“Now or Never” For Umbrella Industry, as Kermode Takes On CEO Role At PayePass

Amid the stark and unfortunate reality of non-compliant umbrella companies and undelivered promises from the government to combat tax avoidance and unsanctioned deductions from payments in the temporary working industry, umbrella company compliance expert, PayePass, has appointed former FCSA chief, Julia Kermode, as its new CEO. HMRC data suggests that between 2007/08 to 2022/21, there […]

FCSA Decision In Umbrella ‘Skimming’ Case

Regular readers might recall a number of cases last year where umbrellas were criticised for “skimming” amounts from contractors, and Orange Genie was accused of “secretly deducting” £2 from their umbrella workers. Around the same time, Orange Genie’s membership of the Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA) was suspended for six months for breaches of […]

Orange Genie’s CEO Speaks Exclusively To IWORK

LinkedIn has been ablaze with allegations of umbrellas “skimming” money away from contractors, yet the company at the centre of it, Orange Genie, has so far been quiet on the subject.  Julia Kermode spoke to their Chief Executive, Paul Bresnihan, to find out what exactly has been going on.  Here’s what he had to say: […]

Umbrella Accused Of “Skimming” Threatens Legal Action

Orange Genie, a well established umbrella firm, has threatened legal action against campaign group Contractor Voice following an accusation that Orange Genie has been “skimming” money away from contractors.  Contractor Voice says it has analysed payslips issued by Orange Genie and found an additional £2 deduction disguised within the heading “Employment cost, including Employer National […]

FCSA’s Handling Of Holiday Allegations Questioned By MPs

MPs have questioned FCSA about their handling of holiday pay allegations against one of their members, the recent amendment to FCSA’s code for umbrella members, and their previous refusal to answer questions on the subject.  The letter, from the All Party Parliamentary Loan Charge & Taxpayer Fairness Group, asks the following: Why has no report […]

FCSA’s New Holiday Pay Standard Changed Last Minute

The Freelancer & Contractor Services Association has had to change their planned holiday pay requirement for umbrella members, according to reports by ContractorUK. It looks like an FCSA member has thrown their toys out of the pram about the proposed FCSA code (code = standard required for membership) amendment which would prevent members withholding holiday […]

Latest On Workwell Holiday Pay Issue

You may have seen our publication of legal letters from Workwell (previously JSA) claiming defamation in relation to our article about their with-holding of properly accrued holiday pay from a contractor. It is good to see that Contractor Voice, the source of the contractor’s evidence in the Workwell case, are refusing to be silenced too. […]

FCSA Quizzed By MPs Again

An All Party Parliamentary Group of MPs has again written to FCSA seeking assurances regarding the recent cyber-attacks that have hit some FCSA members.  The Loan Charge & Taxpayer Fairness APPG tweeted to explain their letter: “We are concerned about the implications for contractors & freelance workers in the light of cyber-attacks on #umbrellacompanies & […]

FCSA Quizzed About Recent Cyber-Attacks On Umbrellas

An All Party Parliamentary Group of MPs has written to FCSA seeking assurances regarding the recent cyber-attacks that have hit a minority of FCSA members.  The Loan Charge & Taxpayer Fairness APPG letter, dated 24 January 2022, is in relation to ongoing correspondence about FCSA’s Charter, and the concluding paragraph states: Lastly we note with […]