Support for FSB Fair Pay, Fair Play campaign

The FSB’s Fair Pay, Fair Play campaign calls on Government to enlist the help of Non-Executive Directors, strengthen payment enforcement and adopt Project Bank Accounts in public procurement, as three key reforms that will help end the poor payment crisis in the UK.

The FSB has set up a campaign hub with downloadable social media resources to help freelancers and small businesses support the campaign online.

With the growing freelance market (of which media freelancers are the largest group) now representing £300bn to the UK economy, the govt needs to be tougher on late payers and stop bigger businesses effectively borrowing money from the individual freelancers that agree to work for them.

FSB National Chairman Mike Cherry, said: “For far too long some big businesses have been allowed to get away with poor behaviour that has seen them use their dominant position to bully and squeeze our small firms.

“This behaviour has forced many small businesses to take drastic steps like turning to personal credit cards and overdrafts, just to survive the wait for a payment. Sadly, some don’t survive this wait.

“Poor payment practices are not limited to the private sector and they stunt job growth and damage economic growth. At the heart of this scandal, however, lies a more important question about fairness and what is morally right.

“Why do we find ourselves in a situation where some think it is acceptable and fair to not pay our small businesses on time? The truth is that it isn’t fair – everyone deserves to be paid on time.

You can join the campaign on Twitter with the hashtag #FairPayFairPlay