It seems not a week goes by without another report in TAXI newspaper regarding matters and business of the RMT London taxi branch.
So let us make it clear for the those at Woodfield Road members of the London taxi branch along with the vice chair John Kennedy attended a rally at parliament to ask the Government not to implement Network Rail job cuts. The logic is clear and simple and it should worry all taxi-cab drivers that it seems some within the London taxi trade don't understand the importance of a safe rail network and the knock on effect another serious rail disaster would have on work levels for all London taxi-cab drivers. We are in the middle of a recession and you only have to look at the rail terminal ranks to see how much we need these stations and the custom they bring.
It is very odd that the very organisation that runs the Paddington taxi share scheme in conjunction with Heathrow Express doesn't seem to understand the importance of rail customers to taxi-cab drivers in the capital ?
Janine Booth is the Regional Secretary of the London Transport region of the RMT specialist transport union and she does turn up to meetings of the many branches within the London region. What relevance is it therefore that Ms Janine Booth is a Gay Rights campaigner ? What an insult to all those who campaign for equal rights and what an insult to the intelligence of all London's taxi-cab drivers.
We would also like to point out at no time has any member or official of the union asked the London taxi branch to partake in industrial action, this would be illegal and would be against the law. Secondary action is against the law after legislation was introduced by the Thatcher Government in the 1980's something you would have thought a proper association with a grip on current affairs would know and understand.
It may interest many of you to know that we tend to think we compete with private hire/mini-cabs rather than bus or tube. It seems that the editor of TAXI newspaper forgot to mention that the LTDA own a 20% stake in a well known radio circuit. Doesn't this well known radio circuit book mini-cabs ?
Time for those at Woodfield road to take along hard look at themselves and worry less about the RMT London taxi branch and worry more about the direction they are taking the London taxi trade.
