Am I Employed or Self-Employed? The Test That Decides
Bogus self-employment in UK construction. The legal tests, the warning signs, and your rights if you are really an employee.
Read this firstYour Employment Status
Gig Economy in Construction: Where Do You Actually Stand?
Gig economy rights in UK construction. Where you stand legally in the grey zone between employed and self-employed.
IR35 and Off-Payroll Rules: Do They Apply to Me?
IR35 and off-payroll working rules for construction. Who decides your status and what happens if they get it wrong.
PAYE vs CIS vs Self-Employed: Which One Am I?
PAYE vs CIS vs self-employed explained. How to work out what you actually are and why it matters for your pay and rights.
Agency & Contract Work
Umbrella Companies: Are They Taking More Than They Should?
Umbrella companies in construction. How they work, what they take, and the warning signs of a dodgy one.
Zero Hours Contracts on Site: Your Actual Rights
Zero-hour contracts on construction sites. Your rights, what they can and can't do, and when to push back.
Agency Workers' Rights: What Changes After 12 Weeks
Agency worker rights after 12 weeks on site. What equal treatment means and how to check you are getting what you are owed.
Your Rights
Maternity and Paternity Rights in Construction: What the Law Says
Maternity and paternity rights in construction. What the law gives you even if your employer says the site can't manage.
Discrimination on Site: Your Rights Under the Equality Act
Discrimination on construction sites. Your legal protections on race, age, disability and gender, and how to report it.
Sick Pay for Builders: What You Get and What You Don't
Sick pay and SSP for construction workers. What your employer owes you, how to claim, and what to do if they refuse.
Holiday Pay for Self-Employed Builders: What You're Actually Owed
Holiday pay for construction workers. You are probably owed it even on CIS. How to check and what to claim.
Working Time Limits and Rest Breaks: What the Law Actually Says
Working time limits and rest breaks for construction workers. The law on maximum hours, daily rest and weekly time off.
Notice Periods: How Much Warning Do They Have to Give You?
Notice periods in construction. What you must give, what you are owed, and what counts as wrongful dismissal.
Losing Your Job
Redundancy on a Building Site: Your Actual Rights
Redundancy rights on construction projects. What you are entitled to, how to check your status, and when to challenge it.
Sacked on Site: Do I Have a Claim for Unfair Dismissal?
Unfair dismissal rights even if they call you self-employed. How tribunals decide and what you can claim in construction.
TUPE Transfers: What Happens to Me When the Contract Changes Hands?
TUPE transfers in construction. Your rights when a contract changes hands and what the new employer must keep.
Settlement Agreements: Should You Sign One?
Settlement agreements in construction. What you are signing away, how to negotiate, and when to get legal advice.
Speaking Up
Whistleblowing: How to Report Illegal Activity Without Losing Your Job
Whistleblowing on illegal activity on site. How to report safely, your legal protections, and what they can't do to you.
Blacklisting in Construction: It Happened and It Could Still Happen
Blacklisting in UK construction. What it is, how to check if you are on a list, and what legal action you can take.
Essential Reading
Right to Work Checks: What Employers Must Do or Face a £60k Fine
Right-to-work checks for small construction firms. What documents to check, fines up to 60k, and how to stay compliant.
Deductions From Your Wages: When It's Legal and When It Isn't
Deductions from wages in construction. When your boss can legally dock your pay and when to challenge it.
Travel Time: Do I Get Paid for It?
Do you get paid for travel time in construction? More counts than most bosses admit, especially between sites.
Working Sundays and Bank Holidays: Your Rights and Pay
Working Sundays and bank holidays in construction. There is no automatic right to double pay but here is what the law says.
Employing Family Members: Tax Savings, HMRC Risks and What to Get Right
Employing family members in construction. Tax savings are real but HMRC watch closely. What to get right from the start.
Becoming a Dad: Time Off, Money and What Nobody Tells You
NewPaternity leave, pay and time off for UK tradespeople — employed and self-employed. What the law gives you, how to plan financially, Shared Parental Leave reality, and the mental health side nobody talks about.