by Clair Mooney | 26 Jun, 2018 | Main News Feed
Peter Caplehorn, CPA Deputy Chief Executive and Policy Director, will host a Skype conference call with members on Wednesday 25 July from 11am-12pm to discuss the impact of the Hackitt Review’s recommendations on the work of marketing and communications professionals within our industry. The Review highlighted, for example, the need for greater clarity in marketing language and labelling, particularly in relation to how products have been tested and certified for use and performance. If you are interested please contact mary.economidou@constructionproducts.org.uk
by Clair Mooney | 26 Jun, 2018 | Main News Feed
This is your last opportunity to claim Training and Development Plan Grant for the 2017/2018 Grants Scheme.
The deadline to submit all Grant claims for this period is Saturday 30 June 2018. Any claims that are submitted after this date will not be processed.
Please submit your completed claims to the relevant email address below:
Training Plans – Customer.ServicesTP@citb.co.uk
2017/18 Grant Scheme – grant.claimforms@citb.co.uk
by Clair Mooney | 21 Jun, 2018 | Main News Feed
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling that an individual who had worked solely for London-based Pimlico Plumbers for six years, was entitled to full workers’ rights despite being VAT-registered and paying self-employed tax, our tax adviser Liz Bridge provides her comments on the case…
“Everyone in Construction has long known that a worker who claims to be self employed may be an NIC and employment rights time bomb waiting to go off.
This is particularly true if many of the contractual terms in the contract he works under are ‘sham’ –if he didn’t turn up for work he would he ever be required to come again, the only substitutes he could send were other workers from the same firm, etc. It is also true that if the worker does not actually ever work for others and works for the same employer for a substantial length of time, any court will have considerable doubt about self employed status.
In the case of Pimlico Plumbers, the worker concerned wore a uniform, drove a company van, and had a contract that referred to wages, gross misconduct and dismissal. He also had a restrictive covenant which restricted him competing in London should the Pimlico engagement contract cease.
If your firm is to be safe you should review your self employed workers at least once a year and you should be truthful to yourself. It is no good being confident that your employment contracts will protect you if you know in your heart that they cover an arrangement that is really employment. Do not think that the challenge will always come from HMRC.
Could your contracts of engagement be seen as artificial if the worker told a court what was actually expected of him and how he was controlled? The challenge for Pimlico Plumbers came from a worker who wanted his rights acknowledged, not from a Government department.
The atmosphere surrounding employment is changing and the courts are supporting ‘employment’ decisions more and more. There is also a major proposal to change the IR35 rules to support more PAYE. This Pimlico Plumbers decision from the Supreme Court only tells us all what we have known for some time: taking on self employed workers is risky unless they are genuinely self employed.
When I say ‘genuinely self employed’ I mean that the worker brings with them any specialist materials needed, or that they pay other workers, or they bring in specialist kit. Beware the man who arrives with his hands in his pockets asking what you want him to do with your materials and your kit. He is your risk area.”
Liz Bridge
Secretary, Joint Taxation Committee
by Clair Mooney | 21 Jun, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS is seeking a membership manager to join its growing team. We are looking for a proactive and enthusiastic person with a strong sales and marketing background to retain and increase the organisations members.
You should be able to demonstrate outstanding communication, questioning, listening, writing and presentation skills, excellent organisational skills, the ability to prioritise work load and work under pressure. A proven capability of working with a wide range of external stakeholders is essential.
For full details on the vacancy and to apply visit www.thefis.org/jobs/membership-manager/
by Clair Mooney | 8 Jun, 2018 | Main News Feed
A year on from the tragic fire at Grenfell tower Dame Judith Hackitt’s report Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety has been published but what does this mean for our sector and what is FIS proposing so members can meet the recommendations going forward?
To find out join us on Monday 25 June in London.
For details and to register your interest to attend email dancook@thefis.org
Spaces will be limited on a first come basis.
by Clair Mooney | 7 Jun, 2018 | Main News Feed
The FIS Awards Lunch took place on Tuesday 5 June 2018 at The Dorchester Hotel in London and was attended by more than 460 members and guests. Industry joined together to celebrate the winners of this year’s Contractors Awards.
Representatives from our nominated charity CALM raised nearly £4,000 thanks to the generous donations of our members.
We were treated to an amusing after-dinner speech by Miles Jupp, who then went on to announce the winners of the awards. See who won below:
Operable Walls Silver – Style Moveable Partition Specialists for its contract at Adobe in London
Operable Walls Gold – Ezyglide for its installation at The Ivy, London
Specialist Joinery Silver – Stortford Interiors (UK) for its installation at Quadrant 4 in London
Specialist Joinery Gold – Laser Essex for its contract at The Office Group’s White Collar Factory in London
Heritage Silver – Hayles and Howe for its contract at Piccadilly Theatre in London
Heritage Gold – Ornate Interiors for its installation at Oldham Town Hall in Lancashire
Fibrous and GRG new build Silver – Hayles and Howe for its project at Leathersellers Hall in London
Fibrous and GRG new build Gold – Simplicity Abutments for its contract at Bloomberg, London
Steel Framed Systems Gold – Atkin Trade Specialists for its installation at the Apartments in Schooner Way, Cardiff
Plastering Gold – Taylor Hart for its contract at the University of Birmingham
Drywall Construction Residential Silver – Ridge Interiors for its project at Mayfair House in London
Drywall Construction Residential Gold – Measom Dryline for its contract at Rathbone Square, London
Drywall Construction Commercial Silver – Mansell Finishes for its installation at Birmingham Conservatoire
Drywall Construction Commercial Gold – Stortford Interiors for its contract at Which in London
Suspended Ceilings Silver – BPC Interiors for its ceilings installation at Falcon, London
Suspended Ceilings Gold – Brian Hendry Interiors for its contract at Hawkhead Care Home in Renfrew
Partitioning category Silver – Lusso Interiors for its contract at the University of West England in Bristol
Partitioning category Gold – Optima Contracting for its partitioning installation at Bloomberg in London
Interior Fit-Out under £1M Silver – DSP Interiors for its contract at Robinson Structures in Derby
Interior Fit-Out under £1M Gold – Paragon Interiors Group for its project at PKF Cooper Parry in Solihull
Interior Fit-Out over £1M Silver – Worksmart Contracts for its fit out at Scotland House in London
Interior Fit-Out over £1M Gold – Veitchi Interiors for its project at Anderson High School and Halls of Residence in the Shetland Isles
Project of the Year was awarded to Ornate Interiors for its contract at Oldham Town Hall in Lancashire
All winners are featured in the June edition of FIS Focus. The full magazine can be viewed here.
We would like to thank all entrants and sponsors of the 2018 awards; entries for the 2019 FIS Contractors Awards will open in July.
