News & Events

Freelance workers reject employee rights

Date posted:

11th April 2008

A study has shown that the proposed Agency Workers Directive may not be suitable for freelance workers.

New research has shown that almost all British freelance agency workers would object to measures in the proposed Agency Workers Directive.

ContractorCalculator carried out a two-month survey and discovered that 100 per cent of those asked want to remain as freelance workers rather than become employees and that 75 per cent do not want the employee rights being proposed in the bill.

Dave Chaplin, chief executive of ContractorCalculator, said that the research shows that the new rights are not required for most freelance workers.

''It is clear from these results that agency workers as a group in the UK do not desire nor require the protection of [employees'] rights. A majority of UK agency workers are well-paid and prefer the flexible lifestyle that contracting affords," he said.

Under the proposed Agency Workers Bill, high-technology contractors would be exempt, but the changes proposed by the Agency Workers Directive would impose "an unworkable cost structure", according to Mr Chaplin.

ContractorCalculator offers over 30 online calculators to aid financial decision making for freelanncers. The company also publishes contracting guides and articles and offers access to contractor financial services including mortgages, pensions and insurance.

Blue Skies Marketing Recruitment works on behalf of both permanent and freelance agency and in-house candidates across the creative, design and branding, digital, DM, events, experiential, integrated, PR and sales promotion sectors.