The marginalised and vulnerable within the professional contractor workforce

The advent of globalization and decreasing government labour market within the Western World have wreaked havoc with the concept of what has been thought of as traditional employment. As work becomes increasingly casual, part-time and temporary it also results in a workforce that is increasingly vulnerable to marginalisation and disadvantage. The very nature of this workforce also makes it difficult for unions to access, organize and protect. These concerns are well known and continue to be an important focus of union, social and religious groups. This paper contends that it is a focus that also needs to be extended to work arrangements more typically associated with privilege and advantage - because the reality is often in sharp contrast. The arrangement used to show this is the professional contractor and the solution advanced for discussion is that it is time for a union tailored to the professional peripheral worker to be considered.