ANGRY workers will descend on Parliament, the Scottish government and a Merseyside hospital today, in protest over exploitative bosses’ schemes that leave them massively out of pocket.

Since 2014, when the government forced building workers to pay tax via the “pay as you earn” mechanism, employers have used “umbrella companies” to force workers to pay both employer and employee national insurance contributions.

Bosses have further conned workers at Liverpool’s Alder Hey hospital by using the scheme to officially pay them minimum wage despite negotiated rates far in excess — and then paying extras dependent on performance. Unions complain holiday pay has also been bundled in — meaning leave is unpaid.

Construction union Ucatt, which produced a report into umbrella companies earlier this year, will lead a demo from 7am this morning at the hospital.

Activists will be joined by Liverpool West Derby MP Stephen Twigg, who said: “Ucatt’s report on umbrella companies is an important contribution to debates on workers’ rights and highlights some of the problems associated with the extensive use of agency labour.”

Mr Twigg has met with building contractor Laing O’Rourke to urge them to quit exploitation of workers.

Ucatt north west regional secretary Andy Fisher said: “Workers are being ripped off by the umbrella company con-trick and they are now struggling to make ends meet.”

The union will join reps from GMB, Unite and RMT in lobbies of the Westminster and Holyrood parliaments this morning.

GMB officer Phil Whitehurst said: “The government must step in to deal with these four party tax avoidance abuses and scams which are costing workers income and the exchequer much needed revenues.”