Taxi Driver Online

Well if stuff was being written in my name, and my member's names, then I'm dam well certain I would want to be part of it.

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IDFIMH

I feel a touch of clarity is required here, and a few facts need to be sorted before this thread go on.

A very good source of mine ( ) has told me exactly what happened, and not surprisingly it differs from what the GMB PDB is saying.

Towards the end of last year concern was growing as to the goings on of one particular Lewes licensed firm. Now can I just repeat that, one Lewes firm, not every Lewes driver as the GMB's press release says, not the lads in Adur as the GMB's press release says, and not the lads in Mid Sussex as the GMB's press release says.

The firm giving concern were and are using 15 year old minibus rust buckets and drivers that don't take any knowledge of Lewes, let alone the area they work in Brighton.

All the lads in Brighton wanted was a fair playing field with this one particular firm. Thus they asked the council leader to help even up the tender process, as what's the point of councils having certain safety standards for their residents and visitors, but having inferior standards for their speacial needs children.

I go back to the point this was in relation to one small Lewes minibus firm, nothing to do with the other 99% of them. And nothing to do with 100% of the lads in Adur and Mid Sussex.

For whatever reason the GMB decided to wait 3/4 months to release the press statement. Maybe it was because certain Labour policitians wanted to point score their Liberal and Tory opponents in the May local elections. One official described it as a " you scatch my back" senario.

So the truth of the matter is that the GMB was used as a political football at the last election, and in turn managed to slag off about 500 licensed cab drivers who were doing nothing wrong other than, in the GMB's view, adhering to their licensing conditions.

In short, the GMB PDB should be hanging their heads in shame. But I doubt they are because it's always someone else's fault when the OAP fu**s up.

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IDFIMH

The press release issued by the GMBU criticised all owners, drivers, licensing officials and councillors and conveniently omitted the fact that the original concern brought by the local trade official was in respect of one Private hire firm located in Lewes?

I think the initial complaint is far removed from what is mentioned in the press release therefore those responsible for writing and issuing the press release are solely to blame for the accusations aimed at ALL the people I have mentioned above.

It is no good pointing a finger at the person who initially warned Brighton Council that a particular firm in Lewes might be unfit to hold a school contract. The blame lies at the door of those entrusted with the task of completing the findings of this initial observation and then coming to a conclusion that might be acted upon?

Before any press release was issued on this matter a report surrounding these accusations should have been read by those entrusted with the task of decision making. Obviously if such a report had been forthcoming then those decision makers should have explained the differences in the various licensing regimes, which they believed fell short of the standards applied by Brighton? The fact is, from what we are told, the initial complaint only concerned one Lewes firm, therefore we have to ask ourselves, "why the press release didn't highlight this fact" and why it chose to ACCUSE all these authorities, owners/drivers and vehicles, of being substandard?

There is a lot to be said for the sound byte "you get what you pay for" and perhaps it’s about time the spotlight was focused on those public officials who put themselves forward as representatives just so you can see what you "pay" for?

I don't blame the person who instigated the initial misgivings of one particular private hire/Taxi firm in Lewes because that person did nothing more than highlight the possible problem? We have to look a lot closer at those who were given the task of investigating the problem and finally drawing their conclusions.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

I think it all boils down to the fact that the OAP leader of the GMB PDB knows f*** all about anything concerning the taxi/PH trade outside of the M25, and those that do are too scared to point out to him what a prize pillock he is.

The OAP thinks that everything is decided by elected councillors, now that maybe how it should happen, but those of us with brains know different. So when the OAP decided to gamble that the B&H council leader would remain in post, he gambled on red and it didn't come in.

So he has lost his ace in the pack in the council, lost any credibilty the GMB had, or could have had in the future, with licensed drivers in Adur, Lewes and Mid Sussex, and lost a person who could have been a big help for the GMB in B&H.

But instead of having someone in the tent pi**ing out, the GMB will always have the reverse untill such time the OAP has gone back to London.

FFS there are 40,000 licensed PH drivers there, so WTF is he let out of London.

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IDFIMH

A strange turn of phrase this. "..hide away and deny..". These people are named in the document. Their Branch, region and national status/location can be gleaned by even the most cursory glimpse of membership and employee records to determine where they are, how much they are paid or pay and whom "he" "she" represents. So how hide away...?
Ah, a brainwave, perhaps I'm coming to grips with GMB language, "Hide away" means "Hidden away" by national officers who can't do a data base search. Yeah, I do catch up.



Your paranoia glares through. Visit the GMB website to view their posted document I've seen the address in, and visited it from, this forum.
"Personal grudge against the GMB?" I'm new to this forum but I've viewed a few of the posts purporting to be the policy/stance or objective of the GMB. No doubt you have too so you must at least concede the nature of these posts and, with this in mind, sorry can't think of another word that alludes to a thinking part, you must look to the forty million or so adults in the U.K. and subtract the total membership of the GMB from that figure and you will be left with the number of people who hold a personal grudge.
For your healths sake only I feel obliged to inform you that a psychologist could advise you on how best to defend yourself from an attack of aliases.



"...meet and discuss the matter..." with whom? You don't appear to accept any of the evidence on this site or, if you have looked, the GMB site. Your mind, oops sorry again, is so blatantly closed to reality. So discuss what? Your fallacious, defensive, nonsense?
To discuss something you have to accept reality and, as your paranoia suggests, you don't seem to.

Join the world, leave the GMB.

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The Seventh Saint

I don't know the jargon, what is a GMB PDB and what is the OAP, I understand the asterisks thank you,

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The Seventh Saint

The OAP has bugger all to do with us. We have professional representation already, thanks.

The OAP was the author of the press release, and the GMB PDB is the union's professional drivers branch.

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IDFIMH

The OAP may have been the author of the press release, but did he not quote the GMB Rep (who works for a well known Brighton firm) amongst others? Or am I getting confused in my increasing years?

I suppose at least the gmb union has united a very deunited taxi biz over here.
The gmb union mesed up and got it wrong.
Why dont they just admit it and we can all carry on?

Flyer

My very good source ( ) says the chap you are referring to is a good lad. Not sure if he did actually say what he is quoted as saying.

I think if the B&H GMB binned off the OAP and told him to f*** off back to the smoke, then the B&H GMB would be in safe hands under that lad.

And I'm 100% certain they would say they messed up in relation to the Lewes, Adur and Mid Sussex lads.

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IDFIMH

There are rather more than a few in the area who had never heard of these pages, who are now reading with interest, including Licensing Officers, drivers and Council officials. The letter was a genuine one, written out of genuine concern and with the knowledge of at least a couple of dozen aggrieved drivers.

Why the need of GA to cast suspicion? Genuine concern over something that deserves bringing to the attention of those whom the article deemed it was fine to denounce, is then seen by the GMB as an apparent attack on them? Who is being far fetched here?




Have the GMB seen fit to acknowledge receipt of the complaint that was copied to them? Somehow I doubt it. Or is everything done by personal visit?

What is it you hope to achieve by a personal visit that cannot be achieved in writing?

It's not the way the GMB work under the OAP.

If they manage to do something right, then it's in every trade mag and web-site going.

But when they mess up, it's a massive case of .

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IDFIMH

You make an interesting point Mr Flyer.

It would appear the OAP is uniting the trade, but it's not just in your local area, but he is uniting the national trade against him.

And TBH when he is long gone from festering this trade, that maybe the only good thing he ever managed to do.

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IDFIMH

The GMB publicity shot is quite sure he said it, two publicity officers in fact to corroborate it. Look at page 4 item 4 of the submitted letter. Then, when you've done that, look to the contact numbers at the beginning and end of the document, you just don't do this for none contributors, you don't. No where and never! Unless you seek to deliberately mislead, but no, they wouldn't dream of it surely?
In addition to this, I've not seen any documentation from himself, nor anyone other than you for that matter, that even attempts to disassociate him from the comments.
O.K. You and the GA, (GA, bet you thought I'd missed you out!).



OAP = someone with a bus pass? "...safe hands under that lad."
When you are a representative you represent the corporate body first, then the members. To sway from the corporate policy (GMB's) is to tread air. To misrepresent facts is to breach the trust and confidence both the members and the corporate body have in you and to lose any credibility you had with your electorate and anyone you negotiated with on their behalf.
Ergo, you can forego the safe hands and select the safe mouth, you'll get much better results.


I'm so jealous of your certainty, except... I'm not quite sure who "they" are.
The OAP has left (bus pass in hand) to wend his way back to the smoke and leave B&H in safe hands. Now we have one at the smoke and one at B&H. Are these two still an item? Is it these two you refer to as "they" or has another duo emerged from the crevices? Or is it the plural of hand you refer to as "they"?
I certainly can't tell, but remember, its the safe mouth that wins the confidence and generates recruitment, not the forked tongue!
Oh, and why have "they" not admitted culpability? You have notified "them" of the controversy haven't you?


Join the world, leave the GMB.

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The Seventh Saint