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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 9:26 pm 
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Cabbies protest out-of-town drivers taking Welwyn Garden City business

Cabbies working with a leading WGC private hire company held a day of work stoppage in protest of their employment conditions. The self-employed private hire drivers, all members of Welwyn Hatfield Taxi Drivers’ Union, were demonstrating about the terms of their work with AAA Taxis, one of the largest cab companies in the borough.

The protest had the backing of national workers’ union GMB. On Tuesday, July 3, dozens of drivers gathered at Mundells with their cars and GMB flags. The protesters say over 100 drivers attended.

The cabbies were objecting to AAA’s use of drivers licensed by Transport for London (TfL) for Welwyn Hatfield jobs, which they say is eating into their business. One driver said his takings had plummeted by between 60 to 70 per cent in recent months.

GMB say that under a process called triple licensing, the operator, driver and vehicle should all come from the area the job was called from. However, the law changed nationally in 2015 following the Deregulation Act, allowing operators to sub-contract jobs across local authority borders.

The drivers protesting at Mundells said they want more scrutiny on cross-border hiring of drivers as a national issue. A spokesperson for AAA, which has offices serving Potters Bar, Hatfield, WGC, Borehamwood, Hertford and St Albans, said: “We operate within the national and local guidelines for licensing.”

Welwyn Hatfield-based drivers with AAA pay the company between £90 and £100 per week to access its bookings, and believe that the company takes similar fees from London drivers. Either way, one driver told the WHT: “The more drivers they get, the more money they get.”

He added: “So we’re the ones who suffer.” “They [AAA] don’t care about their drivers any more,” said another anonymous driver at the Mundells demonstration.

Steve ********, regional officer for GMB, also attended the protest on Tuesday, July 3. “It takes a lot for drivers to protest like this,” he said. “The guys here need a quality of life and they need to be able to earn an income.” He added the TfL-licensed drivers “don’t know the area, and they don’t know the clientele”.

He expressed particular concern about the possibility that contracts for the school run could be subcontracted to non-local drivers. The demonstrating drivers say that AAA has not responded to their ongoing attempts to discuss the situation, prompting the protest. “Nothing has been talked about, they just ignore us,” said one driver.

A spokesperson for AAA responded to say that they regularly discuss issues with drivers on an individual and group basis. On the day of the protest, AAA declined to comment, but told the WHT: “As far as we’re concerned it’s business as usual for our customers.” The impact of cross-border hiring of drivers has been a point of discussion between cabbies since the Deregulation Act came in, and is not unique to AAA.

A spokesperson for Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, which oversees taxi and private hire licensing, said in response to the drivers’ calls for greater scrutiny: “This has become a problem for drivers across the country and we’ve been supporting the lobbying at a national level calling for the law change to be looked at again.

“We’ve also been working closely with TfL over many months to investigate operator activity in London and hope to make a further announcement soon.”

As a next step, the drivers are planning to arrange a meeting with Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps to discuss their concerns about how the Deregulation Act is impacting them.

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:11 pm 
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Sussex wrote:
GMB say that under a process called triple licensing, the operator, driver and vehicle should all come from the area the job was called from. However, the law changed nationally in 2015 following the Deregulation Act, allowing operators to sub-contract jobs across local authority borders.


Don't think the old triple lock arrangement required the op, driver and vehicle to be licensed in the "area the job was called from". As long as they were all licensed by the same LA, the call could come from anywhere? [-(


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 6:38 am 
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Cabbies working with a leading WGC private hire company

Not cabbies PH drivers :roll:

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:39 pm 
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I often wonder exactly how many people in this country actually know the full ins and outs of cross border law, both pre and post the deregulation act.

Be amazed if it's more than a couple of dozen.

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 7:07 am 
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Sussex wrote:
I often wonder exactly how many people in this country actually know the full ins and outs of cross border law, both pre and post the deregulation act.

Be amazed if it's more than a couple of dozen.


Wakefield licensing councillor wrote:
Councillor Elaine Blezard told the committee: “I’ve heard through taxi drivers that a lot of them are going to other councils to get their licences because of how stringent our rules are.

“If we are working together (with other councils), why are they going to places other than Wakefield?

”Councillor Yvonne Crewe said that at a recent meeting with local taxi bosses, one firm owner told her that he sent drivers to Wolverhampton because the process was “quicker”.

She said she was not originally aware of the 2015 law change that meant cabbies could live and work away from the licensing authority.

Coun Crewe said: “When I was first told this, I had visions of a convoy coming over the top of the M62 first thing in the morning, and then going back at night.


Don't know whether to :lol: or :cry:


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:33 pm 
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StuartW wrote:
Don't know whether to :lol: or :cry:

I believe cry is the only answer. :cry:

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