24/02/2017

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:00:19. > :00:22.Temporary workers in Yorkshire say they are losing hundreds of pounds

:00:23. > :00:23.in wages because they are being exploited

:00:24. > :00:26.The companies act as middlemen between contractors and employees.

:00:27. > :00:29.The BBC has spoken to workers who claim they're being forced

:00:30. > :00:31.to pay extra national insurance and administration fees.

:00:32. > :00:33.says the companies only charge pre-agreed fees.

:00:34. > :00:40.Construction workers, supply teachers, care providers -

:00:41. > :00:43.people working in sectors of the economy where temporary work

:00:44. > :00:45.has become the norm, and work is less secure.

:00:46. > :00:48.And it's in this sector of the economy that some temporary

:00:49. > :00:53.contract workers are telling us they are being ripped off.

:00:54. > :00:55.I thought I was getting ripped off that much,

:00:56. > :01:01.So I phoned the union and they took my case on.

:01:02. > :01:04.The target of these complaints are so-called umbrella companies.

:01:05. > :01:10.These are, in effect, middlemen who sort out wages

:01:11. > :01:12.for contractors who have outsourced

:01:13. > :01:16.The theory is this - a contractor requiring the service of,

:01:17. > :01:20.for instance, a builder hands the umbrella company the wage,

:01:21. > :01:24.then pays the worker their monthly or weekly wages.

:01:25. > :01:31.But it's not as straightforward as that.

:01:32. > :01:33.We spoke to workers who claim their umbrella companies

:01:34. > :01:34.are deducting from their wages not only

:01:35. > :01:37.the normal rates of tax and employee's National Insurance,

:01:38. > :01:40.but also employer's National Insurance and holiday pay.

:01:41. > :01:43.Both of which should, in fact, the paid by the employer.

:01:44. > :01:49.They are also paying administration fees and even VAT on those fees.

:01:50. > :01:54.that can amount to significant amounts of money.

:01:55. > :01:56.This construction worker from South Yorkshire

:01:57. > :02:00.was paid through an umbrella company.

:02:01. > :02:02.His payslips show extra deductions alongside those

:02:03. > :02:05.which all employees can expect to pay.

:02:06. > :02:07.He threatened to take the company to a tribunal.

:02:08. > :02:12.when he was repaid thousands of pounds.

:02:13. > :02:18.What I didn't understand was the margins they were taking off us.

:02:19. > :02:23.we were paying our own holiday pay, which I'm entitled to.

:02:24. > :02:26.Umbrella companies will try to get round it

:02:27. > :02:28.by not paying anybody holiday money.

:02:29. > :02:31.Our members, when they join FCSA, sign up to confirm

:02:32. > :02:35.that they will operate legally and ethically and transparently.

:02:36. > :02:40.There are some less transparent firms out there,

:02:41. > :02:46.with everyone getting tarred with the same brush,

:02:47. > :02:50.because our members work really hard to make sure that contractors know

:02:51. > :02:54.exactly how they are being paid and what is being deducted

:02:55. > :02:56.so that there are not these misunderstandings.

:02:57. > :03:00.Next month, select committee hearings are due to begin

:03:01. > :03:03.in the House of Commons about fairness in the workplace,

:03:04. > :03:09.and unions are bringing more challenges through tribunals.

:03:10. > :03:12.A driver's been jailed for ten years after he knocked down a cyclist,

:03:13. > :03:16.Akash Rashid, who's 22 and from Bradford,

:03:17. > :03:18.had been trying to get away from police

:03:19. > :03:22.when he hit Andrew Platten on Cottingley Cliffe Road in July.

:03:23. > :03:24.Mr Platten's family has paid tribute to him,

:03:25. > :03:26.saying he was a respected academic and a "truly inspirational" father

:03:27. > :03:30.The case against two men who were arrested following protests

:03:31. > :03:33.about the felling of trees in Sheffield has been dropped.

:03:34. > :03:36.Simon Crump and Calvin Payne had been charged under Trade Union

:03:37. > :03:38.legislation and were due before magistrates next month.

:03:39. > :03:41.The Crown Prosecution Service say it's not in the public interest

:03:42. > :03:45.The case against two other people, also arrested during protests,

:03:46. > :03:48.Next tonight to more good news for South Yorkshire,

:03:49. > :03:52.with aircraft giant Boeing announcing a ?20 million investment

:03:53. > :03:57.in what will be the company's first, and only, factory in Europe.

:03:58. > :04:02.the site will be based between Sheffield and Rotherham.

:04:03. > :04:09.This is the part of South Yorkshire where ideas are made.

:04:10. > :04:12.15 years ago, Sheffield University had the idea to partner up

:04:13. > :04:15.with Boeing to create a centre where engineers could work

:04:16. > :04:21.on designs to make engines, turbines and aeroplanes more efficiently.

:04:22. > :04:26.That partnership has just paid off, because Boeing are on their way.

:04:27. > :04:29.This is called the factory of the future.

:04:30. > :04:31.It's where all of the research is done down here.

:04:32. > :04:35.It is the partnership they already have with Boeing that has made

:04:36. > :04:41."Well, the expertise is ready here, why not build a factory next door?"

:04:42. > :04:46.It is the culmination of 16 years' hard work by the team here,

:04:47. > :04:50.showing the capability and what Sheffield has to offer.

:04:51. > :04:53.This is the other reason why they've come here -

:04:54. > :04:56.apprentices learning robotics and computer aided design.

:04:57. > :04:58.Boeing knows there are engineers being trained up

:04:59. > :05:02.just yards away from their new factory.

:05:03. > :05:05.There is a lot of local employers with global presence already,

:05:06. > :05:11.but these big blue-chip companies that announce these kind of stories

:05:12. > :05:15.which is only positive for the sector.

:05:16. > :05:17.It will be bowing's first factory in Europe,

:05:18. > :05:21.In it, they will be building some of the most

:05:22. > :05:24.important parts of the plane, the bits which move the wings.

:05:25. > :05:28.The factory itself is hugely important for South Yorkshire.

:05:29. > :05:31.It is the secondary effect for all of the existing companies,

:05:32. > :05:36.We will create four times as many jobs in the secondary businesses

:05:37. > :05:42.McLaren announced a factory here a few weeks ago -

:05:43. > :05:47.South Yorkshire is the Rolls Royce of the advanced manufacturing world.

:05:48. > :05:52.Well, they've been making turbine blades here for a couple of years.

:05:53. > :05:56.South Yorkshire built itself on old, heavy industry,

:05:57. > :06:05.but it's the new stuff, the ideas, that will drive it forward.

:06:06. > :06:11.and Castleford Tigers were away to Warrington Wolves tonight.

:06:12. > :06:13.And it was a good win for Castleford -

:06:14. > :06:20.with Luke Gale's try being one of the highlights of the game.

:06:21. > :06:22.Elsewhere, some other results to bring you -

:06:23. > :06:24.Leeds Rhinos were away to Salford Red Devils,

:06:25. > :06:27.the final score there 20 to the Rhinos and 14 to Salford.

:06:28. > :06:33.Huddersfield Giants beat Wakefield Trinity 24-16.

:06:34. > :06:41.It wasn't such a bad story at all across Yorkshire today.

:06:42. > :06:43.Many of us enjoyed some lovely sunshine.

:06:44. > :06:47.A band of rain makes its way in from the west.

:06:48. > :06:50.I think we will see some heavy spells on the Pennines, the Dales,

:06:51. > :06:53.Temperatures tonight down to about five Celsius.

:06:54. > :06:54.With a strengthening south-westerly breeze,

:06:55. > :06:59.So it is a cloudy, wet start to your Saturday, I'm afraid.

:07:00. > :07:01.We're going to see some dry intervals, especially

:07:02. > :07:03.across parts of South and East Yorkshire later on.

:07:04. > :07:06.Temperatures tomorrow getting up to about 10 Celsius.

:07:07. > :07:09.Again, we hang on to a strengthening breeze.

:07:10. > :07:12.Looking at Sunday, another weather front makes its way towards us.

:07:13. > :07:15.I think we should start off on a fairly dry note,

:07:16. > :07:18.but turning windier and wetter later on.

:07:19. > :07:24.It should brighten up by the time you get to Wednesday.

:07:25. > :07:26.That's the forecast from the Look North team.

:07:27. > :07:31.few days it is that the stay miles. Outbreaks of rain at times

:07:32. > :07:45.particularly as we head into Monday. A much calmer day today after the

:07:46. > :07:48.nasty storm yesterday. Let's look at your pictures, tranquil from

:07:49. > :07:54.Hampshire, on the edge of the new Forest. Nice cumulus clouds from

:07:55. > :08:05.Hartlepool. Still a bit stormy, that sea. We are starting to get more

:08:06. > :08:08.pictures of bass coming through. The 1st of March, the first day of

:08:09. > :08:12.meteorological spring. We like it in three months blocks. This weekend,

:08:13. > :08:18.things are going downhill again. After this day, where we had the

:08:19. > :08:19.sunshine, it looks like weather systems