Taxi drivers could be owed thousands
(From The Orcadian dated November 2, 2000)

Drivers at the Orkney firm Craigie’s Taxis could be owed thousands of pounds in unpaid wages.

It is believed that up to 12 taxi drivers could be owed as much as £30,000 by their employer at the time, Mrs Avril Bain, dating back to the introduction of the national minimum wage on April 1, 1999.

Investigations into the Kirkwall-based firm are being carried out by the Inland Revenue National Minimum Wage Compliance Unit in Aberdeen.

A spokesman for the unit said because of confidentiality clauses they could not comment on individual cases.

However, The Orcadian can reveal that drivers received letters from the unit at the end of October.

The letters contain a list of the arrears of wages which appear to be due to the drivers from April 1, 1999 to August 15, this year.

The letter to one driver states: “I await the information from 16 August 2000 to the beginning of October, from Mrs Bain. I have advised your employer (Mrs Bain) of these amounts and have suggested she take two weeks, as of today, to consider how she wishes to proceed.”

The letter continues: “If, for any reason, you and Mrs Bain consider the hours worked/arrears due to be incorrect, I would like a note of the revised figures within the next two weeks, signed by both yourself and Mrs Bain.”

It is believed that the drivers are owed between £2,000 and £8,000 each since April 1, 1999 and August, this year.

However, these are the preliminary findings of the minimum wage unit and Mrs Bain does have the opportunity to reply with adjusted figures, or a denial of owing money at all.

If the two cannot reach agreement, the unit can issue an enforcement notice which will show the final figure alleged to be owed. If Mrs Bain still objects she can appeal to an employment tribunal.

Mrs Bain’s Kirkwall-based lawyers told The Orcadian: “Drever & Heddle confirm that they are acting for clients in connection with an ongoing assessment of wages of taxi drivers by the National Minimum wage Compliance Unit. Matters are still sub judice and in the interests of all parties we are unable to comment further at this time.”

The national minimum wage rules state that anyone aged between 18-21 inclusive must be paid a minimum of £3.20 an hour. If you are aged 22 and over, you are entitled to be paid a minimum of £3.70.

The firm - which had been under the same family ownership since it was established 35 years ago – was taken over by David Cooper and Stuart Croy at the beginning of October.

The investigations of the Inland Revenue do not relate in any way to the new owners.

In the first year since the introduction of the national minimum wage Inland Revenue enforcement officers have obtained for workers payment of arrears of wages totalling £1.25 million and have also had favourable outcomes in the ten cases taken by the Inland Revenue involving an employment tribunal hearing.