BUSINESS

Do you know your employment

rights?

Taff O’Donoghue of the REPs Members’ Council and Dennis Freeman-Wright of the ASA discuss how employment law can affect exercise professionals.

By Taff O’Donoghue and Dennis Freeman-Wright T

aff’s experiences with employment law in the fitness industry has had a significant influence on his understanding of this somewhat complex issue.

“When I first started out in the fitness industry some 14 years ago, I had no understanding of my legal rights and responsibilities and no interest in the subject. I was told that I was a ’casual’ and that all this stuff was not applicable to me. My eyes were opened when I attended an excellent presentation by the Institute of Swimming Teachers and Coaches (ISTC) at a Hydro-Actif convention and I realised that I had been missing out on a lot of very useful information. I’ve noticed that I’m not the only one who was in the dark and so I’d like to spread a little light with this article.”

Are you an employee? Some instructors are employed and receive a pay slip with PAYE tax taken off by the employer. This piece will mostly deal with this group but may also be interesting to those who are required by their companies to call themselves self-employed. Coordinators may also be interested to know how the rules affect those they supervise.

20 The REPs Journal 2014;29(January):20-21