Responding to the UK Government’s announcement of a landmark crackdown on late payments today, Community Assistant General Secretary Alasdair McDiarmid said:
“We warmly welcome the government’s decisive crackdown on the scourge of late payments. This is something we have campaigned on over many years on behalf of our self-employed and freelance members, and we now have a government that is delivering for them with meaningful and far-reaching action.
“By expanding the remit and powers of the Small Business Commissioner to tackle poor payment practices, the government has drawn a firm line in the sand. The threat of substantial fines for firms that have persistently paid invoices late will act as a serious deterrent, whilst giving small businesses and sole traders greater security as they plan for the future. Similarly, the new 60-day cap on payment terms on large firms when paying smaller suppliers and new mandatory interest on late payments will act to deter irresponsible behaviour and provide certainty for self-employed workers.
“Our self-employed members – which includes a diverse range of consultants, freelancers and sole traders – are part of a wider workforce of over 4.2 million across the UK who contribute over the £330 billion to the UK economy. After years of their concerns being disregarded by the Conservative-led governments, we now have a Labour government that is making good on its commitments to deliver fairness and make work pay for the self-employed.”
You can read more about the announcement from the Department for Business and Trade here.
Join the union for the self-employed
Community trade union is a collective voice for the self-employed. We bring together self-employed and freelance workers, so we have a strong voice to lobby for much needed changes. We’re using our collective voice to raise up the voices of the self-employed and freelancers and argue for better support and provisions. We are a modern trade union, campaigning for a better working world.
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