Taxi drivers threaten series of one-day strikes

TAXI drivers in Dublin are threatening a series of one-day stoppages unless the Government introduces an immediate moratorium on the issuing of licences.

Thousands of commuters had to find alternative transport yesterday as most of the city’s 9,800 taxi drivers observed a 24-hour strike, which ended at 4am this morning.

Taxi leaders warned that another planned stoppage on July 8 would go ahead unless there was substantial progress on the issue of controlling the number of people entering the business.

They also hinted at escalating their stoppages and hitting other large cities, though yesterday’s protest was largely confined to Dublin.

However, there were reports some taxi drivers in Waterford and Cork had stayed off work for several hours in support of their Dublin colleagues.

Yesterday’s mass stoppage represented the first joint industrial action by the three main taxi representative bodies, the National Taxi Drivers’ Union, the Irish Taxi Drivers’ Federation and SIPTU. They are demanding the immediate appointment of a full-time regulator, which taxi drivers claim was promised by the Government when the industry was deregulated in December 2000.

Although yesterday’s protest was staged in co-ordination with gardaí, there was still major traffic disruption around the city centre at lunchtime.

Some 2,500 drivers congregated at an assembly point in the Phoenix Park at midday before leaving in a convoy restricted to 450 taxis along the quays to Merrion Square.

Around 1,000 taxi drivers then staged a demonstration outside Leinster House while a delegation handed a letter of protest into the Department of Transport.

There are almost 10,000 plate holders in Dublin now, compared to 2,700 before deregulation, with Dublin City Council receiving around 20 new applicants per week.

Taxi leaders claimed their members felt they had no choice but to stage a mass demonstration to highlight the regulation problem.

They responded sceptically to comments by Transport Minister Séamus Brennan that he hoped legislation to appoint a regulator on a statutory basis would be passed before the Dáil summer recess.

The heads of the bill setting up the new office were approved at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. NTDU spokesperson Vinnie Kearns . said members of the three unions were angered at the large number of people holding other jobs who had obtained licences.