ABSTRACT
The transitional arrangements for labour market access came into force with European Union (EU) enlargement in May 2004. Social partner organizations: trade unions, the Chamber of Labour, the Economic Chamber, were assigned an important role in the institutional setup that regulates access to the Austrian labour market. A problem frequently encountered since May 2004 is so-called 'bogus self-employment', which involves services being offered by persons who pretend to be self-employed whereas in reality their relationship with the client is one of dependent labour under Austrian labour law. Most cases of bogus self-employment occur in the construction sector. Wirtschaftskammer Osterreich (WKO) had an interest in forestalling serious disturbances in specific sensitive service sectors, especially in regions bordering new member states, which might arise from the cross-border provision of such services. WKO represents all companies and businesses, the majority of which are small and medium-sized enterprises, to a large extent dependent on domestic demand.
