Looks like the strike is on again:
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2007 ... 2814t0.asp
Big-match revellers face taxi strike
By Graeme Strachan
Dundee taxi drivers voted to take strike action on one of the busiest weekends of the year after crisis talks broke down with the council yesterday.
The six-hour strike will start at midnight on Saturday.
It follows a meeting of drivers at the Dee Club last night.
Scotland play Italy in a do-or-die Euro 2008 qualifier on Saturday, and pubs and clubs expect one of the busiest days they have had.
People staying in the pub until closing time or going on to a club would bear the brunt of the protest.
With around 100 drivers at last night’s meeting and 559 taxis on the roads it remains to be seen whether the strike action will gain widespread support.
The decision came after taxi leaders emerged from a meeting with senior council officials saying talks had got them “nowhere”.
Peter Longmuir from the Unite union chaired last night’s meeting and said it was with a heavy heart that drivers had decided to vote on taking industrial action.
He said it was not planned to take place on one of the busiest weekends of the year but it was the last resort as drivers who are working 16 and 17-hour days were at the end of their tether.
“There were four or six drivers against but the majority were in favour of striking,” he said.
“The meeting we had with the council two weeks ago was very productive and we thought we were getting somewhere but at the meeting today we got nothing.
“They just kept saying we can’t do this, we can’t do that and advising us to consult lawyers, but if you go to lawyers it takes longer to get to the final conclusion.
“It wasn’t meant to happen this Saturday, but what do you do? We went in there open-minded but I’m afraid they just really didn’t take any notice.”
He added, “Nobody wants to strike, especially this Saturday.
“People who go out for a meal and a drink will have time to get home before 12 and the old women going to the bingo can get taxis, but it really is unfortunate.
“This is the last resort and could escalate other things like rolling roadblocks.”
Among issues discussed at the meeting at City Chambers yesterday was whether a cap on taxi licences could be implemented, such as was operated in Perth.
Dundee Taxi Association chairman Graeme Stephen said there were too many cabs on the road and drivers were struggling to make a living.
However, he felt the council had not even countenanced the possibility of introducing a cap on both yellow plate cabs and private hire vehicles, and he felt “things could get worse before they get better.”
Council chief executive Alex Stephen led negotiations on behalf of the local authority but declined to comment on the meeting.
However, a spokesman for the council did later release a statement saying, “The council has offered to continue discussions but the issues being raised will take time to resolve and take forward constructively. The city council hopes this will be accepted and meetings can continue.”