LONDON TAXI DRIVERS FIGHT BACK AGAINST UBER

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: february 2016 :: RMTnews 11 R MT taxi drivers in London joined protests earlier this month to highlight their rage at the regulatory capture of taxi authority Transport for London. The first of a series of steadily escalating demonstrations saw driver from various organisations staging a ‘go slow’ outside No.10 Downing Street. Transport for London was entrusted with enacting and defending measures designed to safeguard the travelling public. Yet, despite this mandate, it has singularly failed to protect and update existing rules governing the taxi trade. From bitter experience, regulations were put in place to restrict the people and vehicles that can pick passengers up off the street and from ranks. Minicabs (private hire vehicles) have to be pre-booked, meaning recording the details of the driver and vehicle transporting often vulnerable people. But RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the enforcement of these rules have been thrown out of the window. “Those bureaucrats at Transport for London who did stand up for protecting taxi regulations, found themselves hamstrung by politicians mesmerised by the glitter of global corporations. “The politicisation of reforms to London’s taxi and private hire industry should have been checked by the collective power of Transport for London, the Greater London Assembly and the Department for Transport,” he said. There has been a 20 per cent downturn in applicants becoming licensed taxi drivers and a 40 per cent upturn in PHV applicants substantially motivated to work for Uber. This has impacted on London’s traffic congestion and air pollution as the total number of private hire vehicles has reached record levels – roughly 1 in 10 of cars navigating London’s traffic. Where rogue minicab operators have failed, predatory corporations such as Uber have succeeded – with the viability of London’s historic black cab trade hanging by a thread. “This sorry saga provides ones of the clearest examples of the indifference of the Tories to the problems of ordinary working people. “Boris Johnson in particular has stood idly by as Uber have ridden roughshod over 185 years of legislation, greedily exploiting both drivers and passengers,” he said. It has also been revealed that deputy Mayor for Transport Isabel Dedring is leaving for a new role with controversial public sector contract dependent firm Arup – ironically advising the company on how to navigate regulatory hurdles. deck, engine, catering and on- board services. “The UK cannot afford to lose the expertise of deck and engine ratings that still work in the industry just because the government does not have the gumption to get a grip on low cost operators like Condor and Irish Ferries. “We must see UK ratings retained, employed and trained in greater numbers than we have seen so far this century otherwise we will continue to lose jobs and the vital links between seafaring skills and economic and national security,” he said. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the government and industry will have to do a whole lot more to build on this modest and unbalanced increase to avoid a record of neglect of UK seafarers. “This union remains committed to increasing training and employment of UK ratings but the industry must stop side-stepping policies such as the new link to Ratings training through the Tonnage Tax if the slight increase over 2015 is going to lead to a balanced and sustained revival in UK Ratings’ employment and skills. “The overall decline in UK seafarer numbers in recent years continues to damage seafarer communities, employment standards and the national maritime skills base. “RMT will no longer stand for industry setting the agenda and will continue to call this government out on its failure to protect UK seafarers’ jobs from unfair competition in an industry addicted to cheap labour, flags of convenience and undermining UK employment and equality legislation.” The union has reiterated that urgent action was long overdue from industry to train and employ UK ratings. Although government make public money available to train UK ratings through the SMarT scheme, industry chooses to ignore it, preferring cheaper agency staff and replacing retired UK staff with non-UK ratings on lower pay. The link to ratings training being piloted in the Tonnage Tax scheme must be taken up in order to get a better deal for UK seafarers and the taxpayer from the near £2 billion in tax concessions the industry has enjoyed from the scheme. The union has also worked with Nautilus and employers to design new Catering, Deck and Engine Ratings Apprenticeships which will be available to employers and apprentices later this year. “Shipping companies have to take up these opportunities but the union is aware that all the time the government fails to take action to stop low cost operators like Condor, Seatruck and Irish Ferries from employing non-UK ratings on sub-minimum wage rates of pay, industry will be reluctant take on UK ratings in the numbers needed to restore jobs to seafarer communities and repair the maritime skills base. “We will continue to fight for UK ratings’ jobs, on every industrial and political front,” said Steve Todd. LONDON TAXI DRIVERS FIGHT BACK AGAINST UBER