Taxi Driver Online

Picket line trouble in Halifax over working taxi drivers during strike

CARS were attacked as violence flared between cab drivers during a taxi strike.

The trouble erupted in George Street, Halifax, between people on a picket line and drivers who were working.

Stones caused damage to the roof of one car and chipped the glass on another. No-one was injured.

Today a taxi chief condemned the attack during an eight-hour dispute by drivers on Saturday night.

Sultan Mahmood, Calderdale Private Hire Association secretary, said: "Our protest is against the council, not anybody else. We just want to make our point and by being violent you never achieve anything."

The action is over the rising cost of council bureaucracy. A 36-hour strike will start from 6pm on Saturday.

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IDFIMH

Some more on this thread;

Second Strike on Cards for Cabbies:
'This weekend will be chaos', say taxi drivers.

29th July 2008

A second weekend of night-time protest is on the cards across Calderdale with more than 80 per cent of private-hire cabs set to go on strike.

Dozens of revellers were left stranded on Saturday night after taxi firms staged a walkout in protest over the rising costs of council red tape.

Now organisers are upping the stakes by holding a 36-hour strike, involving even more cars, from this Saturday.

Two further weekends of action – including one during the August Bank holiday – are planned.

Sultan Mahmood, Calderdale Private Hire Association secretary, said: "This weekend was a success but next time there will be chaos.

There will simply not be enough vehicles to get people home.

"We do not do this lightly but we need the council to listen to us.”

Half of all Calderdale's 48 private firms stopped their drivers for eight hours from 10pm last Saturday.

This week 32 companies have already signed up with more expected to get on board.

Mr Mahmood, who drives with Elland Private Hire, said: "There'll be 80 per cent of private-hire cabs off the road because all the really big firms are signed up.

"The council are squeezing us for every penny they can and we need to make them see we cannot provide a service if they keep adding more costs. We can hardly survive without bumping up prices to customers as it is."

But there was evidence the Saturday-night strike may have backfired as revellers expressed anger over the protest. Scott Carr, of Halifax, who had enjoyed a night in the town, said: "No one seemed to know what was going on.

"People were having to walk miles home alone in the middle of the night. There were hundreds of people just stuck in the town."

Police have been informed about the strike and say they plan to increase patrols on Saturday night to deal with any potential trouble.

Chief Superintendent Ian Levitt said: "Police will ensure order is maintained during service strike action this weekend. We will maintain a high-visibility presence throughout the area.”

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Lets hope it spreads.

They have voted to only do pre-booked work.

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IDFIMH

How much does the council charge them????