An important tribunal decision concerning employment law found that so-called self-employed workers in the building industry are, in fact, employees and entitled to the same employment rights as those workers employed under the PAYE system.

This decision not only confirmed that all workers are entitled to a minimum of 20 days' paid holiday each year; it is also our belief that if a worker is sent home because of inclement weather, he should not have his wages docked because this could be construed as illegal deduction of wages.

The majority of sub-contractors, agencies and builders are either ignorant of this ruling or, in more dubious cases, deliberately ignoring it. They and the workers they are in effect defrauding should realise the courts can go back six years and compel the various employers to compensate their workers for unpaid holiday pay and illegal deductions.

Any worker unsure of his position should contact the Transport and General Union on either 020 7720 3344 or 01323 724224.

-M W H Wilson and M Meehan, shop stewards and Transport and General Union spokespersons, Goldstone Villas, Hove