Taxi Driver Online

Very interesting post from JD and the removal of section 75 is long overdue.

Am I right in saying that the GMB Branch Secretary offered to organise a meet with everyone in London to unite our forces to pressure the politicians over this and only one group agreed that it was a good idea.

As a GMB member in the professional drivers branch I have to say that if this is true it sums up why there is so much wrong with our industry and why it takes so long to get even the most basic things sorted out.

For someone who comes from the wrong side of the river and supports Arsenal Brother Flanagan appears to have more sense than some people give him credit for.

Having said that everything is relative and perhaps he just sounds sensible after you read some of the other posts.

I think part of the problem is that section 75 doesn't apply in London, and the London cab trade don't give a f*** about what happens elsewhere.

Another part is that large chunks of the taxi/PH trade haven't a clue what a benefit to the trade getting rid of the exemption will be.

So Mr Apathy and Mr Ignorance strike again.

But thankfully the few that are clued up are doing the right things for the 99.9% that aren't.

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IDFIMH

Sussex you will have to educate me a bit on this one because I thought this did apply in London or the equivalent applied because I have heard of dodgy proprietors employing unlicensed drivers and putting them on contract work.

If it isn't section 75 that is letting them get away with it then what is it because it is totally wrong whatever loophole in whatever legislation in whatever part of the country.

Also there are those of us in London who want to see a united industry nationally, even including that lot north of the river.

Some people have been working for a great many years to get all the national associations to sit round the table, work out their differences, and take the trade forward as one , London is a separate issue, but it normally is anyway on everything else,including the 1976 miscellaneous act .

When your act came out you had a similar exemption which allowed un-licensed vehicles to do contract work, this is already being changed in the new act.

I've always thought they couldn't ban the exemption to cars inside the M25 if it still applied to cars outside of it. It seems those thoughts are shared by the 'powers that be'.

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IDFIMH

Our information this section will clear up the scandal so gleefully exploited by the greedy immoral ba--ards in London many members of the LPHCA for once and for all.We lobbied through the back door on this and made our feelings perfectly clear,if you dont do it and there is an incident we will go public in that we told you so!
ORGANISE EDUCATE AGITATE

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

Brother Flanagan from the way he has behaved on an this forum has proved to be inadequate as a branch secretary, he is what we call a non-person, that means that he simply follows up on what ever is in the news at the moment, rides on the back of it, he will not, repeat not, be an asset, what could be achieved in a short periods will take years simply because of his attitude, but you will continue paying for the privilege.

Sorry Mr T I don't quite understand what you are getting at and that is probably because I am fairly new to this sight.

What has Brother Flanagan done that is so bad that whoever we are calls him a non person.

For £2.25p per week which is half of a minimum fare you have legal protection from the GMB.

If ever a driver is had over by an insurance company, the no win no fee brigade or indeed any of the sharks that infest our industry as long as your up to date with your subs you get legal protection.

Not that you should need it because some quite incredible deals have been done with firms like the taxi centre where the best value for money deals on new cars is on offer to GMB members. Theunion have a no fault accident claims specialist, a tax expert who specialises in private hire and many other beneficial deals on offer.

The way I see it those people want the business the GMB puts their way so they are not going to mess GMB members around so there shouldn't be much need for the legal back up but it's there if we need it.
In fact if you work it out the money you save on all of these deals probably means you are better off being a member of the union.

When the licensing came in I understand that the GMB played a central role in obtaining grandfather rights for existing drivers and I know for a fact they are fully supporting a big campaign in London for private hire to get access to red routes and bus lanes.

I don't know what we will take a longer time achieving because Mr Flanagan exists but it does seem that very little if anything at all was achieved for the drivers in London before the GMB came on the scene.

Don't make the mistake a lot of people have in the past, there is nothing wrong with the GMB, there is nothing wrong with unions, it's just that sometimes the wrong people represent them, I have a strong feeling a person with your attitude would achieve a great deal more in a lot shorter space of time

Thank you for getting back.

Glad to hear your view on unions. Still I had a lot of mates in the unions in the old days in Liverpool and it comes as no suprise that you have a sensible attitude.

There is no doubt we have had a lot of wrong un's in the union in the past, unelected, unaccountable morons taking their fat salaries while doing deals behind the members backs.

I believe that all union reps from steward to general secretary should be elected and on the average wage of the members they represent with legitimate audited expenses.

Union officials are there to represent the interests of the members not the other way round.

My experiance in the GMB is that is begining to be the case with people like Terry periodically open to election.

However it has to be said that it is highly unlikely that he would be kicked out because when all the noise of winding up unscrupulous employers dies down and you look carefully you will find that on key issues like the repeal of section 75, like access to bus lanes and red routes and the representation of the most exploited drivers like chauffers he is doing the business.

It would be marvellous if people like you and other drivers in Liverpool were to join up. If I've got it wrong and people like you could prove your case in the union then he would be facing a challenge from a rival candidate at the next elections.

Democracy is essential in the union and the debates need to be had.

If you think those are key issues you are sadly lacking, tell me how long have you been involved in the licensed trade in the provinces, one or two weeks?



All that for over a hundred pounds per year per member?

good value, a TOA with say 25 members would give the GMB £2500 per year? then have nothing left themselves?

And then still have to do all of the donkey work on a local level?

And if the GMB decide to represent them and make a rickett of it, the locals have to build all the importnat local relationships again.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

all the firms and hack unions down here are either interested in bloody tuk tuks or keeping plate values.
i think they will win the tuk tuk bit.
but the plate thing is dooooooomed.

My,My, you really are a little whimp, you really should apologise to any members that you might have, For being so inadequate, and it is obvious that the only people that are being abused are your members, .... and as for taking no prisoners , I have a strong feeling that the nearest you would get to a battle, would be in a car going the opposite way.............. Vote for Terry the Whimp GMB ....has a certain ring to it don't you agree....

I dont give free trade education lessons


CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin