Taxi Driver Online

I wrote this about 4 or 5 weeks ago, so with the deadline for the LC fast approaching, I feel another reminder is worth a go.

After checking out the TDO forum a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that only 112 submissions had been made to the LC Consultation, since May, when the process began. Since then I've been told, by a reliable source, that the number has risen to over 200, albeit mostly from Limousine companies, which is an improvement, but is nowhere near a true reflection of our trade, considering the the amount if workers involved in it.
In truth it just reflects the apathy and lack of organisation within the workplace (certain areas excluded) and how the nature of self-employment divides us all. It is the division among our ranks, that will eventually destroy us all, allowing the policy and law makers, who know little of the struggles that cabbies face, to restructure our lives to a point where all logic and common sense will be pushed aside for an agenda of chaos and political will.
The facts must be spelt out, that this IS the Last Chance Saloon for the Taxi trade and that unless the fence sitters remove the splinters from their supersized backsides there'll be no Taxi trade left, at least not one that will be recognised as such.
The Law Commission's brief is simple, open the floodgates, deregulate and delimit ALL boroughs and let the chaos of free market capitalism control the market. MADNESS!
As with all other sectors that have been subjected to the same right wing treatment, only the stronger, larger, more powerful companies will benefit, with the loser being the driver and the passenger. ie: lower wages, longer hours and a poorer service. All for the sake of what? Shorter dole queues?
However, there is a slim chance that the trade could have a hand in shaping the future.
That chance lies in the consultation period, where anyone involved the trade can make a submission outlining their thoughts and ideas of how the legislation should be constructed.
So it is up to all of us who are involved in the trade to at least put over our points of view, surely? But it seems only a couple of hundred can be bothered. So why bother?
Well, if you ask me it is a case of 'you can die on your knees or live forever', better to try and fail, than not to try at all. So my submission is in, now it's only my point of view, but at least it has been heard and at least i've tried to help shape the thoughts of those involved in making the changes.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
WILL YOU FIGHT?
On every rank in every town, the solutions to every right and wrong in the world can be heard, every single day. Almost every cab driver will have a point of view on the way forward, but when it comes to action or sacrificing a small amount of time to save their bacon, all you get is a shrug of the shoulders and a 'can't be arsed' attitude. It is this apathy and division that the system thrives on and unless unity and organisation in our workplace is restored, it will be the downfall of us all.
200 measly submissions out of thousands of workers is quite frankly a disgrace and we will probably deserve the lot that we get from this consultation.
But to those who stand and try to help shape the future, respect to you.

With the 5,000 posts and over 120,000 page views, I think TDO's Cab Act Section has spread the word more than anyone.

It's just a shame most of us differ on so many matters.

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IDFIMH

More than most and less than I'd like.

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

I suspect no-one has done more, on an individual basis, than you.

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IDFIMH

yeah, never underestimate the mind of a lunatic

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

Really? So after this consultation there is nothing more that can be done?

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Good point, but there are some out here who think nothing could have been done since before the report.

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IDFIMH

guilty.......i guess

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

No that is when the fun really starts.

Those that agree with Democracy, tinged with a little updated feudalism will "petition" or more accurately "lobby" their elected (MP's) and unelected (Peer's) representatives.

The more left wing unions will have some kind of protest and attempt to force a change of Government. Amazing how many Town and City centres can be gridlocked with so few vehicles. The "slowing" of the Motorway and A Road system could well be on their Target Radar as well.

The anarchists will protest individually. (That lot should really get themselves organized into a group.)

Both the Trotskyites will scream alot and predict the revolution.

The PH operators will import some slaves on the one hand and will pay for votes on the other with "donations" to all the parties in Parliament.

Those North of the border will gloat a bit - until their Government sees the England and Wales model as one they should follow - Chickens will come home to roost.

But mainly, nine out ten drivers, will not give a toss until it really is TOO DAMN LATE.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

fait accompli

Re Sussex:

I agree, this forum is more active in debate than whole trade, trouble is those who perceive to be 'in charge' of our industry don't tell the rest of us anything, whereas on here you get to know.
At Unite the old mushroom syndrome is king, particularly during the ill-fated CBH campaign. I'll hold my hand up to that one!
I'm a bit of an old type union man myself, probably my downfall, but I still think that workers in any sector must stick together. Look we all disagree on things and hooray to that, but there is a bigger picture here.

The very nature of self employment is divisive, dog eat dog, everyone competing. Yet, the taxi trade doesn't actually suit it very well. Think about. We rank up in turn, that is non competitive, radio work is given out in an orderly way(in most cases that is), again non competitive.
The beauty of the concept of the taxi trade is its sole trader status. One man, one cab. The problem is each LA has different rules regarding ownership, type approval, control of numbers, etc. Without some semblance of uniformity, there will always be a fair amount of chaos.

The opportunity that we have all had during this consultation period is to have had our say and i'd like to think that everyone who contributes to this forum has submitted to the LC. Because on this forum alone there is much knowledge and experience of how things could be improved. Also the quality of how it is expressed would show the LC that cabbies are not just the 'waifs and strays of society', as the IOL once described them.

You can slag me off all you want folks, as since I relinquished my cab and plate, I've been involved in the NVQ training, still am, currently in Boston. But what I have found, is that the majority of cab drivers are lacking in key skills. Yes there are many ex-skilled workers driving cabs, but not too many are IT savvy.

After being ostracised for the second time at Unite 680 and a short break from the place, I attended a meeting at branch to find two rooms with 20+ computers in them. At the time Assessors could only use 3, the others set up for online knowledge tests. So much for NVQs being used to slow the entry into the industry.
However, I thought, great there is the way forward for any future campaign or lobbying exercise. Deliver some free basic IT training to drivers, ie: set up an email, cut and paste, word, internet usage, etc and hey presto, e-petitions, submissions, letters, the lot could be organised en masse!
It might even encourage some membership. But no. Knowledge testing???
They have the means right there to encourage drivers to make submissions to the LC but don't deliver, as usual. It seems like a real waste of resource to me, either that or it's a tax dodge. However, it does nothing to improve the quality of life for existing cabbies. Shameful.

This is where the training cash could and should have been invested, by improving the education of the workforce. I've met some great people during the training process, some of which have dyslexia or issues with numeracy and literacy. At the beginning they are embarrassed and ashamed, but once I've recognised it and spoken privately with them about it, a plan is made and we move forwards to find a solution to complete the training. This is because, for the first time someone has been bothered to actually address it and encourage them to overcome it. At the end of the training, in which they may have had 6-10 hours reading and writing, they normally thank me for my help, which to be honest, makes it worthwhile for me. The problem is there is no future opportunity offered to make further education available. Very sad indeed.

The point is that at all levels, the representatives within the taxi trade are only in it for themselves, they fail to see the bigger picture, that by having a better educated workforce, improved pay and conditions can be achieved. Instead the workforce is used for many different purposes, of which only a few improve the driver's lot.
As long as this remains, nothing will change, but at least on this forum change can be discussed without prejudice.

Taxi NVQ=waste of tax payers money,waste of drivers time whilst people like you fatnuggit and the unions profiteer !

Numeracy, literacy and basic computer training/education has been available free of charge for years. There really is no excuse for drivers to improve their education other than they are not aware of such courses or they don't want to for whatever reason. I find it rather strange that unions etc have suddenly made drivers aware of these opportunities as part of the money making NVQ. The NVQ I regard as a missed opportunity to have made a real difference to the trade because of the financial greed of some of it's providers

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

With regards to 'Last Chance'.

After making my submission to the LC, I spoke on the telephone with Hannah Gray at the LC, who informed me that, even if 90% of submissions stated the same idea, that the LC could still decide against it as the LC is not a democratic organisation. However, after its decision and recommendations have been made, they will then go to the House where the democratic process will take place, debate etc. So as for still having input after the LC findings, I'm not sure. From the information Hannah gave me, I'd say that lobbying of MPs would be the next step. I think we've been there before, so I would certainly have expected more submissions to the LC.

Personally I think that decisions have already been made, once the CBH thing was rejected, I could see no other way forward than direct action.
When you think about it, the TSC report was accepted in the main, except for the Unite CBH part, which would suggest that deregulation was always on the government's mind, after all New Labour and the ConDems do love free market capitalism.
Of course the taxi industry will not benefit from a system such as this compared to the PH, because of it's nature. Taxis cannot set price and service standards like the PH, they are controlled by LAs. This means that the PH will always be able to operate more competitively, both in greater number and at a lower price. A win win for them, a lose lose for the taxi trade. I hate to point this out, but I did already state this in an article a couple of years ago.

The real issue is numbers. PH have no restriction in numbers, even in an area where Taxis do. Which doesn't make sense.
If there is a restriction due to unmet demand in the taxi numbers, then it should follow that the PH should be restricted also, that way there is a balance in numbers, the drivers on both sides can then make a decent living in a sensible amount of time. The quality of service would then go up and that is where competition would flourish. Once the market is saturated, there is only competition in price. When prices drop, so do standards of quality. Longer working hours less pay. It's very simple.
As I've said before the taxi and PH trades are used as a buffer for employment shortfall, most drivers can claim tax credits, which tells you everything and LAs make a fortune in licence fees and enforcement. Deregulation will only serve to make these matters worse.

hey andycable, I don't work for Unite and I'm definitely not a profiteer, although I do get paid to deliver training to taxi drivers. This is a job that I have taken my own time to train for, I have qualifications to do it, 3 in fact. I earn a modest sum like you, I'm just an average Joe like you, but I do it because I think that most cabbies, if they have to be trained, would prefer to be trained by an ex cabbie with 20 years experience, who actually cares about the people he trains and about the job that they do.

Please do not confuse me with someone who does it for the money. If I wanted to deliver NVQs for proper money, I certainly wouldn't touch taxi NVQs as they are not very profitable, like say, Customer Service or Business Management Quals.
I do it because I believe that taxi drivers should have a recognised qualification for the job that they do, as they are multi-skilled workers and I'm good at passing on my skills to others.
I also do it because very soon it will become compulsory and the funding is running dry, which means that some of your colleagues will be asked to pay for it themselves and have it delivered by people who know nothing about the trade. At which point I will then move on and find something else to do.