Cost-of-living crisis continues to hit self-employed

Community is proud to be a union for self-employed and freelance workers, representing thousands of members across the country. We know that, as inflation and the cost-of-living continues to rise, many of our members are increasingly feeling the financial strain.

This is particularly the case for the self-employed, who face increased insecurity due to being on low wages or working part-time, as well as not being entitled to holiday or sick pay.

Research undertaken by Community and released today shows that 95% of self-employed people will not be able to afford their energy bills this autumn.

Anna Mowbray, Research and Policy Officer at Community, says:

“Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have spent an entire summer fighting each other instead of fighting the very serious crisis this country is facing. Their in-fighting will do nothing to help the millions of self-employed people, many of whom have already been severely financially impacted as a result of the pandemic. These people will now be looking at their bill in dread, not knowing how they will make it through this autumn and winter.”

“The Prime Minister and the future Prime Minister need to understand that people cannot wait for action— many are already sick with worry about how they will manage these devastating increases. Energy bills must be frozen to cope with the scale of the crisis and hold down inflation, and targeted support must be directed to those most in need.”

Energy bills could rise by 80% to an average of £3549 and are expected to continue to rise through 2023 with predictions of a £5386 cap in January.

We know the coming weeks and months will be difficult for many of us, and the inability of the government to step in further compounds the frustration. Your union will remain in your corner and support our self-employed members every step of the way.

To see the financial support available to all of our members, including those who are self-employed, click here.

If you are a member of Community and need help or advice, please contact us at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.