The #EFWeek

manifesto

The #EFWeek Freelancers Manifesto aims to bring focus to the need for governments, businesses, and other stakeholders in the European economy to grapple actively with the changing face of work.

It is important that policy be made, contracts created, and the work be done to incorporate the innovative approaches and solutions being developed every day to the rapid changes we are facing – and much of this work is being initiated and developed by the millions of freelancers in Europe.

While Independent professionals experience a lack of benefits compared to their working counterparts, this challenge is an unprecedented opportunity to build back better, to speak with one voice about what we want to bring forward with us into the future and what we think is best left in the dust of the path.

A massive change project requires guiding principles and so we have boiled the areas of need down into the following points:

Give us official status at all levels of government and legislation. Talk to our representative organisations and give us a seat at the table.

We are highly skilled self-employed workers without employees. We are fixed term contractors, we are the people innovating the models of work with new approaches.Realise that we’re not the same as small and medium size enterprises or other activity categories.​

When you create policy about employment and industry, think about how it will specifically affect freelancers, the smallest among small businesses.​

Make sure freelancers can access all government services, bid for official contracts, participate in training programs and qualify for funding. Design a welfare system more considerate to freelancers’ needs and a portable benefits system for the growing independent workforce.

Include freelancers in all official statistics, and better research our sector. Don’t put us together with other small business categories.

Make Europe the best place to be a business by building world-class infrastructures for freelancers, making government contracts freelancer-friendly and incentivising the use of shared work spaces.

To support our vision and values, add your signature here

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