BATU meet the Revenue Commissioners to
demand the Abolition of Bogus
Self-employment

BATU have called on the Revenue Commissioners to reform the eRCT system of taxation. Andy Smith along with other union delegates met with the Revenue Commissioners on Tuesday 30th June 2015.
In a statement to the commissioners Andy Smith accused Revenue of been complicit in the practice of Bogus Self Employment and treating CONSTRUCTION WORKERS AS SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, Revenue has denied this.
Mr Smith then when on to point out that revenue had in fact handed over the power to classify workers tax status to contractors and sub-contractors since 2012 with their new on-line system of registration.
Under this system an unscrupulous employer can register a PAYE worker as self-employed, saving the company from paying, Holiday pay, Sick Pay, Travel Time, Pension Contributions, Redundancy, and Employers PRSI.
As a worker you will lose any Social Welfare Payments, Old Age Pension and Employment Rights.
This is an enormous loss to both the Employee and the State.
BATU have asked Revenue to put in place a new systems for self-employment with safe guards in place to protect workers.
• All workers to be classed as PAYE workers on Construction sites.
• Any worker wishing to be classed as self-employed must present themselves at a Revenue office, there they would be interviewed by a commissioner and asked to sign a declaration they were self-employed and met the criteria and that they were not being forced or blackmailed into working in this manner.
• BATU requested a Revenue Inspector to be at the end of a phone for trade union representatives, Revenue would then investigate any allegations of Bogus Self-employment reported by the Unions.
• That an advertising campaign would be put in place to make workers aware of the pit-falls of Bogus Self-employment.
• That full protection would be given to all Whistle Blowers.
• That the main contractor would police tax compliance on their sites and retain retention from all subbies to ensure RCT tax is returned in full and on time,
• All contractors who are found to have wrongly classified a worker should be fully liable for all PAYE and PRSI shortfalls.
BATU will continue to work with the ICTU and the Revenue Commissioners to reform the eRCT tax system and eliminate Bogus Self-employment.
If you find yourself forced into Bogus Self-employment contact BATU.