We know SW in much of Europe is being crushed by the Nordic Model - eg: France, Ireland.

Meanwhile, Belgium has gone the other way with greater freedom. And then the other day I saw celebrations (by NON_SWers) because Belgium has changed its laws to allow sex workers in brothels to be recognized as employees with all the accompanying rights and benefits.

However, I'm not so sure it's a good thing—in fact, I view it as a negative move.
But perhaps that's because, for decades, I've built up my business on my own here, complying with UK laws.
I see campaigns for employees rights but that means you have to have an employer. Fuck that. Who wants a boss! I don't!
I'd like to see us SWers be able to work together and rent out our spare rooms to each other.

Full disclosure: it has been over 25 years since I last worked in a brothel, back when I was involved in the industry around London. I actually liked that work. I recommend it as a good way to get started. Loved the camaraderie.
I remember one notorious brothel run by BARRY - he got his mate in to run ot for a while. This mate had run a motor mechanic garage before that - he came in with some strange ideas but I put him straight.

We weren't employees because when we turned up for a day at work the Sauna didn't guarantee us any money. We only got paid by getting customers and then out of that money we paid a rent to work at the place --- so he had no right to tell us what we should be doing when we weren't with a client.

I tell you men like that make me sick - think they can just turn up and sit on their arse for the day and then go home with a big cut of the takings when they know FA about what we do to get that money.

BUT it seems that classifying sex workers as employees could strengthen the position of pimps, potentially leading to lower pay and worse working conditions and less control over the day at work.

Employees typically trade higher wages for benefits like holidays, pensions and maternity leave.

From my experience, I've known a few brothel operators who were fair, supportive, and genuinely cared about their workers (often being workers themselves).
And then there are also those who are ruthless profiteers—capitalist pimps - who are criminals here but will be legit business owners there.
Business owners and bosses with more control over the "employees" just concerns me.
 

Of course, I want brothels to be legal in the UK.

However, I believe it would be better to keep the workers as self-employed individuals - like when self-employed hairdressers rent a chair in a salon. Or various therapist (chiropractor for example) rent their space at some therapy centre.

Ideally, in my vision, British brothels would operate as partnerships or cooperatives, run fairly and equally by all involved. (After all, I once worked in a place that operated this way.)

On the other hand - I would be a fantastic brothel MADAM! I would love to do that job if it was legal here. I'd run a place that was fantastic for the clients and the workers.


WDYT?