In recent years, the share of people having a second job has increased, a phenomenon that has markedly transformed their profiles and fragmented their working paths, leading to the growth of the so-called ‘slash workers’. These workers display a slash in their job title since they carry out multiple activities at the same time. The advent of digital platforms has accelerated this trend, making it also more evident. Who are the multiple jobholders in Europe? What are their labour and social needs? Who represents them collectively?

On 11 and 12 May, from 9:30 to 13:00, we will present and discuss the results of the SWIRL project – Slash Workers and Industrial ReLations (VS/2019/0076), funded by DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, promoted by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Institut Mines Télécom -Télécom ParisTech (France), Universidad de Cádiz, Institut für Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung eV München (Germany), Institute for the Study of the Societies and Knowledge at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Bulgaria), Acta (Italian Association of Advanced Tertiary Consultants) and Smart Fondation (Belgium).

The webinars will be organised into four panels: the first will present the profiles, the trajectories or work and the specific needs of the slash workers; the second will deal with the issue of multiple jobs through digital platforms; the third will discuss the institutional framework and the potential regulatory responses regarding the phenomenon of slash work; the fourth will elucidate the emerging models of collective protection and the representation practices devoted to the slash workers

During each panel, the presentation of the results of the Swirl research will be followed by a discussion on findings with external researchers and representatives of institutions to discuss the policy implications emerging from the project.

The panelists’ biographies in English (PDF)

Full program in english (PDF)

Full program in Spanish (PDF)

Programme complet en français (PDF)

Day 1 – Tuesday 11 May

9.30am – 9.45am: Welcome and introduction
By Prof. Ivana Pais, Principal Investigator of SWIRL project and Professor of Economic Sociology Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan)

9.45- 11.15 am: Discussion Panel 1 – Slash workers
Speakers:
1/ Prof. Sofía Pérez de Guzmán Padrón, Associate Professor at the General Economy department and Faculty of Work Science of the University of Cádiz
2/ Prof. Manuela Galetto, Associate Professor of employment relations at the Industrial Relations Research Unit (IRRU) of the University of Warwick
3/ Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation

11.30am – 1pm: Discussion Panel 2 – Platforms and platform workers
Speakers:
1/ Prof. Antonio Casilli, full professor of sociology at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris-Télécom Paris (France), and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute on Innovation (i3), an institute of the French CNRS. 3/Maxime Cornet, PhD Student at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris-Télécom Paris (France)
4/ Anne Dufresne, researcher at GRESEA, Coordinator at Econosphères, Member of Gracos (Groupe d’analyse des conflits sociaux), associate researcher at CIRTES (Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Travail, État et Société-UCL) and at IRES (Institut de recherche économique et sociale-France) as well as collaborator at the Institut européen du salariat (IES)
5/ Tobias Muellensiefen, Legal Officer – Future of Work at DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion of the European Commission

Day 2 – Wednesday 12 May

9.30am – 11.15 am: Discussion Panel 1 – Institutional framework
Speakers:
1/ Dr. Vassil Kirov, Associate Professor in the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IPS-BAS) and Associate Researcher the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). 
2/ Dr. Pamela Meil, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, Munich. Co-Director MeRe Research and Consult
3/ Ricardo Rodriguez Contreras, Research Manager at Eurofound
4/ Laurent Aujean, Policy Officer – Access to social protection, DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion of the European Commission

11.30am – 1pm: Discussion Panel 2 – Case studies
Speakers:
1/ Prof. Ivana Pais, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Economics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, IT. (Principal investigator of the Swirl Project.)
2/ Prof. Anna Ilsøe  Associate Professor at the Employment Relations Research Centre
(FAOS), President of the Danish Sociological Association, Editor on the Nordic Journal of
Working Life Studies and Member of The Council for Sharing Economy

3/ Giuseppe Guerrini, European Economic & Social Committee, group III, Spokesperson for the Social Economy group