FN-FORUM: Client making me employee without notice

date posted 24th November 2005 10:40

Hi,

Slightly strange situation: I work for a research organisation spread
across several European countries. I get paid through the contact in the
UK, who works at a university in London.

When paying my most recent invoice the university has made me an
employee - they've given me an employee number and have taken tax and NI
payments off the amount owed to me.

My contact has discovered that the university has made a load of changes
to their payment system (including giving it all over to their HR
department) without notifying anyone - she didn't know it had changed
until this came up. Apparently because I don't have a company number,
I'm therefore an employee so they've put me in their system.

I'm obviously rather irritated about this I'm not an employee, I haven't
signed anything saying I am, and it makes my tax return more awkward.
There hasn't been any problem getting the other invoices paid in the
past.

So: does anyone have any employment advice / legal wording I can start
throwing around? I've complained to my contact (who is generally very
good at sorting things out) but she's hitting a brick wall with the HR
department. I've been made an employee without signing anything, which
presumably breaks some sort of rule as I don't have an employment
contract with the university.

Any help gratefully received!

Paul