The collective representation of solo self-employed workers in Europe as an outcome of relations between traditional and new collective actors. A focus on the Netherlands, Italy, and Slovakia

Drawing on an ethnography conducted in three European countries with different industrial relations models - the Netherlands, Italy, and Slovakia - this chapter examines how relations between traditional and alternative collective actors shape the frame of solo self-employed (SSE) workers’ collective representation. By using the concept of ‘strategic action field’, the chapter shows that traditional and alternative actors are interdependent in the development of SSE representation. Indeed, despite country-specific differences, their interactions stimulated the emergence of the field of collective representation for the SSE in all countries studied, although with different outcomes. In the Netherlands, it led to a consolidation of SSE workers’ representation, distinct from the representation of employees and employers. In Italy, mutual relations and nuancing discourses and practices have recently been developed between established and emerging actors in collective representation. In Slovakia, the field of representation for SSE workers was opened, but remained at a potential level. The chapter thus emphasises the importance of interactions between traditional and new actors of industrial relations in the representation of underrepresented workers.