False (Bogus) Self-Employment in East-West Labour Migration : Recent trends in the Swedish construction and road haulage industries

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discuss recent trends in false (bogus) self-employment in east-west labour migration in Sweden after the enlargement of the EU into the former Eastern Bloc. The study explores the reasons for using “self-employed” migrant workers in the construction and road haulage industries, how the workers are recruited and how the organised parties in the labour market have recognised and responded to this practice. The emphasis is on the intertwined relationships between self-employment as a mode of exploitation and as a strategy for survival in the labour market, which always has made false self-employment a complex matter for the trade unions to address. The analysis also relates to the current scholarly debate on dual labour markets. The study shows that the practice of false self-employment has increased in recent years in both industries. Yet there are other ways to avoid Swedish collective agreements and labour standards, for example by concluding “false collective agreements”. The study analyses the reasons behind this increase in a Swedish and international context. The discussion includes, among other things, how false self-employment is related to the use of long subcontracting chains, the infringement of the EU regulations on the cabotage traffic and the evasion of taxes and social fees in the host countries. It also includes why combating false self-employment has become a matter of converging interests and organised cooperation between the social partners in the road haulage industry, but as yet not in the construction industry

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