Taxi chiefs make strike plan pledge

Taxi bosses said today they would do all in their power to ensure that Thursday’s pending strike does not go ahead.

Leaders of the three unions are to appeal against new fare structures, due to come into force within weeks, to officials from the Department of Transport.

However, officials have refused to attend the meeting unless the stoppage is cancelled.

Hundreds of taxi drivers caused chaos in Dublin city yesterday, blocking two lanes of O’Connell Street with vehicles and marching through the main thoroughfare. Traffic in the surrounding areas was also severely disrupted.

Tommy Gorman, of the National Taxi Drivers’ Union, apologised to commuters for the spontaneous stoppage, which intensified as anger grew among concerned drivers.

“We hope this situation will never happen again,” he said. “I will do all in my power today with the other two unions to have it (Thursday) cancelled. This meeting today is the breakthrough we have been waiting for.”

Unions claim the new fares system, which is due to come into effect in Ryder Cup week, will have a devastating impact on drivers’ incomes.

The Irish Taxi Drivers’ Federation, National Taxi Drivers’ Union and Siptu represent 14,000 of the state’s 17,000 taxi drivers. Around 10,000 of those have vowed to strike, during the prestigious Ryder Cup golf tournament.

The new scheme will introduce a minimum charge set at €3.80, or €4.10 at premium times, replacing the system where fares were set by individual local authorities.

It also sees the abolition of luggage charges and a €1.50 hiring charge for pick-ups from Dublin Airport.

Thursday’s 24-hour stoppage would be the fifth planned by taxi drivers since July.

Ger Deering, of the Commission for Taxi Regulation, has continuously said the fare changes will take effect from September 25, but vowed that a full review of all changes will take place no later than 2008.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said officials would meet union leaders today on condition that Thursday’s pending stoppage was cancelled.

Mr Gorman slammed comments by Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell who said Gardai should have removed the protesters from O’Connell Street or arrest them.

“I think the Gardaí acted responsibly,” he told RTE Radio. “They used a lot of discretion, had great patience with the situation, and if they had have done what Ms Mitchell described, God knows what would have happened.”