The government’s announcement for self-employed people will be welcomed by some, but for me – and many other ex-Thomas Cook and Freedom Travel Group employees – they feel like the final nail in the coffin.
I had worked happily for a Freedom member for four years but had to become a self-employed homeworker for the agency in December due to the impact of the Cook collapse.
Since then, I’ve been trying to build up business, but it’s only been a short while, so I didn’t file an self-assessment for 2019, and I feel the announcement has left me high and dry [a tax return for the year ended 5 April 2019 – with a four-week extension – needs to have been filed, so the government can see a self- employment history].
I’ve worked all my life but at the moment I feel my only option could be Jobseeker’s Allowance – at £70 a week. I’m sure there will be loads of people in travel in the same boat.
It feels like the government has overlooked the industry with these plans. I’ll be contacting my MP and certainly won’t be taking this lying down as I really haven’t got anything to live on.
Nicki Cambray, who is a self-employed homeworker, was formerly a Freedom member.