Taxi Driver Online

The Warrington Taxi driver Accosiation informed its members today that warrington council refuses to recognise them as the voice for the warrington hackney trade, this follows months of heated debates over the problems with the trade in the town after taxi drivers staged a go slow protest in january 2006.

The counicl elected to speak to the WTDA and a drivers action group and it was agreed that while these talks were going on that there would be no further protesting. the taxi drivers action group and the WTDA agreed and the council along with the asscosiation and drivers group would try to work together to sort out the problems as neither side wants to see a repeat of the protest in january, unfortunatly the council seems to not like some questions that have been put before it on serveral occasions, and on these occasions have failed to provided satisfactory answers for both sides to agree on. and this morning an email was sent to a WTDA represenative informing them that the counicl will no longer recognise them as the hackney drivers representation in the town thus angering most of the 139 hackney drivers the town has.

It seems that warrington borough council has decided that you either agree with us and do as we say or **** OFF and do what we say.

warrington hackney drivers are now organising a meeting to discuss the next step they want to take if the council ponit blank refuse to acknowladge the WTDA it looks like we are heading for more protests something that the WTDA and Hackney drivers do not want to do but at this moment in time we are being forced up against the wall again with no other options it seems surely the council will come to it senses and begin talks as i hope they also want to avoid this type of action

Does it have anything to do with WTDA refusing to have a meeting with all involved, instead meeting seperately with the council first before the main meeting? Then protesting and refusing admitance to certain people who are actually entitled to attend?
These meetings should be transparent.

I look forward to your next strike
(can you make it on a Wednesday, Wednesdays are a bit slack for PH)

On a serious note, could this have anything to do with the hac driver who approached the Council distancing himself and quie a few others form WTDA? Perhaps they see WTDA as not the true representatives of the majority of Hac drivers anymore.

On a serious note, could this have anything to do with the hac driver who approached the Council distancing himself and quite a few others form WTDA? Perhaps they see WTDA as not the true representatives of the majority of Hac drivers anymore.

two posts, oooooopppsss

the WTDA has a problem with 1 voice that i know about i will have to get more info on other parties before i comment the problem they have with 1 voice is that you can't represent two completely different sides of a trade without having a conflict of interest which as you know there are many in this town and i have to agree with them on this point its like trying to represent animail rights activists and a company that uses animals for testing it just won't work

Last time I was up at Crown Court I told the Judge, "I do not recognise this Court!" He asked, "Why not?" I replied, "You've had the decorators in!"
On a serious note, Divide and Rule, wins again.

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Former taxi driver

personally i don't know as i have not heard anything about this on the rank between the drivers and only can say that the lack of conversion on rank about this suggests to me that there wiil be a small minority maybe just a couple of drivers who have done this i don't know

If theres a conflict of interest within Onevoice, how come Direct have both Hac's and PH yet they all seem to get along ok. I know at least one of your comittee is on Direct but they all work and seem to get along together, i dont think the two are a million miles apart on most issues.

true direct taxis operate private hire vehicles yet so does abba cars but the differnce is that direct have ph on there system to cover work when the hacs go off and work the ranks on weekend nights and arn't interested in radio work this is just good buisness sense protecting there work and customers from migration to other companys as abba cars who are primarly a ph company with a few hac's on there system yet they arn't really interested in hackney affairs because the majority doesn't affect them nor does the hacs leaving there system on busys periods because they have the ph to cover the car loss i can see in the long term though as direct become more successful they will become more of a private hire company than taxi and at which point they will probaly have no interest in the wtda and hac interets but at present seeing the majority of cars on there system are hacs they have a keen interest the scenario would be equivalent if direct decided to try and infulance a ph assciation with 1 or 2 ph's on there system caliming they have private hire interest so there for have a vailid right to object to what ever isssues they want yet trying to put across more of a hac's views as it wouldn't work or wash with the ph association

1 voice can only really use the strength in number theory of both ph and hac on relevant issues that affect both sides of the trade equally such as for instance only 1 place for your car to have its mot done getting the rest of the bus lanes to be taxi ph lanes also can't think of any others *getting writers block* maybe one voice could look at just issues that affect both sides and could be comprised of members from wtda and a relevent ph only asscoiations and discuss these problems i could not see a problem there

hope that makes sense

The council don't have a right to decide who represents who. From my experience one trade association/union alone will never represent all drivers.

I would write to (or ring) the Chair of the Licensing Committee asking for a meeting, and copy it to the LO. Point out to them the Human Rights Act, in particular the 'freedom of expression' bit.

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IDFIMH

Onevoice can represent both, but only those Hac's who want to be represented by someone who will listen to both sides of the argument, as i beleve (never been to one) WTDA dont.
As far as i know ABBA have about 16 or so Hacs on the system so while they're a minority in the company, their welfare and earnings still matter a great deal to the management, as i think will be the same at Direct, but the other way around. Common ground needs to be reached quickly,or wait for deregulation then it wont matter.

Freedom of expression!

In the Republic of Warrington!

He'd lose his ears at Market Gate for even thinking about it!

geoff youve lost me with all this lot now ill have to get new door signs that say "private hire sometimes" ( depending whos representing me)

ha ha