I started working for a PLC company in the Summer of 2007. The payment scheme works on the basis that I get £4 an hour for doing my normal duties (showroom cleaning, contacting customers etc) and when my manager gives me ''project work'' I get £7 an hour - this project work can be anything he deems to be outside my normal duties, and is applicable at his sole discretion (though this doesn't happen very often). After 6 weeks or so of working here, my manager told me that the company had decided that all it's lower employees (not management staff) would now be self-employed and have to submit our own pay claim forms and sort our own taxes. My question really is two-fold: 1. Can I really be 'told' I'm self employed with less than 3 days notice and no choice in the matter and do I really count as such under these circumstances? 2. Given the fact that my basic rate is £4 an hour (and was so before I 'became' self employed), does this not violate my minimum wage rights? I get commission paid depending on how many customers I deal with etc, but this is not reliable and some months I might get hardly anything on top of my £4 an hour wage. I only work part time. I'm very confused as to how they can do this, and suspect they 'made' us self employed in order to get away with paying less than minmum wage! ANy help would be greatly appreciated!