Alex Trelinski
A STUDY by Spain’s UGT-CTAC trade union gives an insight into the extra pressure and stress suffered by self-employed people.
Six out of 10 non-salaried workers in the country admitted to having frequent mood swings.
The report involved putting together focus groups with 54 self-employed workers covering a wide field including personal trainers, salespeople, and lawyers.
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The groups talked about long-working weeks and uncertainty about how much they would earn each month to cover bills.
The findings showed that 25% of them worked over 50 weeks per week in stark contrast to just under 3% of people in salaried jobs.
Speaking to El Periodico, Dani Garcia president of the UGT union’s self-employed branch, the CTAC, said: “The self-employed are to large companies what small parts are to cars, as without them they would not function.”
Plans to reduce the working week in Spain to 37.5 hours threatens to widen the gap between the salaried and non-salaried, according to Garcia.
“There are first and second class workers, which has always been the case,” he commented.
Uncertainty over income mixed with long hours and spending time alone creates stress and depression.
The UGT-CTAC report talks about concerns that clients stop paying an employee or are late, leaving them in financial trouble to pay bills and social security contributions.
Some of the quotes from focus group members include: “It’s a constant stress as always have to be aware of everything” or “In the eyes of the Treasury, we are criminals.”
On the plus side is the ability to do whatever you want at any time.
One respondent said: “One of the great advantages I have as a freelancer is that I can take my children to school.”
Another stated: “It is clear that freedom has a high price and that if there is no reason to justify it, it may not be worth it, unless you really like your job.”
