Never On Our Knees...

The RMT is the only trade union that is growing at this present moment in time and the simple reason for this is we listen to our members. For too long the taxi trade in London has been led by a bunch a people who no doubt care but fail to see that their appeasement of polices laid down by the misguided at Transport for London have failed not only you and your family, but the wider travelling public. We have a mountain to climb if we are to repair the damage done to the world's finest taxi-cab service and we shall be hitting the ranks, the streets, the roads in 2010 with a very simple message and that is join the one trade organisation that is prepared to listen to you and allow you the members to set policy for your jobs and your families future.

What has anybody to fear of the RMT, the answer is nothing for we are not a top down union telling you what will happen and telling you what hours you can work, for you're self employed and just to clarify yet again the domestic driver hours does not apply to self-employed taxi-cab drivers and neither does the working time directive. It is a great shame other trade oragnisations choose to mislead you, in fact their time would be better spent trying to reslove the issue of the satellite mini-cab offices, a serious problem that they allowed to be created and mushroom out of all control we may add.

On the 5th of Febuary 2009 thousands of taxi-cab drivers attended a demonstration at Trafalgar Square, up to 8,000 according to the LTDA yet what did this actually achieve? For at this present time we have 4, yes 4 new taxi-cab ranks in the West End of London with one illegal rank closed down at Whitcomb Street. Now with TFL looking into bays on the public highway (ranks) for mini-cabs, Westminster council seeking to give ranks to pedicabs with the blessing of the LTDA and the union UNITE and satellite mini-cab offices flourishing at an alarming rate all is not rosy in the land of London taxi-cab driver and all is certainly not well with your trade representation.

So what should you do? Well at the RMT we think the answer is simple if you have never joined a trade union or organisation try the London taxi branch of the RMT for we have many battles ahead, not internal ones we'll leave the sniping to others but our battles will be with Transport for London and the Public Carriage Office. We shall do our level best to stop the rot and not just hold the line but bring a better future for you and your family. We aim to achieve this through dialogue, good sensible knowledgable dialogue, but if this approach doesn't work we can always lobby our parliamentary group, picket, protest and highlight to the wider world via all forms of media the problems we face dealing with the many levels and bodies that have influence over your working lives. If you haven't already think about joining the fatest growing taxi branch in the UK, join the RMT and know you have a winner not just behind but standing shoulder to shoulder right next to you. http://www.rmt.org.uk/