Self-employment body supports calls to end late payment scandal
IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed, has today supported calls from business groups, the FSB and IoD, to put an end to the scandal of late payment.
Simon McVicker, director of policy and external affairs, IPSE, said: “Late payment is inexcusable, shameless and completely unfair. Independent professionals don’t receive regular income like employees and therefore rely on being paid on time to keep their business afloat.
“Late payment is a key issue for the self-employed which is why it is at the forefront of our manifesto. The Conservatives are taking steps in the right direction by acting on IPSE’s proposal for a small business conciliation service and enforcing the Prompt Payment Code, but we still must put pressure on big businesses to do the right thing when it comes to paying their suppliers. We would like to see all the major Parties agree to this before the General Election.”
A survey commissioned by IPSE with ComRes shows overwhelming support from the general public to tackle the problem of late pay. The survey asked 1,000 ‘traditional’ employees and self-employed professionals in the UK’s most marginal constituencies and found 79% support strengthening rules to prevent this issue. The survey also found 78% of people support developing a way for small businesses to settle disputes without court action.
Simon said: “IPSE stands with the IoD and the FSB in tackling the scandalous problem of large businesses bullying suppliers by enforcing long payment terms.
“Our research shows that the general public overwhelmingly support proposals to end the scandal of late payment and we hope big businesses will wake up to public opinion.
“Late pay means microbusiness owners get caught in a catch-22 situation – they rely on regular pay but can’t excessively chase payment because it ruins relationships. We will continue to work with Government and business to ensure the culture of payment is radically changed across the board.”