time employment to flexible, platform work or
even unpaid work that contributes to social value
creation. This increasingly complex environment
requires a new social contract for work between
governments, businesses, social partners and
workers.
Acknowledging the multiple challenges in writing a
new social contract for work, The Adecco Group
is offering a platform for discussion and some first
elements to consider. We believe:
• Governments, employers and social partners
should design new models and update
existing regulation to ensure that all work
opportunities, including freelancing, are
secure and sustainable for workers and
businesses alike.
• When there is a de facto employment
relationship between a platform and a worker,
it should be defined and treated as such,
and all relevant rights and obligations should
apply to both parties.
• We are committed to providing freelancers
and everyone who is part of the workforce
with fair remuneration and the benefits they
need.
• One-size-fit-all solutions are not the answer.
• Some situations could arise where vulnerable
workers, including freelancers, should be
offered additional protection by Government.
• The build-up of social protection should be
individual, portable and transferable.
“You can look at the debate around social
protection and platform workers negatively or
positively,” says Professor Schoukens of the
University of Leuven. “Negatively, you can see
it as a kind of danger or challenge to existing
protections. Positively, I see it as an invitation to
rethink our systems in order to make sure that
they’re up to meeting future needs.” In other
I see it as an invitation to
rethink our systems in order
to make sure that they’re up
to meeting future needs
Professor Schoukens, University of Leuven