'Forgotten' self-employed workers in Sheffield demand more support during coronavirus crisis

A self-employed fitness trainer from Sheffield has told how he is part of the ‘forgotten minority’ struggling to make ends meet due to the coronavirus crisis.
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The Government has pledged unprecedented financial support for employees like bar and restaurant staff left unable to work by the pandemic, offering to pay up to 80 per cent of their wages.

But no such lifeline has been thrown to the UK’s estimated five million strong self-employed workforce, from plumbers to musicians, many of whom are trying to claim the equivalent of £94.25 a week statutory sick pay they have instead been offered through Universal Credit in a desperate attempt to keep their heads above water.

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Adam Copley, a personal trainer based in Sheffield, is among those calling for self-employed workers to get the same income protection during the coronavirus pandemic as employeesAdam Copley, a personal trainer based in Sheffield, is among those calling for self-employed workers to get the same income protection during the coronavirus pandemic as employees
Adam Copley, a personal trainer based in Sheffield, is among those calling for self-employed workers to get the same income protection during the coronavirus pandemic as employees
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Among them is Adam Copley, a 29-year-old personal trainer who lives in Deepcar and works in Hillsborough.

The closure of gyms and leisure centres and the introduction of social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have seriously hit Adam’s income, despite his efforts to shift workouts online where possible and the generosity of those clients who have continued to pay regardless.

He believes the Government should be doing more to help him and the millions like him.

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“This is affecting so many people, from mechanics and labourers to painters, who are really suffering because of this crisis,” he said.

“We work incredibly hard doing something which we care about passionately, and this feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth.

“We feel like the forgotten minority who have been left to fend for ourselves while the Government supports employees who are affected.

“We’ve been paying into the system the same as everyone, and we deserve equal treatment.”

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Adam and those like him have the backing of Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield, who has written to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, urging him to give self-empoyed workers the same income protection as employees.

“The Government have celebrated and encouraged self-employment. Now the Government have to do the right thing for people who make up 15 per cent of the nation’s workforce,” he said.