Late again

The news of the piecemeal growth of late payment times may not exactly be the steepest graph we will see in the news this week but behind it is the far more sobering statistic of the growing impact it is having on the rate of insolvencies in the industry. At the extreme, we have all heard of – and perhaps even experienced – those companies that actually reward their accounts staff for squeezing one more month out of a debt but even if many companies hold on for just a day or two more, these figures show how much they are hurting everyone down the chain. Read Story

The theme elsewhere in the news is all about workers, with the Supreme Court ruling that one self-employed man deserves worker status, the FMB warning of plummeting take-up of apprenticeships and the Office of National Statistics showing how the home-grown UK workforce is ageing much faster than their non-UK counterparts. Read Story

Some statistics on a completely different subject now: the US has a Window Safety Week, the UK does not; the UK has nearly six times as many youngsters per capita hospitalised by window falls. There are of course other factors in play but that central figure still speaks volumes. Read Story

We hope you enjoy this week issue.

Chris Church Editor

Please send all your news stories to news@the-glazine.com

This Week's News

Two thirds back call for UK Window Safety Week

A call for the UK to adopt a US-style Window Safety Week has gained the backing of two out of three businesses in a poll by one manufacturer.

“The figures speak for themselves, not just in our poll but in the massive disparity between accident figures here and in the US,” said Mike Derham, Chairman of Mighton Products, manufacturer of the Angel Ventlock window restrictor.

“It seems incredible that we are spending millions designing windows that stop intruders getting in yet give barely a second thought to preventing children and vulnerable people from falling out. The USA has had a Window Safety Week for many years and they have only one sixth the number of accidents per capita than we have here”.

Read More Here

Supreme Court backs self-employed ‘worker’ status

The Supreme Court has backed a self-employed worker’s rights in a landmark ruling that is expected to impact on the employment status of thousands of UK construction personnel.

The ruling backed an earlier employment tribunal decision that plumber Gary Smith was entitled to worker status and rights such as holiday and sick pay despite being self-employed for six years with the same firm.

Experts are divided on whether the ruling will set a precedent or set many other such claims in motion, as factors may be different in each individual case, but many believe that a current review of the existing law by Parliament might overrule this and other decisions by bringing forward new legislation in the issue.

Read More Here

Late payments in construction hit 42 days

Construction suppliers are now having to wait an average of over 42 days for payment, up from just over 40 days only five years ago, according to figures published this week.

At the same time, late payment is forcing more construction companies into insolvency, up 8% to 2,633 in 2016/7 on the previous year, according to the report, by business finance provider Funding Options.

The figures reflect the concerns of organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, and also come at a time when moves in Parliament were launched earlier this month to introduce a deposit scheme to protect SMEs against late payment.

Read More Here

New apprenticeships
drop by over a quarter – and young workers
are getting fewer

The Government needs to look again at the way the Apprenticeship Levy is working, says to the Federation of Master Builders, following the news that apprenticeship starts fell by over a quarter (28%) in the six months to March.

Commenting on statistics published this week by the Department for Education, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in April 2017 to boost apprenticeship training across all business sectors but so far it seems to be having the opposite effect. Some reforms are obvious and need to be looked at more urgently now. The Government should allow large companies to pass more of their Levy vouchers down through their supply chains if the company itself is not in a position to train apprentices.”

Read More Here