The rise of the collaborative economy has taken place alongside the growth of another related trend - freelancing. Many collaborative consumption platforms are run by armies of freelancers or independent workers from around the world. They work in the offices of collaborative startups, and they are often also the users, customers and value-creators of such platforms.
Now, these freelance armies are mobilizing. There is a movement underway in Europe and the United States for independent workers to join together and fight for better working conditions. This movement takes the form of associations, member-based organizations, online actions, and in one case, a “union”. Right now, freelancers in Europe are crowdfunding a new EU-wide campaign platform to lobby in Brussels.
What freelancers want
The demands of the freelancers’ movement are simple to start with. According to a five-point manifesto drawn up by the European Freelancers Campaign, governments across the continent should start by simply recognizing freelancers and considering them when writing new laws. Better statistics are demanded, as presently freelancers are poorly counted. Freelancers want access to government services, and the ability to apply for contracts and tenders. And they want to be treated fairly, with better pay-on-time laws and freelance-friendly contracts. But the present freelancers’ campaign is not only focused on this short list of demands. It aims to build a network of individuals and establish communication channels so that Europe’s atomized freelancers can be quickly informed if a problem arises in the future. The idea is to create a lasting distributed movement, based on the “Swarmwise” principles of Rick Falkvinge.
Crowdfunding a movement
The first step is a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, which aims to raise €5000 by February 28. The money will be used to build a campaign website where freelancers can sign the manifesto and get connected to local organizations and actions. Launch events will be held in coworking spaces to announce the arrival of the European Freelancers Movement. The campaign is being coordinated by a team of freelancers working out of the Welance coworking space in Berlin, a location which celebrates such collective fightback. The wall of the office is dominated by a huge mural of a formation of fish chasing away a shark.
Why support this campaign?
The individuals who power the collaborative economy have much to gain by getting involved in the movement, which aims to gain influence in Brussels and affect employment and enterprise legislation. Without a strong collective voice, freelancers are forgotten and fall behind large corporations, who spend a fortune on lobbying and law-writing efforts. The companies that rely on freelancers should also celebrate such a campaign. They need a financially healthy user base to generate profits from, and have nothing to fear from some simple fair requests such as on-time payments, provided they are running a legitimate business.
What comes next?
The emergence of a collaborative campaign by freelancers is part of a wider trend that may reshape online society and economy. More entrepreneurs are seeking to inject socially-beneficial elements into their business models, such as setting up cooperatives rather than private companies, and giving their users the possibility to own small shares in their platforms. Treating freelance workers fairly will soon be an expected part of any online business’s culture. The foundation of a strong freelancers’ movement is the first step. OuiShare is a supporting partner of the European Freelancers Campaign.Guest post written by Joel Dullroy.
Joel Dullroy is the author of Independents Unite! Inside the Freelancers’ Rights Movement, and is campaign manager of the European Freelancers Campaign. He was previously the co-founder of Deskmag and Deskwanted, two websites focused on the coworking industry.