The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has today launched an Associate programme in order to broaden its representation of the Contractor Management Sector and to galvanise the opinions of a fragmented industry.
In launching the new initiative, Julia Kermode, CEO of the FCSA said: “We have never seen such a sustained attack on the flexible workforce as we have witnessed in the last year. It has become clear that as a fragmented industry we have been unable to make our voice heard. Whether it’s by Politicians, Trade Unions, or the Media, the whole industry has been tarnished by the actions of a few unscrupulous providers, cost cutting in the supply chain, ill-informed commentators and a lack of enforcement activity of existing legislation.”
Kermode went on to say: “The time has come for us to unite and fight back, we need to present a single, powerful voice, gather the facts and present our case for protecting and celebrating the role of the flexible workforce in delivering real competitive advantage to the UK economy.“
By widening their reach and uniting the contractor management sector, members and Associates will help FCSA to shape Government policy and represent the sector more effectively. The initiative gives non-member service providers the opportunity to become allied to the UK’s leading not-for-profit trade body, and also benefit their business by receiving regular intelligence, advice and technical analysis from sector experts.
Kermode concluded “A Conservative led Government does not mean stability, far from it! All the indications are suggesting further challenges ahead from across the political parties. By signing up to the new FCSA Charter, Associates will be able to add their voices to help us influence positive change.”
The move to welcome Associates comes on the back of the Employment Intermediaries Travel and Subsistence Legislation proposed by the Government earlier this year. Over the last few months, FCSA has worked in collaboration with some 40 firms, many of whom were non-members, to present a response to a poorly argued discussion document put forward by HMRC and HM Treasury. The response had significant impact, pushing the T&S consultation back to later this year.
