Union slams ‘greedy taxi bosses’
FIRMS ARE ACCUSED OF NOT PAYING COUNCIL SCHOOL CASH TO DRIVERS
UNION chiefs have said taxi firms in Kirklees that fail to pass on payments to drivers transporting key school workers should face losing their operating licences.
Council bosses have promised to investigate the claims that some taxi companies have not paid their drivers as part of a schools transport contract.
But the authority’s chair of licensing said withdrawing a licence could be unnecessarily punitive as all employed drivers would then lose their jobs.
The GMB union, whose members include taxi and private hire drivers, said officers were assured at the start of the coronavirus crisis that Kirklees Council would continue to pay taxi operators for school transport even if schools were closed.
The arrangement meant taxis could be used for the urgent delivery of food and supplies as well as transporting key workers across the borough in order to support local communities.
But in a development that has been described as “a potentially fraudulent scandal” GMB organiser Andrew Aldwinkle said the union was being contacted “most days” by drivers who have not been paid by their operator.
He said: “Taxi drivers have lost most of their income during the lockdown and to have this regular money withheld by greedy taxi bosses is another kick in the teeth.”
The GMB has asked Kirklees Council “to investigate every incident where a taxi driver is not being paid” and to explore whether the actions of some operators is fraudulent.
The union has also suggested that a licence review take place if an operator is found to have been withholding money from drivers.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that the council was first made aware of an issue a fortnight ago.
Officers are said to be undertaking a review.
The chair of the council’s Licensing Committee, Clr Amanda Pinnock (Lab, Ashbrow), said it was “wrong” that money was not being passed on to drivers.
“Although the council has agreed it will continue to pay them, they expected the money to trickle down to drivers and that hasn’t been happening.”
She stressed that the issue related to just “one or two” taxi firms in Kirklees.
She added: “We are going to review and look at other options.
“It needs a council response. We need to have something in the contract that deals with something like this and with possibly some sort of reprimand.
“But it’s counterproductive to take away an operator’s licence because if that happens all the taxi drivers lose their jobs.”
Clr Carole Pattison, the council’s Cabinet Member for Learning, Aspiration
and Communities, said: “We will thoroughly investigate this to make sure this money is going to the right people who need it most.
“Many taxi drivers are continuing to work to keep this vital service running for those who need it and we thank them for that.
“We have already contacted operators to inform them they should be passing payment on to the drivers but if we do find that this is not happening, we will take action.”