Taxi Driver Online

Taxi firm with Sandwell Council contract to transport kids subject of 'modern slavery' probe

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/tra ... -children/

Concerns have been raised over a taxi company's 'low wages' but no evidence of modern slavery was discovered, a council has revealed after carrying out an investigation following an allegation.

A firm, employed by Sandwell Council to transport children with special education needs (SEND), was the subject of allegations, it was said in a Sandwell Council report

The claims were revealed in a Sandwell Council report - as the local authority agreed to continue using its existing transport operators while the new SEND contract is the subject of an independent investigation.

The probe was initiated after council chiefs planned to hand the £20 million contract to firms run by a former employee who was embroiled in a land deals scandal.

A report to Sandwell's ruling cabinet highlighted that concerns had been raised over one of the taxi firms currently holding the contract.

It said: "The council was alerted to concerns about modern day slavery practices in one taxi company on October 6, 2020. The referrer asked to remain anonymous."

The report said a multi-agency "scoping" exercise was carried out, involving the likes of Sandwell Council and West Midlands Police, which found modern slavery was not taking place at the unnamed firm.

But the report continued: "There were concerns at poor wages, however, because workers were self-employed, this would not fit under labour exploitation so there was very little that agencies under SHOP [Sandwell’s Slavery and Human Trafficking Operational Partnership] could do.

"As the local authority could not use modern slavery legislation to investigate the allegations further, the council used its own due diligence processes to ensure that standards of the contract were being met.

"This demonstrated a range of inconsistencies, including clear evidence that the operator was paying low rates, but as the workers were self-employed then national minimum wage did not provide a basis for our interrogation of the contract."

Sandwell's cabinet agreed to allow its current operators to continue providing special education needs [SEND] transport up until February 2022, although the council can tender any new work from September onwards.

Sandwell's deputy leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: "These companies must be aware that we are going to monitor them closely and they will have to evidence they are operating under good practice.

"We will not tolerate firms treating their workforce badly. In all of this, the children are the priority. We have found no evidence that they are not safe."

Last month Sandwell Council was due to award new SEND contracts to firms run by Azeem Hafeez, who was named in the Wragge Report, but this decision was put off after a number of concerns were raised.

Sandwell Council has since opened a review into the matter, while Conservative councillors have accused officials at the Labour-run authority of "looking after their mates".

Mr Hafeez denied any wrongdoing in relation to land deals.

Any assessment of how the Supreme Court's decision on employment status might impact things?

No, didn't think so. But instead of blather about 'due diligence processes' and Sandwell’s Slavery and Human Trafficking Operational Partnership, the Supreme Court's decision on Uber might be of more relevance.

Note that the awarding of contracts to the former council employee seems to be a separate issue, and there's nothing to suggest that the firms named here have anything to do with the slavery allegations. Another report states:



North Birmingham Travel looks like a pretty normal 'private coach and minibus hire' business:

http://www.northbirminghamtravel.co.uk/


His other business looks like a fairly mainstream private hire operation:

https://countycars2003.co.uk/index.html

Some photos from North Birmingham Travel's website, which suggests its vehicles aren't in the first flush of youth

But for the bus and coach specialists on here, is that aisle really as narrow as it looks?

I'm surprised they're allowed that

I have never seen a coach like that before. Not sure it would be covid secure.

As for the slavery allegations, or more to the point low wages, I suspect the ruling of the Supreme Court will never get a mention.

Which given the council actually bothered to investigate the issue seems rather strange.

Maybe the council just wanted to go through the motions.

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IDFIMH

I’ve always thought that the average ph circuit was a form of modern slavery.

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Former taxi driver

School bus.

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Former taxi driver

I remember coaches with 3 and 2 seat configuration when I was at school and yes the aisle is that narrow and the seats are also probably just at the minimum width of 400 mm per seat.

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Grandad,

To be fair to the council, maybe they just didn't consider the Supreme Court ruling to be at all relevant.

After all, they'd hardly be the only licensing authority or 'expert' to think that Uber is a different beast entirely to the mainstream trade, thus the court's ruling of zero relevance

How can it be slavery? The drivers are free to leave any time they want. They don't have to work for peanuts.

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Grandad,

That's akin to saying that domestic violence isn't really a thing as partners can leave at any time.

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IDFIMH

I don't agree. Domestic violence is totally different in that the person may have no where else to go. Are you saying that if a driver tries to leave a PH circuit that they will be subjected to violence by the proprietor?

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Grandad,

Domestic violence isn't just a case of bashing the other half, it's all down to coercive behaviour, which can include financial and mental control.

I've know drivers not been able to leave a firm because of a cartel of operators not allowing anyone to join other members of the cartel. Some drivers will owe the operator money for the car they are running, or the money they have borrowed to keep the car on the road.

All the above is coercive behaviour from an operator.

Just because some drivers are on slave money, it doesn't always follow that they can leave and earn more than slave money.

If it's sh** everywhere, it's sh** everywhere.

However, and this goes against the grain for me a bit, Uber has helped folks move away from slave operators.

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IDFIMH

Can't be bothered looking it up, but think the definition of modern slavery is quite wide.

Doubt if it has much traction anywhere in the trade though, although interesting comments by Sussex with regard to coercion, financial dependency etc.

Again I'd guess slavery is overdoing it a bit, but any coercive element would maybe undermine the drivers' self-employed status, but unfortunately the council here just assumed self-employment rather than examining it substantively.