Self-employed and freelancers facing existential hardship
The deceleration necessary for health protection has brought the country and the order situation to a virtual standstill. As a result, many self-employed and freelancers are missing out on orders. Syndicom has therefore conducted a survey among its members in the media and creative industries and their work colleagues of their current order situation.
As Syndicom writes in its communication, the interim results are alarming and show that there is a massive emergency. More than 1200 self-employed and freelancers have already participated in the survey. Their information shows that the Federal Council supports the self-employed and freelancers in the media industry, visual communication and creative industries like the rest of the economy, otherwise many professional livelihoods would be threatened to break.
Around half of the self-employed no longer have any orders
The interim results of Syndicom's survey, in which more than 1200 self-employed and freelancers participated within 36 hours until this morning, show that already 89% of the order cancellations have been made due to the Corona virus. The financial losses would already amount to at least 90% of an average monthly income for 37% of the respondents. Also, 87% of the participants see more than half of their jobs at immediate risk, and for 50% it is as much as 90-100% of their jobs. Of the more than 1200 self-employed and freelancers, half can only make ends meet for a maximum of one or two months - 10% of the respondents already have no reserves.
Based on this information, Syndicom is calling on the federal government and the cantons to provide direct support to self-employed weavers. The union addressed these concerns directly to the Federal Council on Thursday. According to the union, the support measures planned so far by the federal government would not be effective in their current form for this group of dependent workers and employees and are insufficient.
Current crisis only the tip of the iceberg
Self-employed persons and freelancers are hardly covered by the social insurances in Switzerland. As a result, they belong to a group that is particularly affected economically - even beyond the current crisis. Syndicom's survey shows that these workers have not been able to build up financial reserves in the past due to their fragile and often precarious working status. The existence-threatening condition of the self-employed and freelancers due to the coronavirus pandemic is therefore also an expression of the lack of social security. The union wants to work to improve the working conditions of the self-employed and freelancers, especially with regard to retirement provisions and unemployment.
