Taxi Driver Online

Hi,

I'm working on a BBC Scotland documentary about ways employers find to get away with not paying the national minimum wage.

One of the areas we've been told this happens is among taxi drivers who are classified as self-employed and as a result are paid less than would otherwise be legal.

If this is a practice you're aware of or if you're not being paid the minimum wage, please get in touch with me (anonymously or not) via sean_238@hotmail.com or on 07730575867.

Thanks
Sean

It's a shame you're only interested in Scotland. You should take this query nationwide

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Hi there

The programme is for BBC Scotland so in the main we're focussed there but we're looking at cases across the UK. Is this an issue you're aware of? If you want to get in touch via email or phone, please do!

Sean

well as been self employed and not even making minimuim wage on most hours i blame dundee city councill

Many drivers are working below the minimum wage due to a number of reasons.

Main one is that many taxi booking offices are taking more and more cars on, despite the current economical climate. As long as they get their weekly radio rent they don't give a stuff about drivers.

It's also quite clear that many drivers shouldn't be self-employed, as they meet all the criteria needed to be employed. However many of the spiv taxi booking office owners don't want all the aggro of having to be proper employers.

If you need to get a union view I suggest you ring Terry Flanagan of the GMB, who will give you the low down of all these shady practices. 07958 275339.

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IDFIMH

Why do I feel compelled to offer my services on this matter?

If an owner requires a driver to drive there vehicle, the minimum wage must be paid
no more split bags or a percentage of it
no more using the fuel loophole in the tax system where owners claim the driver pays the fuel
no more taking on drivers when there is not the work to support them just so the owners can rake in office rents
Drivers need the minimum wage now along, with all the other benefits that an employee gets,like holidays and sickness benefits so that they no longer have to work 70 hours or more to make ends meet and having to claim more working tax credits than they would if they where employees.
Its bad enough councils like Edinburgh over charging for licence fees instead of only charging the free to process one, and they are allowed to remove or suspend your licence for the smallest transgression
Why are MSPs ignoring this by sweeping it under the carpet they should get the law changed fast in Scotland
As pointed out this is a national issue not just confined to just Scotland

I don't think I'm paid my worth, then again, I may have an inflated opinion of what I'm worth?

On this occasion, I think you should.

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Grandad,

The moment Skull has been waiting on, his 15 minutes of fame beckons, even if it shows him up for what he is Go on Skull compromise your Dignity

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

Let them have it

Yes with both barrels, name and shame

Hear, hear!!!

I'll second that!!

Go for it Mr Skull!!

In fact a meeting with BBC Documentary and a few hours drive around Edinburgh pointing out the shenanigans, might give the guy or gal a good start to the documentary.

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

You could start by pointing out the policy of councils, (who set the metered tarrif at, in their opinion, a reasonable rate for the trade to earn a living), then initiate a tender process that compels the trade to undercut that tarrif to win a school contract from the self same council. This then, frequently, leads on to the plate barons (who mainly win said contracts) to pass it on to a system driver (who rents a car from him) at a further reduced rate. Underpaid? Slave waged more like.

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My heart is heavy, but my consience clear,
I voted Yes, without any fear.

I think for a firm to employ taxi drivers and guarantee minimum wage would be very difficult and also hard to put into practice.

Firstly the firm would have to restrict the number of vehicles it has in order to achieve the right ratio of jobs per car - not in itself impossible, but it would depend on all the firms in an area doing the same. And if a new firm was to open then all the other firms would have to reduce the number of cars to maintain the ratio, after all ther's only a certain number of jobs overall in any area.

Secondly there would have to be a system in place where each driver did an equal amount of work, otherwise you would get 'skivers' who would either park in an area where there are hardly any jobs coming in (if they lived in a very remote area they could go home and sit watching telly knowing they wouldn't get a job) or just keep rejecting jobs if a computerised system. After all if you're being paid a fixed wage it doesn't matter how many jobs you do.

One way round this would be to do away with having an area split into zones and every driver is in one big queue and gets the next job when 1st turn regardless of where they are plotted, of course that then means customers waiting longer and cars having to drive further. Of course that is not practical but how else would you prevent some drivers being run ragged and others sitting for hours without a job yet everyone being paid the same ?

My idea would be to have a company with a compulsory 40 hour week comprised of rotating 8 hour shifts so that only a certain number of cars are out at any time, and the shifts change so that each driver gets an equal share of the busy and quiet times. The company guarantees minimum wage and then once the driver has earnt that, as a bonus, gets to keep half of whatever extra above the minimum earnt with the other half going to the company. Of course there's still the problem of lazy drivers trying to avoid jobs knowing that if they don't do any work at all they'll still get the minimum wage, perhaps a clause in the employment contract stating a minimum of X amount of jobs must be completed in the 40 hours ?

Whilst other problems can be overcome the issue of lazy drivers would probably be the hardest to solve, but with the advent of computerised systems and vehicle tracking how hard would it be to have a dedicated operator monitoring cars and drivers and ordering them to re-posistion to different areas as neccessary, thus moving the lazy ones who hav'nt done as many jobs into busier areas.

These ideas still don't get around the problem of who buys and owns the vehicles, pays the insurance/maintenance/fuel etc. And for any company wanting to start up these costs would be huge.