The Sunday Times - UK (2022-02-13

14 The Sunday Times February 13, 2022

MONEY

CREDIT CARDS INTRODUCTORY RATES Provider Card type Introductory purchase APR^1 Reward Contact Barclaycard Platinum All-rounder V 0% for 24 months 21.9% No 0800 151 0900 Sainsbury’s BankDual Offer MC 0% for 24 months 21.9% Yes 08085 405060 Tesco Bank Clubcard Purchases MC 0% for 23 months 20.9% Yes 0345 300 4278

BALANCE TRANSFERS Provider Card type Introductory purchaseTransfer fee^2 APR^1 Contact MBNA Long 0% BT MC 0% for 33 months 2.69% 21.9% 0345 606 2062 Sainsbury’s Bank Balance Transfer MC 0% for 32 months 2.24% (min £3)21.9% 08085 405060 Tesco Bank Clubcard BT MC 0% for 32 months 2.59% 21.9% 0345 300 4278

CASHBACK CARDS

Provider Card type APR^1 Cashback Contact American ExpressPlatinum Cashback 29.8% 0.75%-1.25%. Intro 5% for 3 months 0800 917 8047 American ExpressPlatinum Cashback Everyday 24.5% 0.5%-1%. Intro 5% for 3 months 0800 917 8047 Halifax Cashback MC 19.9% 0.25-0.5% 0345 944 4555 1 APR = annual percentage rate, dependent on credit rating.^2 Fee charged on the amount of each balance transfer during the introductory period. Source: moneyfacts.co.uk

E

leven years ago Gary Smith suffered a heart attack at work. The heating engineer, who worked for Pimlico Plumbers, was at a customer’s house in London when he suddenly felt ill and had to rush out. Smith managed to drive to Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sid- cup, was immediately admitted to intensive care and then suffered a second heart attack. He was there for five days while he had a stent fitted in his heart, and doctors told him to rest for up to two months afterwards. Smith’s wife and their two children were worried about his health, but his biggest concern was how he would pay the mortgage and support his family. Despite working 40 hours a week for Lon- don’s biggest plumbing firm for six years, Smith was classed as self-employed, so he was not entitled to sick pay. The 11-year battle that followed would turn Smith, now 54, from an ordinary plumber, who says he always worked “diligently and faithfully” for Pimlico, into a crusader. His case puts him at the heart of the debate over the status of self-employed people who work full time but do not have the same rights as employed workers. Having been told he had no employment rights, Smith ignored his doctor’s advice and returned to work after only three weeks off. Then he started having chest pains and nausea. “I rang the office control centre and explained that I didn’t feel well. We had a heated conversation,” he said. “I was get- ting chest pains, I wasn’t feeling myself

Gary Smith’s 11-year fight

for sick pay and workers’

rights could help millions

of self-employed people,

writes David Byers

FIVE THINGS

YOU NEED TO

KNOW ABOUT...

THE EARNINGS THRESHOLD

THE

FIVER

5

1

The magic number in workplace pensions is £10,000 — earn this or more, and you will automatically start saving for retirement. This earnings threshold is the point at which your employer has to enrol you into a workplace scheme and start contributing to your savings, as long as you are aged at least 22.

2

The threshold will be frozen at £10,000 for 2022-23. This means that as wages rise, an extra 17,000 workers will be brought above the threshold, because the freeze is actually a decrease in real terms.

3

The government has come under pressure from campaigners to scrap the threshold to help bolster pension savings, but is balancing the need for workers to save more for later life with the current cost-of-living crisis.

4

There are, however, plenty of workers who earn more than £10,000 across two or more jobs, but are not enrolled into a pension scheme because they do not earn £10,000 from one employer. These people may be able to afford to pay into a pension, but are excluded from automatic enrolment and their employers’ contributions.

5

A company does not have to pay contributions on the first £6,240 of a worker’s salary. This threshold has also been frozen. Many campaigners want the government to make earnings “pensionable” from the first pound.

Imogen Tew

CASH ISAS INSTANT ACCESS Provider Account name Min deposit Interest Transfers in Contact Paragon Bank Triple Access Isa Issue 16 £1 0.65% Yes paragonbank.co.uk Shawbrook Bank Easy Access Cash Isa Account Issue 19£1,000 0.61% Yes shawbrook.co.uk FIXED RATE Provider Account name Term Min deposit Rate Transfers inContact OakNorth Bank 12 Month Fixed Rate Cash Isa1 year £1 1% Yes oaknorth.co.uk United Bank UK 2 Year Fixed Rate Cash Isa2 years £2,000 1.25% Yes ubluk.com

Source: savingschampion.co.uk — 0808 178 5354

CHILDREN’S ACCOUNTS Provider Account name Account type Min deposit Interest rate Contact Dudley BS Junior Easy Saver Regular Saver £10 3.5% dudleybuildingsociety.co.uk Santander^1 123 Mini Current Account Current Account £1,500 2.96% santander.co.uk HSBC^2 MySavings Easy Access £10 2.47% hsbc.co.uk

(^1) Interest paid on balances between £1,500 and £2,000 (^2) 0.25% paid on balances above £3,000
JUNIOR ISAS
Provider Account name Min deposit Interest rate Rate Contact
The Family BS Cash Junior Isa £3,000 2.4% Variable familybuildingsociety.co.uk
Coventry BS Junior Cash Isa (2) £1 2.25% Variable coventrybuildingsociety.co.uk
Tesco Bank Junior Cash Isa £1 2.25% Variable tescobank.com
Source: savingschampion.co.uk — 0808 178 5354
Best Buys
FOREIGN
CURRENCY
Interbank rates at 5pm
on Friday, which show
where the market is
trading. They are not
indicative of the rate
you could get.
EURO
GBP>EUR
1.19
USA
GBP>USD
1.35
SWITZERLAND
GBP>CHF
1.25
AUSTRALIA
GBP>AUD
1.89
ENERGY DEALS
Table shows the cheapest fixed tariff now available
from the three cheapest suppliers. Excludes tariffs of
less than 12 months’ duration, tariffs that do not have
national coverage and tariffs where payments are
taken in advance of supply. Variable rate tariffs are
set by Ofgem’s price cap and may be lower.
Supplier Average annual bill Rate Contact
OVO £2,209 Fixed 0330 111 5050
So Energy £2,284 Fixed 0330 200 5100
EDF £2,290 Fixed 0330 303 5063
Phone numbers provided will call through to theenergyshop.com switch support team. Source: theenergyshop.com — 0800 448 0205
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS
INSTANT ACCESS
Provider Account name Min deposit Interest rate Contact
Ford Money Flexible Saver £1 0.73% fordmoney.co.uk
Investec Online Flexi Saver £5,000 0.71% savings.investec.com
Cynergy Bank Online Easy Access Account Issue 44 £1 0.7% cynergybank.co.uk
NOTICE ACCOUNTS
Provider Account name Notice period Min deposit Interest rate Contact
Shawbrook Bank 120 Day Notice Personal Account Issue 50120 days £1,000 1.08% shawbrook.co.uk
DF Capital 120 Day Notice Account Issue 1 120 days £1,000 1.05% dfcapital.co.uk
Charter Savings Bank 95 Day Notice Account Issue 41 95 days £5,000 1.02% chartersavingsbank.co.uk
FIXED-RATE BONDS
Provider Account name Term Min deposit Interest rate Contact
Tandem Bank 1 Year Fixed Saver 1 year £1,000 1.45% tandem.co.uk
Smart Save 2 Year Fixed Saver 2 years £10,000 1.66% smartsavebank.co.uk
Raisin 3 Year Fixed Term Deposit (provided by UBL UK)3 years £1,000 1.85% raisin.co.uk
DEALS ARE LISTED ONLY IF THEY ARE COVERED BY THE UK FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME (FSCS) OR A EUROPEAN EQUIVALENT
Source: savingschampion.co.uk — 0808 178 5354
MORTGAGES
2-YEAR FIXED RATES
Lender Rate Scheme Deposit Fee Notes Contact
Yorkshire BS 1.56% Fixed to 30.04.24 25% £495 LOV 0345 166 9510
Santander 1.44% Fixed to 02.05.24 20% £999 NPV 0800 065 6064
HSBC 1.89% Fixed to 30.04.24 10% £0 PV 0800 494 999
3-YEAR FIXED RATES
Barclays 1.45% Fixed to 31.05.25 40% £999 LV 0333 202 7580
Virgin 1.82% Fixed to 01.06.25 15% £0 R 0345 605 0500
Nationwide 1.94% Fixed for 3 years 10% £999 PV 0800 302 010
LONG-TERM FIXED RATES
TSB 1.59% Fixed to 31.05.27 40% £995 PV 0800 056 1088
Santander 1.69% Fixed to 02.05.27 20% £999 NPV 0800 068 6064
HSBC 2.19% Fixed to 30.04.27 10% £999 PV 0800 494 999
Lloyds 1.66% Fixed to 31.05.32 40% £995 RS 0800 783 3534
TRACKERS / DISCOUNTS
HSBC 1.24% Tracker + 0.74% for 2 years 40% £999 ELV 0800 494 999
Nationwide 1.84% Tracker + 1.34% for 2 years 10% £999 EPV 0800 302 010
Newbury BS 1.69% 2.26% discount for 5 years 25% £850 LV 01633 555 5777
First Direct 2.44% Tracker+1.94% for term 25% £490 ELV 0800 482 448
FIRST-TIME BUYER / LOW DEPOSIT
HSBC 2.56% Fixed to 30.04.24 5% £0 PV 0800 494 999
Yorkshire BS 2.79% Fixed to 30.04.27 5% £995 NPV 0345 166 9510
Barclays 1.56% Fixed to 31.05.27 25% £749 HPV 0333 202 7580
BUY TO LET
Skipton 1.69% Tracker + 1.19% for 2 years40% £995 ELV 0345 850 1755
Leeds BS 1.41% Fixed to 30.04.24 40% £999 LV 0345 045 4049
Virgin 1.74% Fixed to 01.06.27 25% £1,995 CR 0345 605 0500
Early repayment charge applies unless otherwise stated. Most deals track Bank of England base rate.
C = £500 cashback for purchases; E = No early repayment charge; F = £500 cashback for first-time buyers; H = Help to Buy;
L = Free legal work for remortgages; M = £300 cashback for purchases; N = £250 cash back for purchases; O = £250 cash back;
P = Purchases only; R - Free legal work and valuation for remortgages; S = Remortgage only; V = Free valuation
Source: landc.co.uk — 0800 373 300
CURRENT ACCOUNTS
CREDIT INTEREST
Provider Account name Account fee Reward Balance (for reward) Contact
Halifax Reward Current Account None £5 a month – 0345 720 3040
TSB Spend & Save None £5 a month – 0345 975 8758
Virgin Money M Plus Account None 2.02% AER Up to £1,000 0800 678 3654
OVERDRAFTS
Provider Account name Account fee Interest rate^1 0% overdraft limit Contact
Starling Bank Current Account None 15% £0 starlingbank.com
First Direct 1st Account None 39.9% £250 0345 600 2424
Virgin Money M Plus Account None 19.9% £0 0800 678 3654
(^1) Equivalent annual rate.

Based on overdraft of £500 for 7 days a month.
Some accounts require minimum funding/direct debits to open or receive rates shown.
Source: moneyfacts.co.uk
taken for the six years he worked there
between 2005 and 2011. Pimlico claimed
he was out of time to make the case, but
last week the Court of Appeal ruled that
Smith could claim for back holiday pay
for as long as he liked. Smith’s lawyers
will seek to reach a figure with Pimlico.
The case cost £1 million in legal fees
altogether, but Smith’s fees were
£100,000 because his law firm, TMP
Solicitors, represented him for parts of
the case pro bono, while another slice
was subsidised by the Equality and
Human Rights Commission. TMP is now
set to claim the £100,000 from Pimlico at
an employment tribunal in Croydon.
Jacqueline McGuigan from TMP Solici-
tors said: “It’s a David and Goliath judg-
ment — huge credit has to go to Gary for
persevering for years.”
Smith said: “You just have to plod on,
to take the knocks as they come. I had a
family to support. To walk away from
something like that would have been the
easy way out.”
Rebecca Seeley Harris, chairwoman of
the Employment Status Forum, a tax
reform group, said that the judgment
could help self-employed workers, but
was not the same as a statute. She urged
the government to set out workers’ rights
in new legislation.
In February last year the Supreme
Court ruled that Uber drivers were work-
ers and entitled to basic holiday, rest
breaks and the national minimum wage.
Pimlico Plumbers’ flamboyant
founder, Charlie Mullins, sold his 90 per
cent shareholding in the company to
Neighborly, a US home services group,
for between £125 million and £145 million
in September. Mullins has said he is con-
sidering running for London mayor.
Pimlico Plumbers said: “While the
company is not able to comment on any
of the events or actions that transpired
prior to the sale, it has been important to
the new ownership and the current lead-
ership team at Pimlico to find a mutual
resolution in this case, and to help bring
closure on this matter for both sides.”
Employment law
recognises three
categories of worker:
employed, self-
employed and worker,
but the tax system has
room for only two:
employed and self-
employed.
lYou are an employee
if you have a contract
of employment. Your
employer is obliged to
take income tax and
national insurance
contributions from
your salary, and you are
entitled to statutory
sick pay, maternity or
paternity leave,
redundancy pay,
holiday pay and the
right to not be unfairly
dismissed.
lThe self-employed
do not have contracts
of employment, they
are responsible for
their own tax and
national insurance
contributions and
decide when to take
their holidays. They,
along with all workers,
have the right to
work free from
discrimination and in
a safe and healthy
environment.
lA worker will sign
a contract but will
technically be free,
without penalty, to
accept or reject other
work. Normally they
would be paid directly
by a company and do
their own taxes. They
have the right to the
national minimum
wage, paid holiday,
sick pay and maternity
and paternity pay.
THREE INTO
TWO WON’T GO
purposes a full-time worker for Pimlico
and demanded the same rights. He
employed lawyers to fight his case at an
employment tribunal, arguing that he
ought to have the status of an employee,
who would be protected against unfair
dismissal and be entitled to redundancy
pay.
Smith explained to the court that he
worked five days a week for Pimlico, was
asked to wear its company uniform and
drove a Pimlico van that he had hired
from the company for £120 a month.
He won tribunal after tribunal, with
Pimlico fighting him at every step, and
eventually ended up in the Supreme
Court. In June 2018 a judge ruled that he
should have the status of a worker — yet
that was far from the end.
Smith then sought the right to claim
£74,000 for the unpaid holiday he had
and I thought rather than push it and take
a chance, I went to the doctors and got
signed off for two weeks. I was having
uncontrollable heart palpitations.”
Smith wrote to ask Pimlico to cut his
five-day working week down to three, but
the company said no. Then he claims he
was suspended “in the interests of health
and safety” and was told that he would
have to return his company van, uniform
and mobile phone straight away.
A day later, two members of staff
showed up at his house in Blackfen,
southeast London. “They brought a
spare key from the office, and just rolled
the van off the drive,” he said. “They
didn’t start the engine until they got half-
way down the road so as not to alert me.”
Because Smith was self-employed, he
was not entitled to a notice period or sev-
erance pay. His was not an extravagant
family — “the only big outlay each year
was to go on summer holiday” — but with-
out his wages they would struggle. Smith
believed he was for all intents and
The heart attack that started a revolution
ta
b
h
la
S
fo
w
a
£
S
th
w
H
s
a
to
m
p
to
fa
s
e
th
re
c
Gary Smith worked
for Pimlico Plumbers
for six years

The Sunday Times - UK (2022-02-13

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