Wafty shed base

[Dave Liquorice]

Careful I think that technically makes you his "employer" with all the attendant paper work and insurance implications...

KISS would be getting the client to pay Desmond direct.

[Bruce]

I think you meant to suggest that the *supplier/contractor* should invoke their statutory rights. The client is the problem.

Anyway, asserting statutory rights will almost guarantee that they won't ever get any more work from that client. While it might sound good in theory, in practice it is counter-productive.

Thankfully, the banks are very understanding and are aware that you will get your invoices paid - eventually. So the banks don't usually foreclose on a business whose cash flow problems are solely or mainly as a result of slow payments from a public sector client or clients.

[Bruce]

No, David is the contractor, and Desmond is David's subcontractor.

[The Medway Handyman]

Desmond has several revenue streams. Sells a few second hand motors, cleans carpets, runs market stalls. I'm his smallest revenue source.

With a decking job, that could expose the labour/material balance & ruin my margin.

[The Medway Handyman]

The old lady where I changed the sink plug & chain had a son who appeared to be mid 40's. He answered the door & said "ah, you've come to fit the sink plug - will you be able to manage it"?

Nothing wrong with him that I could see, just unable to do simple tasks. I think its a confidence issue.

[Clot]

[The Medway Handyman]

like

[Bruce]

Perhaps, as he was growing up, he had no-one in the family who could show him how to do simple tasks. Surely we all know people who aren't competent to wire a 13 amp plug?

[Owain]

Youth of today don't understand that plugs need wiring.

Never mind *soldering*

Owain

[dennis]

When I worked at GEC I knew engineers that couldn't wire a mains plug. One I took apart had over an inch of bare wire going to each pin and had been intermittently tripping the circuit for weeks.

[Tim Watts]

When I was 20, I turned up for a year-out-of-degree job at Reading Uni. First words (virtually) were "Hello, welcome, here's the tearoom and there's 60 items of new lab equipment in boxes - can you put plugs on each. And show me the first one you do...". Ah the joys...

[dennis]

Mine were "Hello, do you want to design software or hardware?" I did hardware because software is too easy. As it happens I have done hardware, firmware, software and loads of other stuff including demos at CeBit which is really knackering. I doubt if there are many places where you could do everything, shame its gone now.

[Tim Watts]

I got to do both soon enough. I think this was "if you're going to be here, will you do some crappy jobs too without whining and/or being a useless flid?" :)

[Dave Liquorice]

Desmond

INAL so just waving a flag. Employment law is *very* complicated and this probably comes under "the construction industry" which has it's own set of rules... A few quiet questions of the local Business Link could be in order.

[The Natural Philosopher]

If your SOLE source of income is ONE main contractor, then you are deemed to be employed. However the moment you can show another (significant) source of income, you are self employed. AFAICR.

You can solve that completely by becoming a limited company, and invoicing as such, then you become and employee, and shareholder of THAT COMPANY.

[Bruce]

No questions are in order, because it is no-one's business except The Medway Handyman's.

[Dave Liquorice]

No. I have to get permission from HMR&C to be classed as self employed even though I work on short, normally single day, contracts for a number of different companies.

True but involves all the Ltd Co. paperwork... Though there are other advantges that may outweight that like paying yourself 40p/mile and scale rate from all meals taken for work etc.

[Dave Liquorice]

True but I wasn't suggesting "shopping" just that David might be well advised to get clarification. Desmond has an accident, can't work for

6 weeks, who is liable, compensation, loss of earnings... Who will the HSE come looking for?

[tony sayer]

Are you sure about that, the Ltd co just having the One significant source of income "customer"

I could see the Revenue querying that?...

[The Natural Philosopher]

easy enough to find a fellow company and do a few equal sized jobs for each other ;-)

Or simply set up another one and trade frantically between them.