Taxi Driver Online

The Committee
Central Radio Taxis (Tollcross Ltd)
8 St Peter's Buildings
Gilmore Place
Edinburgh
EH3 9PG

Dear Sirs,

Myself and other members have it on good authority that your continued mismanagement is not a rumour but fact.

Despite numerous letters to you asking for a meeting with the committee to discuss your non approved and continuing policy of buying work we are left with no alternative than to seek a quorom of like minded drivers to call a meeting of the company. We have solid and irrefutable evidence that you are slowly but surely bringing about the financial collapse of our co-operative.

We cite 2 examples. The company secured the Scottish Executive contract recently, this is a documented public contract worth on average £450K per year for a 3 year term. Our documented paperwork shows you (the management committee) won this tender offering a 28% discount. That is £1.35M minus 28% = £378,000 DISCOUNT. This is money that has to be paid for by us! Tell us how?

Example 2. Our documented evidence shows at the recent Royal Bank of Scotland tender you (the well paid management committee) submitted an offer for a 3 year tender (3years @ £1.8M per year) with a discount in excess of 25%. That is £5.4M minus 25% = £1,350,000 DISCOUNT. This is money that has to be paid for by us! Tell us how?

It beggars belief to us that you (the well paid management committee) can contemplate business on these terms. To buy new business on these terms is financial suicide but to buy existing business at these rates well you better put the committee lights off now before they are cut off.

We do not call this meeting lightly, not because we are afraid to debate this openly but because we are concerned that the hall in the Andrew Duncan Hospital (AGM venue) will not have enough straight jackets for you 5.

Like all our previous letters we do not expect a reply so please look out for the required signatures and paperwork in the coming days.

Yours faithfully,

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H'mm, trouble at t’ mill?

_________________

http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

The first objective of CRT and City Cabs committees, is to secure their committee positions through buying work with member's radio dues. Their second objective is to pay themselves handsomely, in the process. Company member apathy allows them to do the above quite successfully.

Chubby's problem will be to energize those that care enough into action, to do anything about it.

I suspect drivers will do that work at those rates, maybe not taxi drivers but defo PH drivers.

How much cash (non discount) work comes out of those contracts?

_________________
IDFIMH

Not as much as there used to be, anyway, how would you quantify it regarding the discount to secure the work?

As Jim would put it, “the race to the bottom of the pond” has been in place for at least the last decade. Committees have used member's radio dues to buy the work and then to reward themselves for a job badly done. I remember when CRT's five-man committee, had a wage's bill of, I think, it was around 45K, now it's at least three times that figure, not bad for a bunch of numpty taxi drivers.

Chubby is right. It's bad business, but hey, who's counting nothing will change, until the company is on its ar*e.

The real tipping point will come when a member has nothing left to fleece. They might already be in that position, but it remains to be seen.

I don't know how true it is, but I was told CRT's discipline convener, is paying himself nearly 40K a year, for slapping people down, while his taxi is out working. I don't think you can blame Murray and Co. for taking the pis*, the members are morons. Swannee and Longshanks being prime examples.

It gives me a good laugh though.

Remember, the Skull and Taylor, “we want to spend 50K on a futile court case and here's 8K for a holiday on behalf of the CRT, membership.” Now that's what I call a waste of money. However, it sort of pales into insignificance when you consider what the committee is paying themselves for buying work, for their members, and what a bunch of “members” they are too.

Now let me think about this, imagine I'm the Scottish Executive, and you want to buy my business, and I've got £450K per annum, for a three-year term, to throw your way. This must be one of these. Pay for two years, and you can give me, one for free, deals. Oh and your “members” can work and pay for the privilege. You, the CRT committee, can now award yourself, say, 50K a year each, for securing the contract, remembering that your taxis are out working while you're stuffing your pocket full of cash from the company coffers.

Fecking brilliant, it's nae wonder Murray and the boys reward themselves with a Christmas party for a job well done, and that's the one thing they've got right, you have been...

look it's quite simple.

let's just examine one of the parasites. Murray Fleming.

This guy is allegedly Company Secretary. he's managed to remain in post through many annual elections.

Yet what are his qualifications? If any company was to advertise for a Company Secretary, what would the parasite Fleming have to offer?

Short answer is that he has no qualification to be paid the salary he is? Which is what? £30 grand or £40 grand? With no qualifications?

OK, so the parasite, embarrassed at his lack of fitness to do the job got the company to pay for training courses to bring him up to speed? Retraining as it were? And they appeared in the accounts, where?

So, no qualifications, and no retraining, isn't hard to understand how he's in the job, supposedly an important one for the wellbeing of the company.

Murray doesn't need qualifications to do the job. he just needs the proxy votes of the sheeple who don't want to rock the boat. Coolky was thrown to the wolves, but Murray survived. You trust this guy?

Murray's not paying the discount. He can give drivers' money away and they will thank him for doing so.

This co-operative just isn't working.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

Thing is, you don't have to be the brain of Britain to understand what went down with the social work contract.

PH went into the process and offered a low rate. Central went in and offered a winning rate.

PH unhappy? Sad they lost? Not a bit of it.

PH is deliriously happy that the Central soldiers are occupied servicing an unprofitable contract. While they're tied up doing work for little reward, PH is offering a fast response service to the clients Central can't serve.

Just imagine. central drivers are subsidising the NHS. As if they're taxes were not enough.

Do you have to be stupid to drive for central?

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

It's CRT's committee that I admire Jim. They are fireproof to whatever the recession/depression throws their way. It's just a question of buying work and putting in more hours to compensate yourself for any inconvenience you might suffer. You load your financial short fall on to the members, and it's “business” as usual. I mean come on, who the fu*k would want to drive a taxi with these muppets in the current economic climate. You are far better sitting around in the office, cranking out fines if you ask me.

I think CRT's committee has to be congratulated for taking the pi*s. They do it with such style.

But you can only take the pash if those you're taking the pash from allow you to.

This thread suggests that at least some of the members are fed up with the status quo. But I won't hold my breath.

central's members seem to be of the type that when volunteers are asked to take a step forward, everyone takes a step back.

Which does serve to explain in some small way why Fleming is fireproof. How someone with no qualification to to the job has been allowed to do it for so long.

What seems to exist is a social structure in the company where the committee are privileged and can dip their hands in the salary jar big time, while the minions pay for it through higher radio fees, more cars on the circuit and the fascists dishing out more and higher fines for minor misdemeanours that at best have dubious legality.

What also makes me laugh is the role of the council. They set a tariff as supposedly the rate for the job, which we all have to adhere to. It's supposed to reflect the costs incurred and the salary level appropriate. So then they invite tenders for their work to be carried out at a level lower than this?

How can this be explained? Someone's lying somewhere. This has to be a fundamental dishonesty on behalf of the council. How can they have any moral compass when they do this? And is this what we elect our councillors for?

The reason I couldn't work for a circuit is because I couldn't accept giving my labour away for buttons. That's what ECPH expected me to do. That's why it was never going to work. It's just a pity that they didn't have the wit to allow me to make the move in my own time.

And that's what Fleming and his henchmen are asking their members to do, all the while creaming off a nice earner for them selves. I'll say it again, do you have to be stupid to drive for Central?

As the tag line says ....

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

Jim, I think Murray and Co. are to be congratulated on shafting the CRT members in plain sight. The only people who seem to have no idea what's going on are those footing the bill.

Yeah, I would admire the guy. Only he's only pulling the wool over sheeple. I mean its not as though Central's drivers are the brightest candles in the box is it? We're hardly talking about the committee even having to be devious are we?

It's not difficult to lead sheep to the slaughter.

So, I see Murray and Co as shepherds rather than lion tamers

And you've got to hand it to them, when we're all on our erse end they've crafted a situation that when things get tough for them all they have to do is reach into the sheeple's pockets. Nice one

And haven't they crafted a slam dunk system? You get a hellfire and brimstone member creating a stooshie, threatening to bring your cosy number down. What do the crafty Murrays of the company do?

It's simple. Get the guy elected, bung him a 40 grand a year salary and hey presto, problem solved. SNAFU. The status quo secured. You're out of the Woods and the sheeple pay again.

It's a gas!

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

Murray is in a tough position, Jim. Your average CRT member is an idiot, think Swannee or Longshanks. It must be difficult not to take the pi*s when you are dealing with such a bunch of imbeciles. You could be forgiven for thinking it was your God-given right, to buy work and then fill your pockets with your members' radio dues.

Credit where it's due.

I suspect rising to the giddy heights of being an idiot is one of Swannee's aspirations in life.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"