Wednesday 5 November 2014

Parliamentary Lobby against Umbrella Scam

Subject: Bogus Self-Employment / Umbrella Scam - Lobby of Parliament on the 26th November 2014:
Colleagues,
The Construction sector of Unite have agreed with UCATT to hold a joint lobby of the three Parliamentary establishments in Cardiff, Edinburgh and London on the 26th November at 11-00 am.
The joint campaign involves highlighting the tax scam involving one million highly skilled construction workers or 2% of the UK working population who are forced to be employed through Umbrella companies, paid at the national minimum wage along with expenses making up there take home pay, whilst also denied any employment rights.
  • The Umbrella arrangement arrangements are simply designed to reduce construction workers wages and undermine the industry collective agreements.
  • The Umbrella Company and Employment Agencies are the ones who benefit from this arrangement by charging up to £30-00 a week for administering the worker’s wages.
  • Calculating Holiday Pay at the National Minimum Level whilst incorporating onerous clauses into contracts reducing the workers entitlement at the time of termination of assignment.
  • Umbrella companies very often provide construction workers with mystifying pay statement paying the worker less than what he actually agreed to work for through the Employment agency.
  • Obstructing all construction workers from being able to acquire Employment Rights
Our construction members deserve better than been employed like this, l trust you will make every effort within your region to organise for a delegation to attend this very important lobby at one of the three locations mentioned above.
John Allott will be in attendance at Edinburgh
Gail Cartmail will be in attendance at Westminster
I will attending the Welsh Assembly and working Andy Richards
Chairman Mao once said:-
Why be a lone construction worker working in the construction industry with a leaky Umbrella”
The continued exploitation of construction workers must stop now, construction needs Direct Employment, Registration of all Workers Skills along with the full implementation of the recognised industry collective agreements.
Newsletters/ leaflets, posters and stickers will be distributed nearer the day, so let’s make the occasion a success in getting the message over.
I would appreciate an early response on numbers of lay members attending the lobby as we need to ensure they also meet up with their Member of Parliament on the day.
Thanking you in anticipation
Bernard McAulay
National Officer for Building
Construction & Allied Trades

 

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