Landmark £40m Holiday Pay Case Could Have Major Implications

Supreme Court closes ‘loophole’, paving the way for temps and contractors to claim thousands in backdated holiday pay from their umbrella or recruitment agency. The case saw more than 3.700 police officers and civilian staff successfully claim backdated holiday pay from their employer, the Police Service of Norther Ireland (PSNI), which is deemed to have […]

Government Set To Tackle Tax Avoidance In Umbrellas

The government has announced a raft of proposals being considered to tackle tax avoidance in umbrella companies.  This follows their November 2021 consultation on the role of umbrella companies in the labour market, amid concerns about unlawful working practices. In its response, published on 6th June 2023, the government proposed: New ways to define umbrella […]

Systemic Abuse As Agency Repeatedly Underpays Workers

An investigation by the Observer has found that a recruitment agency supplying warehouse workers consistently underpaid them for work done, plus did not give their statutory holiday entitlement.  Mach Recruitment supplied the workers on zero-hours contracts to help process orders for PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo, The Very Group, Sainsbury’s and Currys. Arrogance of ignoring workers claims Shockingly, […]

Agency Workers Could Cover For Striking Staff

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said that the government is considering legal changes to allow agency workers to provide cover for striking staff.  The announcement is partly in response to planned rail strikes later this month, and also the likelihood of strikes in other sectors with largescale industrial action likely nationwide this summer. The plan […]

Can Umbrella PSLs Be Good For Workers?

Over the last few months we have posted a few criticisms in relation to recruitment agencies’ preferred supplier lists of umbrellas, which restrict a worker’s choice of umbrella.  In particular we are concerned about the obscene financial incentives underpinning some PSLs, and it seems that the person most affected by the decision is the one person […]

Time To Get Rid Of Umbrella Preferred Supplier Lists?

In the wake of recent cyber-attacks, I was asked by a journalist last week what I would recommend to contractors who are considering changing their umbrella, so I found myself thinking about this properly for the first time in ages.  Whereas previously my answer would have been to look for accreditation, it is clear to […]