Introduction
The modern labor market in Poland is increasingly based on the B2B model. However, the formal etiquette of being an entrepreneur often masks the actual economic dependence of a contractor on a single client.
This article analyzes the tension between nominal autonomy and the real lack of agency experienced by self-employed individuals. You will learn how to move from isolation toward building collective representation in the spirit of Eddie Glaude Jr.'s thought.
The text proposes a new perspective: viewing the self-employed person not merely as a businessman, but as a worker with a right to a collective voice.
Self-Employment as a Continuum Between Autonomy and Dependence
Having a business registration does not automatically make everyone an independent entrepreneur. Self-employment in Poland exists on a broad spectrum, encompassing individuals with vastly different levels of freedom.
At one end is entrepreneurial self-employment sensu stricto. Such an entity freely selects its clients and exerts real influence over the pricing of its services.
The other end is economically dependent self-employment, where the contractor relies on a single source of income. Examples include platform couriers or B2B specialists who, despite their corporate form, work under the strict direction of a client.
This distinction allows us to separate authentic entrepreneurship from situations where a contract serves as a veil for an actual employment relationship.
Economic Coercion as a Constraint on Real Alternatives
Economic coercion does not imply a lack of voluntariness in signing a contract, but rather a drastic narrowing of available alternatives. A person may consciously choose B2B simply because it is the only offer on the market.
In such an arrangement, formal consent does not guarantee full freedom. True autonomy depends on the ability to realistically walk away (exit), which requires savings and portable skills.
When the cost of exiting is too high, the only way to improve conditions becomes Voice—the ability to negotiate rules without having to terminate the partnership.
It is precisely here that collective organization becomes a substitute for a weak market mechanism, allowing dependent individuals to regain real agency.
The Right to Unionize for Non-Employee Workers
In Poland, self-employed individuals can legally belong to trade unions. Legal changes in 2019 extended the right of coalition to any person performing gainful work.
The key condition is that the individual must not employ other workers for that specific type of work. This allows for a distinction between a small contractor and a large-scale entrepreneur.
Mechanisms exist, such as collective agreements from 2025, that allow for the regulation of working conditions for non-employees without stripping them of their status as entrepreneurs in commercial trade.
Such a framework creates collective autonomy. The self-employed person remains formally independent but gains the support of an organization, which increases their bargaining power against stronger partners.
Summary
The Polish self-employed worker today balances between the trap of solitary heroism and the temptation to surrender agency into the hands of professional representatives.
Therefore, the true success of an organization will not be merely a hard-won raise, but the moment when ordinary people stop waiting for a great leader and instead learn together how to manage their own freedom.
The key is building an infrastructure that amplifies the individual's voice without simultaneously making them dependent on the power of the organization itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is every person running a sole proprietorship in Poland de facto an independent entrepreneur?
No, simply running a sole proprietorship does not determine the actual level of an entrepreneur's autonomy. This group includes fully independent individuals, as well as economically dependent self-employed persons and cases where the form of the contract may mask an actual employment relationship.
What is economic coercion in the context of self-employment and why does formal consent to a contract not imply full freedom?
Economic coercion is the restriction of the set of realistically available alternatives, where a person signs a contract consciously, but only because it is the only form of work offered to them. Formal consent does not mean full freedom because the voluntariness of an act differs from the freedom of the choice structure and the real possibility of moving to another employer.
Can self-employed persons in Poland legally belong to trade unions?
Yes, self-employed persons can legally belong to trade unions as individuals performing gainful employment on a basis other than an employment relationship. The condition is that they do not employ other people for this type of work and possess rights and interests suitable for representation by a union.
Are there mechanisms in Polish law allowing the self-employed to have collective representation without losing their status as entrepreneurs?
Yes, the Act of November 5, 2025, allows persons performing gainful employment on a basis other than an employment relationship to be covered by a collective agreement. Furthermore, the self-employed have gained the ability to create their own trade union organizations.
How can one distinguish authentic entrepreneurship from self-employment resulting from economic coercion?
Authentic entrepreneurship is distinguished from forced self-employment by the degree of autonomy and the lack of dependence on a single contractor. Forced self-employment is characterized by limited alternative choices, negotiation asymmetry, and the transfer of economic risk to the contractor without an increase in control over the activity.
Does membership in a collective organization deprive a self-employed person of their independence and subjectivity?
No, membership in a collective organization does not deprive a self-employed person of independence because it separates economic autonomy from the necessity of solving all problems individually. Collectivity increases individual autonomy by expanding the set of available strategies and enabling the negotiation of systemic changes that would be unattainable for a single person.
How to reconcile the status of an entrepreneur with the need for collective representation and solidarity with employees?
It is possible to adopt a theory of dual position, in which a self-employed person is simultaneously an entrepreneur in economic circulation and a gainfully employed person with common interests shared with other workers. The key is creating democratic organizations that, instead of imposing uniformity, allow for the revelation of differences and convergences of members' interests in order to conduct joint actions.
What could a model of organization for the self-employed look like that increases their real agency without stripping them of their subjectivity?
This requires the creation of institutions of collective agency based on five pillars: self-recognition of one's position (access to information), horizontal communication, a common language of interest, institutional support, and control over representatives. Such a structure allows for the preservation of individual autonomy while increasing capabilities through cooperation and mutual trust.
What solution allows the self-employed to increase their bargaining power without losing their subjectivity to external representatives?
The solution is to create a union for the self-employed as a democratic infrastructure of agency. Such an organization should be strong enough to increase the bargaining power of its members, yet democratic enough not to make them dependent on external representatives.
