This might be unorthodox; but I’ll ask the question anyway. Can I choose not to be an employee?
Do the current common law tests, which are used to distinguish employment from independent contracting, override my decision to work for someone but not be their employee; to work for them, but not have them as my master?
Can the common law force upon me the status of employee against my will by virtue of a judicial consideration of all relevant factors?
If I do not consent, and never did consent, to be an employee, can I really have an enforceable contract of employment?
I’m not talking here about “sham contracting” or disguised employment. I’m talking about a genuine exercise of a volition not to enter into an employment relationship. And can “contracting out” really be a problem if I have never “contracted in”?
Looking forward to seeing what guidance the High Court will give when it hands down decisions in two cases that have recently been argued before it.
Recruiters' Casebook 