Being paid below minimum wage?

TELLIT01

getmore4less wrote: »

Any others effected by the company policy?
This is where it helps if every one complains to HMRC at the same time.

The other thing to do is keep good records of the hours worked a casual enquiry to the driver of the coach may establish if there are logs that could be used to evidence the hours.

if the company is dodgy on NMW have you checked the holidays, might be they are dodgy with those as well.


Who engages the company for these children? (local authority parents/schools etc)

A complaint to them may find they are charging full rate/hours.

To be honest the firm she works for has been a pain in the proverbial ever since she started with them. Pay is late coming through, and they used to pay her by cheque, which meant pay was even later by the time it was actually cleared by the bank.
I don't think there is any doubt that the company is charging the council the full rate.
I hadn't thought about the annual holiday entitlement. I'll have to ask when I next see her. It's probably something else she's being done on!

TELLIT01

kingfisherblue wrote: »

Isn't she employed by the local authority?

No she's employed by the taxi / coach company. They have the contract with the council. The company must be on a right little earner. My S-i-L gets paid the same whether she's supervising 2 or 6/7 children. The company gets paid per child!

daytona0

I think it should be compulsory for EVERYONE to do something like this at least once a week FOR FREE!

So I'm going to bow out on any further advice

kingfisherblue

daytona0 wrote: »

I think it should be compulsory for EVERYONE to do something like this at least once a week FOR FREE!

So I'm going to bow out on any further advice

I'm afraid I can't do this once a week, free or paid. My son's escort is picked up by the bus driver just before 8am. I'm still busy getting my son ready for the bus at that time.

I'm not quite sure how others are supposed to get to work on time, or their children to school, if they're escorting.

In addition, just think of the DBS checks needed, not to mention that the children would be disrupted with so many different people, not knowing their needs or ways. I'm not sure that schools would be happy either - escorts often pass letters/reports to parents. Would they always reach them?

daytona0

kingfisherblue wrote: »

I'm afraid I can't do this once a week, free or paid. My son's escort is picked up by the bus driver just before 8am. I'm still busy getting my son ready for the bus at that time.
I'm not quite sure how others are supposed to get to work on time, or their children to school, if they're escorting.

In addition, just think of the DBS checks needed, not to mention that the children would be disrupted with so many different people, not knowing their needs or ways. I'm not sure that schools would be happy either - escorts often pass letters/reports to parents. Would they always reach them?

Fair enough, I work full time and say the same sort of thing (but have just submitted a flexible working request to be able to volunteer in a school funnily enough!).

The point I was making, however, is that people in education get stiffed all the time! BUT at the end of the day the children are the ones who matter.

Consider the extra 30-60 minutes (the OP was vague on how much time over 3h it was, but it was "closer to 4h" which implies 3:30+) as a bit of charitable work to help some children get on in life.

And if you don't like that, find a new job You can work in Maccies or Subway and have a 15 hours a week (3x 5 weekdays) contract.

TELLIT01

daytona0 wrote: »

I think it should be compulsory for EVERYONE to do something like this at least once a week FOR FREE!

So I'm going to bow out on any further advice

You clearly know nothing of what this work entails, so bowing out of the discussion is probably wise!

daytona0

TELLIT01 wrote: »

You clearly know nothing of what this work entails, so bowing out of the discussion is probably wise!

Well, I did teacher training and that involved doing A LOT of unpaid overtime Just like normal teachers do. So I like to think that I know something

30-60 minutes on a bus which is accommodating children with learning difficulties pales in comparison to spending 1-2 hours marking work and then 2-3 hours lesson planning EVERY NIGHT (unpaid, but it was only 6 days a week in fairness ).

One aspect I hated about it all is that sometimes adults lose focus; it stops being about the well-being of the children and more about the money. That hypothetical £5.40 (averages) becomes more important than the well-being of a child with learning difficulties. Sad really, but on the flip side I understand because genuinely caring people in education are squeezed relentlessly. My only practical advice would be to find a job in McDonalds or Subway where you get paid by the hour with no hassle.

gycraig_2

daytona0 wrote: »

Well, I did teacher training and that involved doing A LOT of unpaid overtime Just like normal teachers do. So I like to think that I know something

30-60 minutes on a bus which is accommodating children with learning difficulties pales in comparison to spending 1-2 hours marking work and then 2-3 hours lesson planning EVERY NIGHT (unpaid, but it was only 6 days a week in fairness ).

One aspect I hated about it all is that sometimes adults lose focus; it stops being about the well-being of the children and more about the money. That hypothetical £5.40 (averages) becomes more important than the well-being of a child with learning difficulties. Sad really, but on the flip side I understand because genuinely caring people in education are squeezed relentlessly. My only practical advice would be to find a job in McDonalds or Subway where you get paid by the hour with no hassle.

What is the point of a minimum wage if companies are just going to flaunt it, the fact she is caring for disabled kids has no bearing on her outgoing a, until companies accept nice person tokens companies should be paying minimum wage

daytona0

gycraig wrote: »

What is the point of a minimum wage if companies are just going to flaunt it, the fact she is caring for disabled kids has no bearing on her outgoing a, until companies accept nice person tokens companies should be paying minimum wage

Ok, that's a good reply!

I don't disagree with you in any way. I genuinely think that the company is bang out of order.

My point, however, is:

1. Put up with it for the sake of the Children (the person in question is presumably happy with the existing contract of 3h/day so surely it can't be a money issue?!)

2. Find a different job, possibly McD or Subway (two examples of £7.20 jobs who will pay you on time with no hassle).

kingfisherblue

daytona0 wrote: »

Fair enough, I work full time and say the same sort of thing (but have just submitted a flexible working request to be able to volunteer in a school funnily enough!).

The point I was making, however, is that people in education get stiffed all the time! BUT at the end of the day the children are the ones who matter.

Consider the extra 30-60 minutes (the OP was vague on how much time over 3h it was, but it was "closer to 4h" which implies 3:30+) as a bit of charitable work to help some children get on in life.

And if you don't like that, find a new job You can work in Maccies or Subway and have a 15 hours a week (3x 5 weekdays) contract.

Yes, the children matter. Their safety and feelings of security are paramount. My son wouldn't feel secure with different adults bobbing in and out of his life as his school bus escort. He and the other children have developed a stable and trusting relationship with the driver and escort. Changing escorts regularly would damage that relationship and his feeling of security. For children with learning disabilities especially, change can be very upsetting. It certainly wouldn't help our children to get on in life. In fact, it's more likely to have the opposite effect, as some children would be distressed at the thought of boarding a bus with a stranger who cannot understand their speech and who does not understand their ways.

There are many other ways that people can do some charity work, but it should be because they want to, not because they are forced to. Nobody works their best when forced, as they will feel resentful and unappreciated. I volunteer with GirlGuiding. It fits in with my caring responsibilities, and I love it. If it was forced upon me, I doubt I would feel the same.

Of course, all of this is unimportant up to a point. The fact is, the employer is breaking the law. That is not acceptable at all. The employee should inform SEN School Transport as they contract the services of her employer, and will object strongly to the taxi company breaking the law. Even if she leaves, she should inform them, to prevent it from happening to others.

I can't multiquote, but in another post you assume that money is not important. You don't know that. You don't know the lady's circumstances. My son's escort works two jobs, both part time. One job wouldn't be sufficient in terms of earnings. In today's employment climate, there are many people who have more than one job for monetary reasons.