Home Office puts plans to cut interpreters' pay on hold

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/28/home-office-puts-plans-to-cut-interpreters-pay-on-hold 
28 December 2015

Home Office puts plans to cut interpreters' pay on hold

The Home Office has deferred plans to cut the pay of more than 2,000 interpreters from 1 January following threats that they would boycott government work, potentially throwing the immigration system into chaos.

When they were first informed of the proposed pay cut last month, the interpreters said they would refuse to accept assignments. Such a move could cause the system for processing asylum claims across the country to grind to a halt. The interpreters work across the Home Office including for UK Visas & Immigration, Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and HM Passport Office. They launched a fair payment campaign in protest against the planned pay cuts.

The Home Office has confirmed that any plans to cut pay will be deferred at least until February while negotiations with the interpreters take place. Prior to the Guardian reporting on the planned pay cut last week, it had said that there was no requirement to consult with interpreters who are contracted to work for them on a freelance basis.

Interpreters receive £16 an hour on weekdays and slightly more at weekends. The first hour’s work is paid at an enhanced rate to recognise the time and cost of travelling to and from appointments.

Up to three hours’ travel each way for an appointment attracts no extra payment from the Home Office. Under the proposals, the new first-hour rate for weekdays would be cut from £48 to £32, while the rate at weekends would come down from £72 to £46. The interpreters say they have not had a pay rise since at least 2002 so in real terms have had a pay cut every year. But this is the first time the Home Office has actually proposed lowering their wages.

Home Office interpreters are highly trained and have to go through counter-terrorism security clearance so it would not be easy for the Home Office to find replacements at short notice. The interpreters planned to boycott all interpreting assignments offered on 1 January 2016 and to roll out a series of one-day boycotts after that. These plans are on hold while discussions continue.

A meeting lasting more than two hours took place between interpreters and the Home Office on 21 December. At the meeting, officials warned the interpreters against speaking to the media.

A further meeting between the Home Office and interpreters is planned for mid-January. Interpreters said the talks gave them an opportunity to demonstrate ”our collective strength and unity”.

But one interpreter who did not want to be named expressed concern that the Home Office was just waiting for the situation to quieten down and would then go ahead with the planned cuts.

In a statement issued by interpreters when they launched the fair payment campaign, they said: “Many interpreters and their supporters have already written to the Home Office central interpreters’ unit expressing their dismay and opposition to these cuts in rates, which were already much eroded through inflation, and mean that it will no longer be feasible for them to continue working in this field.

“This will result in a diminishing pool of qualified, experienced and vetted interpreters for the Home Office, detrimental both to them but especially so to the great number of vulnerable people who depend on reliable interpreting services to put their cases across since they are unable to do so themselves. Their lives may be at stake. The right to a fair hearing is enshrined in international human rights law.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We keep our costs under constant review to ensure the contractors we employ offer the best value for money for the taxpayer.

“Following our meeting with the interpreters on 21 December, we intend to defer implementation of this change at least until 1 February 2016 to allow us time to give proper considerations to the views and opinions expressed.”

PI4J Letter to Home Office Central Interpreters Unit

Read here: PI4J Letter to Home Office Central Interpreters Unit

Fair Payment Campaign for Home Office Interpreters

Fair Payment Campaign for Home Office Interpreters

Twitter: https://twitter.com/campaignfairpay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fairpaymentcampaign-HO-Interpreters-949591615120000/timeline

Home Office interpreters threaten boycott over pay cut

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/20/home-office-interpreters-threaten-boycott-over-pay-cut 
20 December 2015

Home Office interpreters threaten boycott over pay cut

The system for processing immigration claims across the country is set to grind to a halt in the new year if a threatened mass boycott of Home Office interpreters goes ahead.

The looming action in protest at pay cuts is the first time the estimated 2,000 interpreters have threatened to stop work. The organisers of a fair payment campaign – who are running it anonymously for fear of reprisals by the Home Office – say that so far they have received solid support from several hundred interpreters. A meeting has been scheduled with Home Office bosses at 11am on Monday to discuss their concerns.

The problems began when interpreters received an email on 20 November from the Home Office central interpreters unit in Liverpool informing them that a pay cut will be introduced from 1 January. Interpreters receive £16 an hour on weekdays and slightly more at the weekend. But the first hour’s work is paid at an enhanced rate to recognise the time and cost of travelling to appointments. That first-hour rate is being cut from £48 to £32 on weekdays and from £72 to £46 at weekends.

Interpreters are expected to travel up to three hours each way without extra payments from the Home Office. They attend meetings between asylum seekers and others interacting with immigration officials and translate interview questions and answers face to face.

The interpreters say they have not had a pay rise since at least 2002, so in real terms have already taken a sizeable cut. But this is the first time the Home Office has proposed lowering their wages.

Home Office interpreters are highly trained and have to go through counter-terrorism security clearance, meaning it will not be easy to substitute other interpreters at short notice if the boycott takes effect. The plan is to start the boycott on 1 January and to follow it with a series of walkouts after that.

“There is no strike planned because, as freelancers, we cannot legally do so. We may, however, choose not to accept assignments and that is what the boycott will consist of,” said one of the interpreters organising the action and the Facebook page.

“At the moment, the Home Office needs interpreters more than we need them. They do not have any other system currently in place to substitute our services other than for telephone interpreting, which they can outsource to thebigword [an online firm]. They know that if we boycott even for a day, that will cause major disruptions to their business.”

The interpreters have written to the Home Office to express their dismay at the pay cut. “This decision came out of the blue; there had been no consultation nor any forewarning of a reduction in our fees,” the letter says. “The fees paid to us have remained unchanged since at least 2002, when the current rates came into effect, whilst being eroded by 3.5% annually due to inflation.

“In view of this, any further reductions are totally unacceptable. Instead … the Home Office should do the right thing and seriously consider increasing the rates of payment to account for the effects of inflation, just as the Home Office has done with their staff’s salaries for the last 12 years, other than three of them.”

Another interpreter who also did not want to be named, said: “The Home Office cannot function without us. They will not be able to process any immigration claims if we go ahead with our boycott.”

She added that the interpreters are very loyal to the Home Office but are often not treated well. In some centres they are not even allowed to use the same toilets as Home Office staff.

“Sometimes we are looked down on. This pay reduction is a huge insult and the time has come to protest,” she added.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We keep our costs under constant review to ensure the contractors we use offer the best value for money for the taxpayer. As part of this, we have considered the rates at which interpreters are paid and have made some changes, which are effective from 1 January.

“This information was shared with contractors several weeks ago. We are aware some interpreters have raised concerns about this and we have met with them to discuss why the changes are necessary.”

LIT Search database

LIT Search database: http://lit.interconnect.dk/

The LIT Search database is a pilot project to create a European database of legal interpreters and translators.