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The Canadian Freelance Union (CFU) is a community chapter of Unifor, representing freelance workers in the media sector nationwide. The CFU says it is encouraged to see many options that would improve working conditions for freelance workers and independent contractors included in the interim report by Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review.
"The interim report widely acknowledges that today's Employment Standards Acts and Labour Relations Act leave many workers behind, including freelancers and independent contractors,” said Canadian Freelance Union Vice-President, Ethan Clarke. "We hope that the Government of Ontario will seize the opportunity to make real improvements for a growing portion of workers who rely on contract work as their livelihood."
As part of the consultation process, Unifor made a comprehensive submission outlining measures that would address specific work-related problems faced by freelancers and independent contractors, including:
- sector-wide minimum standards
- changes to the misclassification of employees as independent contractors
- the ability for freelance workers and independent contractors to organize and have a collective voice.
Proposals made by Unifor to allow freelancers and independent contractors to organize and negotiate minimum standards with contractors and employers have been included in the interim report as options.
“As freelancers and independent contractors our members routinely encounter many of the issues that the Ontario Changing Workplaces Review was created to address, including precarious work, outdated employment standards, access to benefits and barriers to joining a union and to achieving collective bargaining rights,” said Clarke. "The Canadian Freelance Union will continue to work to represent members in the process to modernize Ontario's labour law, and to make sure that precarious workers aren't left behind.”
In advance of their final report, the Special Advisers to the Ontario government have called for further consultations. CFU looks forward to further participation to ensure that the voices of freelances and independent contractors are heard and included.
