition of self-employment.

In the decade since the 2008 global financial crisis, the number of self-employed workers has risen dramatically and the number of self-employed workers experiencing low-pay and poor terms and conditions has also risen. It is estimated that some 460,000 workers are falsely categorised as self-employed by employers looking to cut costs but only 7% of self-employed workers are currently members of a trade union.

The report recommends unions should:

• Take digital and technological opportunities to develop bespoke organising and engagement of those in bogus self-employment, particularly where workers may be geographically disparate.
• Campaign for the introduction of a statutory definition of self-employment.
• Adapt their member offers to include tailored insurance and assistance services for self-employed workers and encourage self-employed workers to set up cooperatives.