Scotland’s failing £240million prisoner transfer contract is under emergency review over fears it could collapse without more taxpayers’ cash. Outsourcing giant GEOAmey has been missing up to 50 transfers a week due to staff shortages which have crippled courts and are threatening to plunge the criminal justice system into crisis.
We can reveal the US headquartered multinational is struggling to recruit or retain workers because the low wages it offers guards for dangerous and stressful jobs can’t compete with supermarket salaries.
Despite a catalogue of failings, Scottish Prison Service (SPS) senior management admitted they are now in negotiations with GEOAmey with a view to pumping in more public money.
The SPS said: “We are working with our contractor, GEOAmey, to ensure we meet the transport needs of those in our care and the wider justice sector. This has included reviewing our contract agreement to identify and work on alleviating some of the pressure points.
“Due to the levels of concern around this contract, and the priority SPS places on securing an improvement in performance, senior leaders are actively engaging with justice partners to identify solutions to the challenges we have seen.”
GEOAmey was the only bidder for its eight-year £238million contract awarded in 2018 after previous holder G4S and public services firm Serco pulled out. However, since winning the contract, there have been a series of failures.
A source said: “GEOAmey took over this contract at a price other firms felt they couldn’t deliver at. That is why G4S walked away from the table. They have been working on very tight margins, paying staff the bare minimum in order to turn a profit. But the problem is that inflation and rising wages have left GEOAmey struggling to break even, while recruitment is almost impossible because of the low wages.
“It should be their problem to solve as they are a multibillion-pound company but the truth is that, if they walk away, it will leave the Scottish Government, prison services, police and courts in utter chaos. Perversely, that has left GEOAmey in a strong position to squeeze more money out of the public purse.”
The source added: “Staffing costs are the main issue. Rates of pay are not much more than the minimum wage for many staff to do a job that is stressful, dangerous and unappealing. Supermarkets are offering much better wages by comparison.”
There is a backlog of about 28,000 jury trials and 24,000 JP or sheriff-only trials. Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay said: “Ministers need to explain what has gone wrong with this contract, be honest about any risk of it collapsing and ensure they have a plan in place if that does happen.”
GEOAmey said: “We are engaged in ongoing discussions with all stakeholder partners on how to fulfil our shared ambition to improve service to the courts and broader judicial system.
“We’re operating in challenging conditions regarding the economic situation and pressures within the UK labour market. This has had an impact on recruitment and staff retention.”
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