London Taxis

from General Secretary Bob Crow - TFL (RT/14/2)

Further to my circular dated 14th December (IR/608/11) I write to update branches on the TfL scheme to introduce Identifier tags from March 2012 for all Taxi driver members (Taxis and Private hire).This would distinguish between those drivers licensed for hire in all of Metropolitan London (green badge) and those who were licensed for particular sectors outside the centre (yellow badge). Yellow badge drivers might be typically licensed for the London Boroughs of Redbridge, Greenwich, Merton, Harrow, Hillingdon and so on.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the correspondence from the London Taxi Branch regarding the 15 year vehicle age limit to be imposed on the London Taxi trade as part of proposals to reduce vehicle. We note that there is a conversion kit available for buses that allow them to become compliant with EURO 4 emissions regulations and have been made aware that such a conversion kit could be made available for the older black cabs.

RMT General Grades Committee:

That we note the legal advice received from Thompsons and are disappointed to learn that the chances of legal success in cases of defamation are very slim indeed. We therefore note that letters have been sent to the LTDA and the publishers of ‘Taxi’ and instruct the General Secretary to place any responses back in front of the General Grades Committee.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the resolution from our London Taxi Branch and the sentiments expressed within.

Therefore we instruct the General Secretary to arrange a meeting at the earliest opportunity at Unity House to discuss this matter further. The Lead Officer, Regional Organiser, members of the GGC and Brothers Stan Marut and Mick Tinnion to be in attendance.

London Taxi Branch and London Regional Council to be informed.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the resolution from our London taxi Branch [below] and accordingly instruct the General Secretary to provide an up-to-date report on this issue. This report to be placed on file and back in front of the General Grades Committee as appropriate.

London taxi driver members of specialist transport union RMT will be holding a day of protest next Wednesday (9 November) over attacks on the licensed taxi trade.

Kicking off the action, RMT London Taxi Branch will be holding a demonstration outside the headquarters of TFL Windsor house Victoria Street SW1 between 2-4pm on Wed 9 November to highlight complaints over the poor treatment, bad policies and contempt that the Taxi/private hire office have shown towards the RMT taxi branch and the trade in general.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the legal advice received regarding the prospects of legal action over the repeated attacks on our members and our union in the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association newspaper publication TAXI.

We instruct the General Secretary to arrange a meeting between our legal adviser and officers of our London Taxis branch to share information and discuss issues highlighted in the advice.

Updated legal advice to be obtained following this meeting and placed back in front of us.

RMT General Grades Committee decision on TfL Taxi Engagement Policy:

We note the legal opinion on this matter, in which a key issue is whether London taxi drivers can be legally considered to have a worker/employer relationship with their licensing body, TfL.

We instruct the General Secretary to arrange a meeting with our legal adviser and officers of our London Taxis branch to discuss this issue further and provide the legal adviser with the information he has requested.

The latest edition of London Taxi News, an anti-pedicab special, is now availale to download.

In this edition:

• Bob says NO - RMT calls for unity against London’s pedicab menace
• STOP PRESS - Cynical attempt to sneak in pedicab licensing
• What happens if Clause 17 becomes law?
• McDonnell scores important victory over pedicabs
• Shame on Taxi
• Unity, not sniping, is needed
• Westminster City Council supports pedicab ranks

You can download the full newsletter using the link below, or click 'read more' to view the pdf if you have a modern browser.

TAXI UNION RMT warned today that central London will be “jammed solid” with unlicensed and uninsured rickshaws as we head towards the London Olympics with the authorities refusing to lift a finger to clampdown on the unregulated trade.

RMT London Taxi Branch has a clear position of opposition to rickshaws in London and last month RMT parliamentary group convenor John McDonnell successfully objected to the TFL London Local Authorities Bill at Second Reading - specifically on the grounds that it would lead to the continued proliferation of unlicensed, unsafe rickshaws clogging up central London.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the resolution from our London Taxis branch and fully understand our members’ frustration at the repeated attacks on them and our union in the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association newspaper publication TAXI.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the resolution from our London Taxis branch and accept the sentiments expressed in it. London taxi drivers face many important issues, and this union should have the right to represent our members’ views on these issues through the TfL Taxi Engagement Policy. We therefore demand that the Taxi Engagement Policy recognise RMT, as it does other organisations, as a bona fide representative body of taxi drivers.

We therefore instruct the General Secretary to:

Taxi union RMT confirmed today that their Parliamentary Convenor John McDonnell MP has successfully objected to the TFL London Local Authorities Bill at Second Reading - specifically on the grounds that it would lead to the continued proliferation of unlicensed, unsafe rickshaws clogging up central London

RMT's London Taxis branch passed the following resolutions at its June meeting:

1. "that the London Taxi Branch hold demonstrations throughout the event of the Olympics if the Branch continues to be excluded from meetings at Taxis and Private Hire, Transport for London on matters related to the London taxi trade".
2. "that the London Taxi Branch set up a "strike committee" in relation to (1) above and to look at ways of blocking Olympic Lanes.
   

The RMT London Taxi Branch will be demonstrating/picketing outside the offices of Transport for London, Windsor House, Victoria Street SW1 at 11am on the 11th April 2011 over the disturbing and worrying rise in reported rapes/sexual assaults of women in London.

• In the year 2009 140 sexual assaults were reported in “bogus” or unlicensed mini-cabs.
• Of the 140 reported sexual assaults 24 were actual rapes.
• When compared to 2008 figures this represents a rise of 53%
  

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the resolution received from our London Taxis branch.

That we believe that measures should be taken to reduce pollution and improve air quality in London and elsewhere, but that these should if possible avoid penalising working people. We share the concerns of our branch about the Mayor of London’s proposed 15-year age limit on taxis; we believe that there may be better ways of reducing pollution from taxis eg. the scrappage scheme suggested by our branch; and we are appalled at the lack of consultation with our members.

Decision from RMT's General Grades Committee

That we note the accounts of the HALT Society and the resolution of our London Taxis branch (12/1/11) calling on us to bring the issue regarding Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis (HALT) to a satisfactory conclusion for our members by taking the necessary legal action.

We instruct the General Secretary to arrange a meeting as soon as practical with our legal representatives and London Taxis branch officers to pursue this matter.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download the latest issue of the RMT London Taxis branch newsletter.

Below is a letter from RMT London Taxis branch to Mayor Boris Johnson, and attached is the Mayor's response.

Dear Boris Johnson,

RMT's London Taxis branch has sent this letter to London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Dear Boris Johnson,