Competition Amendment Bill 2016

This Biennial Delegate Conference notes the all- party support in both houses of the Oireachtas for the Competition Amendment Bill 2016. In welcoming legislation aimed at restoring the right of collective representation to categories of workers, including freelance journalists, session musicians and voice-over actors, Conference acknowledges that a signifi cant number of freelance and so called atypical workers are still denied the right to trade union representation Conference af rms the right of freelance workers to enjoy the bene ts of trade union membership and to be treated in accordance with the principles of the ILO Charter, including Convention No. 87 on freedom of association and the right to organise. All workers deserve to be treated equally, regardless of employment status. Conference deplores the use of Competition law at national and European level to deprive categories of workers the right to trade union representation. Where workers freely choose to operate on a freelance basis they must retain their fundamental rights as workers and should not automatically be regarded as business undertakings. Freelance workers frequently experience isolation, exploitation and discrimination; are forced to accept unfair terms and conditions of engagement and are deprived of the social protections afforded to workers employed on contracts of service. In considering the future of work Congress must be cognisant of the growth in freelance working and of the relentless pressure on many workers to accept inappropriate contracts for service. The sharp increase in workers engaged  on a freelance basis presents signi cant organisational challenges to the ICTU and to af liate unions. Conference calls on the incoming Executive Council to work with af liate unions in campaigning for social protection for all freelance workers and to develop a strategy for the recruitment, organising and servicing of freelance workers across all industrial sectors.