The FCSA writes letter to Rishi Sunak asking for more support for contingent workers

Phil Pluck, Chief Executive at the Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA), has written a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak pleading for more support for the UK’s temporary workforce. The letter has been written in response to the support measures that were announced after the UK’s third lockdown was confirmed in early January.

In response to the growing number of people infected with COVID-19 and the consistent increase in the number of daily fatalities, the government announced that from midnight on the 4^th January, England would be in lockdown number three.

To protect workers and businesses that will be heavily impacted by another lockdown, the Chancellor unveiled support packages to ease the financial pressure. However, while many stakeholders and parties in England showed support for these measures, including Phil Pluck at the FCSA, concerns were brought to light about the support available to small businesses and contingent workers.

In an article recently published by the FCSA, Chief Executive Phil Pluck said:

“If you look closely at the details of what the Chancellor has announced, there is nothing new in reality. Small businesses and the self-employed have once again been forgotten, and the furlough scheme as it stands is now unaffordable for many companies and will continue to be so.”

To bring these concerns to the attention of Rishi Sunak, Phil Pluck has written a letter to the Chancellor on behalf on the FCSA and its members. The letter asks the government to consider rolling out a “temporary furlough scheme” that will help by making it “more financially viable for our member firms to offer the furlough scheme to their contingent workforce.”

In the letter, Phil Pluck asks the government for more support:

“Whilst the FCSA applauds the support given by the Government we must also ask you to consider further intervention that will allow my members and the sector to continue to support our contingent employee workforce.”

Later in the letter, Phil Pluck discusses the FCSA’s proposal for the government that would see the implementation of a new and temporary furlough scheme. He says that doing so “would remove the financial NI and pension burdens that exists within the current scheme”.

The letter concludes:

“Supporting this workforce now will allow them to contribute to this recovery and to HM Government in the medium to long term.

I would respectfully ask you to consider this outline proposal and if I, on behalf of the FCSA can assist in any way, I would be happy to make our expertise and resources available to you.”

To view the full letter written by Phil Pluck on behalf of the FCSA and its members, please click here.