Newly Self-Employed During Covid

JModulo said:

Afternoon All,

First of all apologies if there is already a similar thread however I haven't come across one. I was just wondering if anyone else is in the same situation I have been in for a large period of 2020.

I took the choice to become self employed early on last year. I currently work as a mobile mechanic/electrician albeit mostly on preserved buses / restoration projects therefore my line of work is seen as 'non-essential'. At the start of the year when lockdown began I had no choice, like many others, to stop work and reside at home.

Due to the nature of my work it isn't possible to do it at home.

I was also met with the situation that I was seen as newly self-employed and therefore not entitled to any of the governments schemes apart from Universal Credit as at the time I hadn't submitted a tax return for my first year of trading.

Yet again later on in 2020 I'm now in the same position where sites that I usually go to for work have been placed in tier 4 (Scotland) and I have no option but to stay at home, despite having plenty of work waiting in my books.

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DustyBin said:

Is the issue that you can’t physically get into the sites at which you should be working? If you can then I’d go ahead with your ‘vehicle repair and maintenance’ work.... I certainly wouldn’t be willing to live on UC when I could be working to be honest.

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JModulo said:

Yes, whilst the sites that I go to have not officially been told to close, they have took the view that they are non-essential so have decided to lock up until December 11th.

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trebor79 said:

This doesn't sound quite right. As far as I know, all of the lockdown rules in all areas of the UK have specifically allowed work to continue if it can't be done from home. It doesn't matter if the business that work is being done at is "essential" or not. For example in the first lockdown lots of people were paid to fit all those perspex screens etc in the "non-essential" shops that were shut so that they could reopen the moment they were allowed to. There will be people working in zoos, museums and other attractions doing maintenance, feeding animals, security, general admin etc.
Closer to home, my parents have had a new kitchen fitted during the latest lockdown and we've continued to have our cleaner - work that could not be done from home (and again, even if that work takes place in someone else's home is specifically allowed for).

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DustyBin said:

Agreed, it sounds as though they're making their own problems....

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Mojo said:

Lots of businesses have chosen to do this; the reason I’m quite unclear of. My boss ordered some equipment for us which had a two month lead time because the factory was closed for several months earlier this year and they had a massive backlog. Unfortunately he needed to order some more in the week but the company said that due to the lockdown their factory is closed until next week.

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Bantamzen said:

I get the impression that some companies are concerned that someone from the local authority with a lanyard and clipboard will turn up and declare them not "covid-safe", potentially triggering some form of legal action and so they feel it is in their interest to close and furlough their staff until restrictions are eased.

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DavidB said:

Which of course then leads to a vicious circle of on-off-on working.

The furlough scheme is the cause of this - it should really only apply where specific regulations in force at the time mean that those specific staff (which may be all staff in something like a pub or restaurant, but only some in other businesses) cannot work. If this doesn't apply - e.g. a factory or an office - there's really no reason why they should close, and without the safety net of the furlough scheme most probably wouldn't do so.

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