NATIONAL

Forced to decide between nursing mild cold and flu symptoms at home without earning anything or sucking it up, going out to work and paying the bills, self-employed workers face a stark yet not uncommon choice.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has urged people to work from home if they can, but many gig economy workers such as taxi and delivery drivers, cleaners and events staff who do not receive company sick pay are seeing their work drain away.

“The majority of our shifts have been cancelled,” said a 29-year-old woman who works for an events company in Birmingham. “I’m on a zero-hours contract, like many of my co-workers, and we are effectively out of work right now.

“Concerts, football matches, exhibitions, parades. These were our livelihoods and now they’re all gone. Our industry is dying and we have no certainty when it will revive and what state it will be in.”
She said events companies faced a perilous future: “Unless something is done we are soon going to struggle to pay our bills. It feels like the government has completely overlooked our situation and abandoned us.”

The 4.7 million gig economy workers in the UK have been told by the government to claim benefits, which can take five weeks to come through, if they need to self-isolate. However, this is not an option for those who live hand-to-mouth.

Uber drivers say they are having to stay out for longer since there is much less work because many people are not going out, and some do not trust the ride-hailing app’s pledge to provide 14-day support to anyone who self-isolates.

However, many are going out to work each day to hail the fares that they can find. “I’ll take a paracetamol if I have a temperature and pull myself up because I don’t have any other means of earning and this is my livelihood,” a 42-year-old driver in London said.

“This is not only me, but many others in the gig economy who will be doing the same. Who would pay me if I stay at home?”

But other private-hire drivers do not have this option. “My husband and myself are self-employed private-hire taxi drivers but we both have suppressed immune systems due to chemo and radiotherapy,” said a 65-year-old woman in Portsmouth.

“He has incurable lung cancer. He had his Pip stopped last May. I had breast cancer last year. We are choosing to stay at home, mainly for my husband’s protection. We’re OK for the minute but not if it goes on for too much longer. I don’t know what we’re going to do. We are entitled to nothing, and still have bills to pay.”

Elsewhere, with schools remaining open but some teachers self-isolating, demand for supply teachers remains.

“If I don’t work, I don’t get paid,” a 48-year-old supply teacher in north-east England said. “Asking us to self-isolate on the basis we may or may not be unwell is basically making us give up £1,000.”

Last week, the prime minister told those experiencing even mild symptoms to stay at home, but this was met with derision by some.

“We don’t get statutory sick pay [£94 a week] or anything, we’d have to go through the benefit system,” the teacher said. “I don’t expect my electricity supplier to be understanding.

“I would not want to spread coronavirus but asking people to self-isolate even if they’re not feeling particularly unwell is unrealistic. We need something similar to compensation for jury service.”

Others, such as sign-language interpreters who work in hospitals, GP surgeries and schools every day have no one checking up on their health since their work is contracted through agencies.

“The council used to do emergency planning, but that’s just gone all out the window,” said a freelance sign-language interpreter in London. 

“I have had a virus for the past four weeks, I just keep sniffling. I have been to the doctors and they said it’s nothing to worry about and haven’t advised me to stay at home. They just said it’s been going round.”

www.theguardian.com
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SANDWELL

Taxi driver refused to carry disabled passenger's wheelchair but keeps licence

He said believed he was unable to lift the wheelchair which was heavy and more like a scooter

A taxi driver who said he could not take a disabled passenger because their wheelchair was too heavy has been told he can keep his licence.

Sandwell Council agreed to allow the unnamed man to continue working at its October meeting of the borough’s Licensing Sub Committee.

Referring to the driver only as Mr S S, the minutes of the meeting - which was closed to the public and press - revealed councillors were asked to review the driver’s licence after the passenger complained to the council.

In a submission to committee members, he said believed he was unable to lift the wheelchair which he said was heavy and more like a scooter.
He added that he called his base to ask for another driver to help transport it.

In making their decision, the minutes recorded councillors decided not revoke or suspended his licence, noting: “The Sub Committee considered the period of time Mr S S had been a taxi driver and deemed Mr S S to be a fit and proper person.

www.birminghammail.co.uk
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SHEFFIELD

Cabbies were due to gather en masse outside the Town Hall at 1pm on Wednesday, March 18 ahead of a cabinet meeting.

But following the government's current advice to avoid all mass gatherings, they have had to put it off.

Ibrar Hussain, GMB union representative, said: "We have no choice but to postpone the demonstration until a later date. We will keep you all posted."

The clean air zone is due to be enforced this year. It will charge high polluting buses, taxis, vans, lorries and coaches for driving on the inner ring road and city centre, including Park Square and the A61/Parkway junction.

For taxis and large goods vehicles the charge will be £10 a day. For coaches, buses and heavy goods vehicles it will be £50 a day.

Sheffield Council said they hope it will encourage drivers to upgrade to more environmentally-friendly vehicles to avoid the charges.

A two month consultation on the plans found taxi drivers were very concerned, with 95 percent having to upgrade their cars. Previously, more than 100 taxi drivers said they quit their job because of the incoming changes.

Councillor Bob Johnson, cabinet member for transport and sustainability, said: “The survey results show people want to see action taken – but if we’re going to be successful in reducing pollution we need to help taxi drivers and local small businesses move to cleaner vehicles.

“It’s vital that we get investment from central government to assist local businesses and taxis to upgrade their fleets.”

The government's current advice on mass gatherings is: "In line with the social distancing guidance it is advised that large gatherings should not take place.

"While the risks of transmitting the disease at mass gatherings are relatively low, these steps will also allow emergency services that would have been deployed for these events to be prioritised in alleviating pressure on public services."

The government has also encouraged members of the public to avoid unnecessary social contact and to work from home where possible.

www.thestar.co.uk
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BRUSSELS

“The coronavirus’s impact has hit us very violently,” with sales “collapsing beyond 50%,” Belgian Federation of Taxis (FEBET) President Sam Bouchal said on Monday.

The FEBET is consulting with other federations to see what can be implemented in the coming days.

A series of safety instructions has already been passed on to taxi drivers, including offering alcohol gel and disinfecting taxis after each client.

 

Clients, however, are few and far between.

In Brussels, except for a few customers going to the supermarket, there are hardly any rides. “We are trying to see how we can encourage people to take a taxi rather than public transport,” Bouchal said. One solution could be to agree on a price policy, “especially for those over 65.” 

FEBET will hold a meeting on Tuesday to determine whether to also initiate procedures for economic unemployment with the Social Security office.

The Brussels Times