Support Unpaid Site Workers

The campaign, launched under the hashtag #PayWhatYouOwe, invites signatures on a petition, which also considers the issue of overcharging or unfair expenses requests.

According to the campaign, there are tens of thousands of tradespeople across the UK that are not being paid on time or at all. Late or missed payments increase the risk of business pressure, as financial burdens continue to grow while an increasing number of issued invoices are disputed or simply ignored by clients, leaving the tradesperson to seek to recover monies in a lengthy, costly legal battle.

The petition is asking for greater support for tradespeople and the self-employed in the UK, and is calling for the establishment of better practices, including the right to charge late fees. SMEs suffer the most with late payments and this is common practice, with recent confirmation, for example, of the 60- or even 90-day payment system typical of large construction corporations.

When tradespeople work on long contracts for one contractor, there is no other income, and the late payment factor can create enormous pressures on the small business or lone sub-contractor.

The campaign highlights the plight of these contractors and looks for greater awareness from the British public to support the issue. Launched originally on social media, the #PayWhatYouOwe campaign has already reached more than 800,000 people.

A spokesperson for Scruffs made a profound statement which should resonate through the construction industry in businesses of all sizes. ‘It is about more than encouraging quicker payments,’ he said. ‘It’s about respect.’

Sign the petition and lend your support.

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