A&C,
you talk like one of those mediocre management guys who rants on about profit and competition while failing to realize that you'll go nowhere if your task is more important than the people who are supposed to carry it out.
Especially if you keep talking about your personal situation to 3000 FR pilots who have nothing in common with your case.
In my country,just like in most EU countries, self employment is well defined by LAWS and one of those basic definitions is that a self employed person is free to work for different clients and free to manage their own time just to name a couple; well a FR pilot isn't free to work for others (obviously because that would limit his available flight hours) as well as he isn't in control of his working times nor annual leave.
At my latitudes it is called employment scam, if in your country of residence it is OK then fine....but please don't try to export it to my country of residence.
But FR has probably realized they are at fault here and have changed their plans forcing new joiners and those with expiring contracts to setup LTD and become company directors; well in my country of residence this is a legal scam for so many reasons that I will not even waste my time trying to explain.
Is this OK where you live?Fine but again...don't try to export it to my cointry of residence.
By the way if you carry out your business in YOUR country of residence I have nothing to object, it is when you reside in your fantastic country but carry out your work in MINE while applying YOUR rules that things become immoral.
Is that clear enough?
By the way I will not waste my time complaining to some EU institution run by bankers and corporate lobbies, I will simply contact my local tax and police authorities and report anything I deem illegal and immoral according to the laws of my country of residence.