Employment Rights for 'self-employed' - Unite Union does its stuff

[kevin wooldridge]

I think that Prospects biggest problem is one of catching up with the times. They have always been good at organising within the larger employer organisations Museum of London, English Heritage and the National Museums but pretty crap at picking up and supporting the diverse and scattered membeship that qualifies for the catch-all 'Archaeologists Branch'. In this day and age with the wide spread use of social contact computing that seem to me to be a big negative for the union!!. I am in the Archaeologists Branch and have tried (unsuccesfully it has to be said) for several years to establish on-going contact with the branch. True I move around a lot and am often out of the country, but Prospect's attitude seems very negative to me. They don't seem to want to really attract archaeological members unless you happen to work for a big employer.

So maybe the Unite initiative isn't such a bad thing. Maybe they could be convinced to go where Prospect won't and really engage with archaeologists who are members...In fact maybe I might join as well and forget about Prospect....

[GnomeKing]

I also offer my help in publiscising this iportant step.

[Unitof1]

EDIT BY BAJR [Read above post Uo1... IT seems that where there is a lawyer, there is a way of getting round things... a constant battle... my question is how would an archaeology company survive it

Please do not just drop an advert in... well done and congrads mr One ... without any accompanying text to inform what your point is. ]

Where should I begin. This thread starts off as

Employment Rights for 'self-employed' - Unite Union does its stuff
Unite wins employment rights for many 'self-employed' workers

Very cleaver hosty there was me thinking that finally the self employed were getting some recognition. That maybe you were willing to publicly admit that you are self employed and that the prospects of self-employment need to be improved.

The thread then rapidly becomes a thread about people who want to donate their paye to the labour party but cant decide which flavour they like and need to be seen to go about it through the grand traditional 20th century method of workers rights.

so PROSPECT, UNITE and UNISON will stand together, archaeological staff will be represented and protected

And then there is little old me a self employed archaeologist which actually I would like to put more succinctly as –archaeologist.

Where to start, patently the advert that I posted might indicate that

Unite Union does its stuff
Unite wins employment rights for many 'self-employed' workers

Is not all it might appear.

So my point now is what I want is unions to leave us self-employed workers alone and the revolution starts here.

PROSPECTof1, UNITEof1 and UNISONof1 will stand together and I will work for myself and for the rights of self-employed archaeologists against basically anybody including other self employed archaeologists who appear to who come up the hypocrisy of touting the down trodden rights of the enslaved workers.

[Unitof1]

amungst Things what I dont understand

Geli are you saying that you is a selfemplyed archaeologist and you is paying a union to protect your rights?

[BAJR]

I am self employed and putting my contribution to a union as well.

I will no longer be alone - I will have 2 million people to back me up if I need help.. and I can always ask for help.... and give it.

[Unitof1]

And what particularities of self employment are looking for help with from these 2 million people?

In most cases its to stop self-employment, This construction holiday pay issue has been going on for years, had court ruleings and all sorts (dont remember any archaes on the picket lines or picket lines at construction site for that matter), just recently they had a back slapping conference.

http://www.ucatt.info/content/view/833/30/

I tell you straight it dont mean a thing cause self employments are here to stay

but the only helf for selfs would be through a professional body example like the NFU!!!

cant think of any archaeology relevant ones.

[Geli]

Unitof1, to answer your query. My position is thus. As many of us have experienced work is thin on the ground so we have to take what's available. In my case the only work I could attract was with a employer who seemingly only employs people on a self employed basis. Being new to the whole self employment game I entered into this situation with quite a high level of naivety and have begun to realize that the terms of my employment are perhaps not all they may appear to be - certainly the money paid does not reflect any major improvement considering the loss of certain entitlements and rights you'd get PAYE. Without saying too much just read what BAJR Admin put up and you will understand what position I believe I am in!

[BAJR]

http://www.bajr.org/Documents/Employed_SelfEmployed.pdf

this is what you need

Geli

feel free to talk with me.. I would be every happy to talk.. 01620 861643 I will even call back am out on ajob (whoo hoo ) friday and am off on a First aid course saturday but saturday evening? or sunday

[Unitof1]

so geli April is coming up, is this going to be your first tax self assessment?

[Tillet]

Self employment can be an option for some workers in any industry but for many who are forced into that situation it can end up a nightmare. The advantages for the employer are that they have virtually no resposibilities at all for the individual worker. For the individual worker him or herself there are all the administrative hassels of tax and national insurance payments and the fact that you probably end up in a position that you are outside the benefits system if you become ill and/or unempolyed. There is always a temptation to avoid paying tax and N.I ( a temptation we all feel when we look at our pay slips!!!!!!!). The long term upshot of this however is that you end up without a state pension which for most of us would be a disaster irrespective of other pension arrangements we may have made in the course of our working lives. You only have to look at what has happened to many workers in the construction industry who worked for years on a 'self employed' basis, because it suited the employer, and hit retirement with nothing. It was called 'the lump', and should be resisted in our industry. We can recognise that many specialists in archaeology find self employment a realistic option but for field staff it is downright dangerous and probably illegal in many cases. If anyone finds themselves in that situation and if you are in a union then you will get free advice and support, legal and industrial. Without union membership then you are on your own and have extemly limited options when it comes to improving your circumstances.