If the European Commission pass the recent Green Paper on an EU-wide standardized legal definition on labor law, our freelancers could lose their freedom to be self-employed.
According to the Commission, “Four out of ten EU workers are now on non-standard contracts or self-employed and reality is rapidly outpacing regulation in the EU workplace”.
The Green Paper states that “the modernization of labor law constitutes a key element for success of the adaptability of workers and enterprises”.
However, such a proposal for refined labor law has been claimed that it would lead to “a full scale assault on the right to be self-employed”. UK labor law has a distinction between employment contracts and commercial contracts, with wide space left to cover the uncertainties in the future. Its application depends on a mass of credible tests which have been developed by court for a long time, which has been long proved to be a consentient principle.
Called himself Crazystart58 on ebay.co.uk, the 34-year-old Welshman has had his online PDA （Personal Digital Assistant—like Blackberry）business for over 5 years. He told Welsh Globe that, “There are not so many rules to be an online seller. And if there is any, I won’t feel so free to start my own business.” Freelancers like him in Wales can reach several thousands（Sub:I can’t find the data） and the population is still increasing. Self-employment is one of the best ways to release the pressure caused by the year-after-year rising unemployment in Wales. Research from Welsh government has confirmed that the contribution rate of the self-employed is as same as employed one. A one-size-fits-all labor market model can restrict contractors and freelancers’ enthusiasm, as they have been comfortable with the free commercial atmosphere for such a long time.
Eu-wide definition of self-employment may be a helpful way to modernize the economies of different countries along with Wales, unless a new and clearer law on employment status is to be introduced to the UK as a whole.
So far, a great number of freelancers have submitted their opinions by sending emails to empl-labour-law-green-paper@ec.europa.eu.
