Taxi Driver Online

Oh yeah, that must be right. Policies Gateshead Council adopt were adopted years before I became involved, so to suggest I'm personally responsible shows your ineptitude.

What is happening now in Gateshead is that the members of the trade are being properly represented and democratically their motions are decided. In the few years previous outside influences and personal situations decided which of the members wishes were applied for and which would be ignored. As a supposed trade unionist yourself you surely understand that the requests from the membership should be the only consideration.

You are so full of [edited by admin] Geoff I'm not surprised you didn't take up my offer to attempt to sort out our differances like gentlemen, instead it suits your purpose and probably gives you an erection when people like me argue against your low principles, I shall return to doing what everyone else does and just ignore your insane, non-sensicle ramblings.

Ignore him youth he's a knob, he's runnig short of palyboy mags and kleenex tissues to wipe the mess up. I think it's called being an old C**T.

Less of the old.

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IDFIMH

no respect at all for thier superiors

Working 80 hours a week is nothing new for some, there are lots of people in the Taxi trade around the country who work these hours. A seven day twelve hour shift is what a lot of owners and Renters find the norm.



So here we have a council, that has expanded growth for the public by means of de- restricting numbers, thereby making Taxis more readily available. Yet we have a situation where certain elements of the Taxi trade have applied to the council with a request to restrict that growth by reverting to a limited growth policy.

I wonder whom the council is supposed to serve, the public or Cab drivers? I always assumed it was Cab drivers who were supposed to serve the public.

So what about Gateshead returning to a restricted growth policy? Should Cab drivers dictate policy to councillors or should it be the other way around. Should a councils first priority be to its public or should it be to the Cab trade? What would a restricted growth policy mean for the public of Gateshead?

Some like to kid us that a restrictive growth policy means something else such as a managed growth policy but the only thing that is managed is the number of licences that are restricted. Managed Growth is for the Taxi trade it has nothing whatsoever to do with a better service for the public.

Having said that I fully understand the reasoning of those that wish to restrict numbers. The fact remains that Gateshead council in its wisdom decided to change its Hackney carriage policy with regard to numbers.

According to the TGWU, the Transport select committee and the Government, councils are best placed to determine local policy. Hang on, did I say TGWU? Yes I did. One could be forgiven for thinking the TGWU was in total agreement with that policy because It seems that every time a council exercises its right to de limit numbers, the TGWU are up in arms saying councils don't know best when it comes to determining a numbers policy.

It makes one think that the TGWU don't have much faith in the wisdom of local councillors. So why did the TGWU say that councils know best?

Well at the time it suited their purpose. It was one of the catalysts that brought about a change of mind in the Governments decision to do nothing as regards to the OFT report.

But what about the Cab section of TGWU? It's been suggested in this forum by some that the TGWU is an organisation that says one thing when it suits them and says another thing when it doesn't. I suppose if one is being totally honest we could call that a contradiction of terms, others might call it dishonest or even hypocritical. So why do those in the TGWU say that they agree with their union that councils are best placed to administer local transport policy yet when it effects them these very same people turn round and say hey you're out of order councillor.

Intriguing isn't it.



208 pounds for eighty hours work? Minus insurance, minus radio rent, minus Road Tax, minus vehicle maintenance. I wonder if Frankie might not be better suited to an alternative profession?



Is this a case of Mick knows best? What happened to the TGWU reasoned argument that a council knows best? What right does Mick have to take away from the public something, which the local council has put in place? Is it a case that the Gateshead drivers have seen the ugly head of competition and it's scared the chit out of them?

I would like to say I sympathise with the Gateshead drivers and to a certain extent I do but there are other equally valid considerations to take on board, such as a good public Taxi service. Equality of driver status meaning if a person is qualified to do a Job of work there shouldn't be a vested interest trying to stop them.

It's about time the TGWU Cab section took a long hard look at itself and started practising what it preaches.



The Government and TGWU also said that Councils were best placed to determine local needs, it seems Mr Bollands that you have put what the TGWU preach into practice. Something they "occasionally" fail to do.

Best Wishes

JD

No you've got it all wrong John, I don't think the T&G object when LAs do what the T&G want them to do, ie decide things at the local level. Take this extract about Guilford from the latest CTN comment column:

"Old hands, experienced in the curious forms of democracy practised in council chambers, would have found it hard to recall a more blatant demonstration of political dogma than that witnessed on the night. While the mainly Lib Dem opposition members put up a valiant fight using genunine and well researched argument and advoctating Managed Growth, the Tory 'sheep' most sat in silence displaying a lethal cocktail of arrogance, ignorance and possibly tinged in a few cases with just a hint of guilt."

"They did their 'civic duty' by sticking their mits in the air, (even those that appeared in need of a nudge to stay awake) and another retrodgrade decision amounting to a dereliction of duty and an abrogation of responsibility went into the minutes book."

So there you have it, a healthy respect for local democracy

Local democracy is OK when it goes the way the T&G wants it to!!!

As for the Gateshead figures from Frankie, if you believe that you'll believe anything - perhaps someone could provide a rough breakdown on how the figures were calculated, but I'll bet they don't.

After all, didn't someone from Gateshead recently say that saloon plates were booming, what was it £10-20k or summat like that.

The exact figures are irrelevant, but if plates are worth five figures then I doubt if drivers are taking £2.60 an hour.

OK, assuming Frankie runs a WAV then the saloon drivers may be slightly better off, but I still don't believe the figures.

Last week I worked 83 hours my take home after paying everything out was £210 add that over the hours worked and it's around £2.50 per hour, good that ain't it?

But Nidge

On another thread you are complaining about the council wanting to boost your income by 50% at peak times!

You really are a frustrating contradiction of ignorance.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

Because of all the trouble it will cause Tom that's why.

Ah but you do seem a hotbed magnet for trouble.

Do you discuss things with your customers like you do on here?

As I have said before you need a bit of anger management in your NVQ course.

You have the perfect excuse when customers play up - BLAME THE COUNCIL MATE- they will have seen the papers.

You can then explain that you have to charge the metered fare or the taxman will have you etc, that bullshit always works.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

I couldn't go through the day not knowing the background to this fare increase so I had a little chat with Mansfield licensing department. I must admit they were very polite and helpfull and they managed to shed a little light on the present situation.

I'm just going to write what they told me and leave it that, I'm not going to make any comment.

Please correct me if i'm wrong but it appears the fare increase came about through an application by the trade to the council for a general fare increase. The last increase was October 2003. The council in its wisdom took this opportunity to review the whole fare structure including that of tarrif two with a view to getting more cabs out at night and to improving the drivers standard of living.

They invited four Trade organisations for consultation but only two representitives turned up. These consultations were conducted on a one to one basis.

Things like running costs were discussed hours worked and several other items. The TGWU rep was asked how many members it had and it said about 20. Mansfield have aprox 150 hackney carriage drivers licenced and 75 proprietors licences.

It was calculated that the average driver earned aprox 250.00 net, for a 50 - 60 hour working week. I was informed that there had been more letters in favour of the increase than those that objected.

The waiting time has been increased and tarif two flag fall has increased to time and half. One of the reasons given for increasing tariff two is because over the years it had dropped to its present percentage level of time and one fifth. The council say they are just redressing the imbalance.

The increase will be published in the paper for two weeks and any objections raised will be fully considered.

Thats basically it.

If I got this wrong then don't blame the messenger.

Best wishes

JD

No it's all true John, who did you speak to by the way?

I spoke to Mr R and a gentleman named chris ???? his second name escapes me but I suspect you know who I mean. You will also know who Mr R is.

Best wishes

JD