Underpaid Capita interpreters are set for a pay cut from 8th of January
Last year’s NAO report heavily criticises the Interpreting Contract between MoJ and Capita and amongst other recommendations states that “..Capita and other parties to the Framework develop a strategy to implement its contract fully thinking creatively where necessary about how to attract additional adequately qualified interpreters to the work.”
Having worked hard to implement the recommendations of NAO and in order to attract more qualified linguists, Capita decided to "reward” its interpreters by… cutting their travel expenses from 40p per mile to just 20p per mile and taking away the £5 incentive for accepting jobs online. The new "creative" solution will take effect from the 8th January.
Capita interpreters are travelling great distances in order to make up for the pathetic rates with travel income. That’s the end of that then! Capita’s bait to attract new interpreters has been predictably removed.
According to the new rates, if the distance to an interpreting assignment is 50 miles and it lasts for one hour, Capita’s interpreters will be paid approximately £19 per assignment or £6.30 per hour after deduction of fuel and parking costs. If an assignment lasts for two hours, assuming the travel distance and deduction for fuel costs and parking charges are the same, Capita’s interpreter will make £39 or £9.75 per hour. Consequently, if an assignment lasts for three hours, Capita’s interpreter will be generously rewarded with a whopping £59 or £11.80 per hour after fuel and parking costs.
Years at University, hundreds of pounds on exams and training courses all for the equivalent of what a cleaner would expect to earn. This is a fact because I pay my window cleaners £10 for 20 minutes work.