Taxi's holding things up.. again..

Tellox

So, it came to my suprise yesterday around midnight that our local taxi's are on Strike. I was wondering if there's any taxi drivers on the Waterford boards that can tell me how the **** a strike can be justified when there's a recession?

My mum drove taxi's for years - and she was one of the (many) drivers that cried out for a regulator for the business. She left taxi's around 4 years back due to this. Her husband still operates a couple of taxi's in town - and even himself noted that if any of his drivers sat around making a show of themselves, holding up the flow of traffic and leaving the cars doing nothing for the night, they'd be kicked out on their arse and told to find a new job.

I just can't understand what the strikers are looking for here - people aren't sympathetic towards the strikes. Anyone I've mentioned it to roll their eyes and say "AGAIN?". The vast majority are furious that a minority of people can cause so much disruption; against the regulator that they cried out for, in the midst of a massive recession where most people can't even get jobs.

A lot of drivers I've spoken to always talk about the hayday of the late 90's, pushing on for years until regulation came in. Talks of £60,000+ salaries, the luxury of working whenever you want.. if you want upper class wages, go and get a ****ing degree.

And of course, it didn't help that I spent around an hour fighting to get a taxi home last night - you think I'd support having more taxi's taken off the road if it meant delays for myself?

</rant> :mad:

well butty

What a shower of tossers!!! How ignorant is what they are doing?

Professey Chin

Are they blocking anywhere around the city like they are in Dublin?

robtri

i think we should all arrange a day where we go down and block the taxi ranks in town....
:mad::mad::mad:

Tellox

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Are they blocking anywhere around the city like they are in Dublin?

Completely held up the area around the apple market last night. Place is already disastrously piled back with taxi's as it is, last night was a joke.

kryogen

robtri wrote: »

i think we should all arrange a day where we go down and block the taxi ranks in town....
:mad::mad::mad:

this idea is interesting to my anarchist within

Quigs Snr

My father is a cabbie. They are protesting against the regulator and rightly so, because their regulator is a joke. However, he has no part in the foolishness thats going on downtown and thinks that the mouths down there are every bit as much tossers as the rest of us think they are.

Not all taxi drivers are the same. Some are well educated and / or very decent people. Their union is like any other, full of mouthy morons and bullies without a shred of commonsense or intelligence. So pretty much like every other factory in Waterford. There are nearly 400 drivers in Waterford and I promise you will only see a handful of them downtown for this strike, the rest are quietly taking off their roof signs and going home because they want no part of this crap and (the reprucussions for "being a scab" usually involve physical intimidation, certainly they have done in the past, but again this is not unique to taxi's, I have seen it in factories before and indeed once in a unionised insurance company I worked in once).

They say the empty can rattles the most and nowhere was that more true than in the case of union leaders and representatives.

seanybiker

robtri wrote: »

i think we should all arrange a day where we go down and block the taxi ranks in town....
:mad::mad::mad:

Id be up for that.


They are some bunch of whingers in all fairness. Rarely use taxis cos i find going on strike cos someone farts in africa mentality annoying.

Mossy Monk

Boycott them on this weekend. That will give them something to moan about.

dlofnep

My father had to leave the taxi business a few years back because there was too many cars on the road.

The issue is simple - No regulation of plates, which means too many cars are on the road - which results in drivers having to work more hours for less pay. It is no longer a sustainable job.

I gladly walked home last night from town in support of them. If you were a driver, you'd understand too.

ziedth

dlofnep wrote: »

My father had to leave the taxi business a few years back because there was too many cars on the road.

The issue is simple - No regulation of plates, which means too many cars are on the road - which results in drivers having to work more hours for less pay. It is no longer a sustainable job.

I gladly walked home last night from town in support of them. If you were a driver, you'd understand too.

But we're not drivers mate thats the point. All we want is to be provided a service and if they want to go on strike then don't provide the service. Its that simple, now this **** of driving around town disrupting traffic leaves me red tbh. I agree with them and they shouldn't just hand out licences but i challenge anyone to come on here and give me a valid season to disrupt the lives of the people they bloody rely on. Screw them i say, i used to get a taxi back any time i was out that cost €50 now i just crash in town and its 100% due to there strikes.

suirfire

What p****d me off was they was no notice about this strike it was just wake up to find taxi are on strike again !!! cant they at least inform us of a strike................

Tellox

dlofnep wrote: »

My father had to leave the taxi business a few years back because there was too many cars on the road.

The issue is simple - No regulation of plates, which means too many cars are on the road - which results in drivers having to work more hours for less pay. It is no longer a sustainable job.

I gladly walked home last night from town in support of them. If you were a driver, you'd understand too.

My mother left taxi's for the same reason. She does not support the strike. Also, the strike was not mainly geared towards regulation of plates; it was geared towards "fair weather drivers"; where someone with another full time job and a taxi license will occasionally work a day in the taxi's if they need an extra few bob.

The Striker's were of the opinion that taxi driving should be a fulltime and exclusive job.

I managed to get a taxi of one of the sane drivers left in the city on Thursday. He also disagreed with infuriating the public in order to prove a point.

dlofnep

Tellox wrote: »

My mother left taxi's for the same reason. She does not support the strike. Also, the strike was not mainly geared towards regulation of plates; it was geared towards "fair weather drivers"; where someone with another full time job and a taxi license will occasionally work a day in the taxi's if they need an extra few bob.

The Striker's were of the opinion that taxi driving should be a fulltime and exclusive job.

I managed to get a taxi of one of the sane drivers left in the city on Thursday. He also disagreed with infuriating the public in order to prove a point.

That's what I was told directly by a taxi driver. And in fairness, I've heard it too many times over the past year in taxis about too many plates in circulation.

The Government is really to blame for not regulating the plates. Don't be angry with taxi drivers for trying to highlight that they can barely sustain a weeks wages. Protests and strikes often require such methods to highlight it to the public, otherwise sometimes people don't even notice.

We're talking about hard-working men and women's jobs here. What's a day of inconvenience? Seriously?

ROCKMAN

The one thing a strike any strike needs to succeed is public support. They way these few tossers and i mean a few tossers who are running and planning these events are going about it, is only aliening the public ,their own customers :eek: ......muppets

Here muppets want a idea ? that will not effect joe public and his day to day business ...but get you max exposure and maybe even some public support back ,

In a couple of weeks time , there opening the new bridge and ye can imagine the select people that are going to be standing on that bridge , How five or six cars at each end of the bridge would get ye the exposure ye are looking for and guess what

IT WILL NOT EFFECT ME OR THE REST OF JOE PUBLIC IN ANYWAY would make a nice change.

ziedth

dlofnep wrote: »

That's what I was told directly by a taxi driver. And in fairness, I've heard it too many times over the past year in taxis about too many plates in circulation.

The Government is really to blame for not regulating the plates. Don't be angry with taxi drivers for trying to highlight that they can barely sustain a weeks wages. Protests and strikes often require such methods to highlight it to the public, otherwise sometimes people don't even notice.

We're talking about hard-working men and women's jobs here. What's a day of inconvenience? Seriously?

I'm sorry but bull****, my mother is a nurse and they strike more than anyone. Now what if they took the line of ah sure lets strike by stopping people from getting medical help so we can highlight our problems to the public.

I know this is an extreme example but its the same principle. We are all hard working men and women, and we don't need to be disrupted by anyone who (quite rightly) feel hard done by.

IMO they are not doing themselves any favours whatsoever and the only way to have any hope of winning a strike is vy having public support. If you look at the small sample of this forum that certainly don't have it.

abouttobebanned

The taxis need some serious PR help. They haven't a clue what they're doing.

Cabaal

dlofnep wrote: »

My father had to leave the taxi business a few years back because there was too many cars on the road.

The issue is simple - No regulation of plates, which means too many cars are on the road - which results in drivers having to work more hours for less pay. It is no longer a sustainable job.

Too many cars is not an excuse, say you run a corner shop and more shops open in your area...its called competition and if you need to drop prices or work longer hours (say 24hrs opening) to keep your business profitable then thats reality...either that or close up shop.

Its not fun but you don't see shops, pubs, nightclubs, B&B's, Hotels, plumbers...hell any other business that has to deal with reality and competition in the market throwing their toys out of the pram when they don't get things the way they want them.

dlofnep

Cabaal wrote: »

Too many cars is not an excuse, say you run a corner shop and more shops open in your area...its called competition and if you need to drop prices or work longer hours (say 24hrs opening) to keep your business profitable then thats reality...either that or close up shop.

Its not fun but you don't see shops, pubs, nightclubs, B&B's, Hotels, plumbers...hell any other business that has to deal with reality and competition in the market throwing their toys out of the pram when they don't get things the way they want them.

Nonsense. It's not the same thing. The Government has the ability to regulate taxis correctly and allow for people to earn a fair days wage. Over-saturation of "competition" doesn't actually provide competition - it provides for an environment of drastically lowered earnings, which forces loss of jobs.

You're completely overlooking the likes of men who have invested 20 years into the taxi business in Waterford, who are now being forced out of the same service they helped setup in the city.

Lack of regulation means too many cars on the road, with people being forced to work up to 14 or 15 hours in a single day to take home any sort of decent wage. This is not acceptable.

baronflyguy

I think it is ridiculous what the taxi drivers are doing holding up traffic and blocking people on purpose. If they want to strike pull in your cars and put up signs or something. Last time I witnessed a taxi strike it was midnight outside geoffs and I was lucky I was driving home. I thought is was very dangerous strike action because there would be a lot of females who would need to get home that night and would have no idea that an unannounced strike was about to happen. Also a friend of mine has her car boxed in by taxi drivers during another strike and when she asked them politely to move they said no and acted intimidatingly. Gardai had to be called to get them to move there cars to allow her out. Taxi drivers who act like this are stupid muppets who gave the rest a bad name.

If people want to support taxi drivers they should get a card off their favourite taxi drivers. I have 2 or 3 local taxi drivers numbers. I always give them a ring before getting a random taxi. 100% of the time one of them is able to collect me or get a buddy driver to collect me. This is my way of supporting taxis.

Any chance Sully could set up a poll to gauge who supports the local taxi strikes actions? I would make a lucky guess that 90% would be against their actions. I would agree with Quigs Snr were he mentioned that not all taxi drivers are doing this action.

Junior

www.taximan.ie, for all your taxi needs folks..

baronflyguy

dlofnep wrote: »

You're completely overlooking the likes of men who have invested 20 years into the taxi business in Waterford, who are now being forced out of the same service they helped setup in the city.

Thinking out loud, if that was me in business for 20 years and I saw this happening I would have changed with the times and started having a regular customer base. From the top of my head I would canvas local businesses and organisations to try get them on board to ring you if they need a taxi. Lots of businesses in IDA estate, give them a 15% discount or something if they use you more than X times a month, or if the business have already a preferred taxi driver then offer their employees a 10% discount if they show you an employee badge. Also wear a shirt and tie, keep car clean and look professional (presentation). If you make an effort in anything in life (not just taxiing) you will stand out and go places.
Another idea, on the back of the business cards have something that is handy - calendar or something. Or get another business (not competition obviously) to advertise on the back (or front to them :-)) and go halves on the cost of cards. 2 companies benefits.

Cabaal

dlofnep wrote: »

Nonsense. It's not the same thing. The Government has the ability to regulate taxis correctly and allow for people to earn a fair days wage.

Over-saturation of "competition" doesn't actually provide competition - it provides for an environment of drastically lowered earnings, which forces loss of jobs.

Its competition which benefits the customer not always the business
You think a small town shop is happy when Tesco's opens?

So your saying its not ok that too many taxi drivers exist, surely if wages are that low then this should level off and not be an issue...after all the wages are too low to live on right?

You're completely overlooking the likes of men who have invested 20 years into the taxi business in Waterford, who are now being forced out of the same service they helped setup in the city.

I'm sure the same can be said for family run shops who have had to close due to supermarkets opening....live isn't always fun and if you can't compete in the market then its time to get out.

As already mentioned, if taxi drivers want to make it then stand out
- Have a clean car
- Have a car that doesn't actually smell of smoke (not supposed to due to workplace smoking ban but yet many of them do!)
- Dress nicely (suit/shirt etc)
- Actually be nice to customers (vast majority of taxi drivers I've used get a F in customer service for either not talking at all, nonstop bitching about the most negative stuff they can think of...being positive goes a long way!)

Do this and you;ll stand out and perhaps you might just create a niche in the market, you think there's anything wrong with these suggestions?>

Cabaal

baronflyguy, some very simple and helpful ideas that any business could use to try to stand out and continue making a profit, but I guess its easier strike and blame someone else then try and do something different for the taxi drivers

such a shame....

dlofnep

Cabaal wrote: »

So your saying its not ok that too many taxi drivers exist, surely if wages are that low then this should level off and not be an issue...after all the wages are too low to live on right?

Not when the economy is under severe strain, and there is one of the highest levels of unemployment the country has seen in decades. Drivers are being forced to working long hours for much less pay. I've spoken to drivers who've had to work 15 or 16 hour days to make ends meet. I'm glad you don't consider this an issue. :rolleyes:

I'm sure the same can be said for family run shops who have had to close due to supermarkets opening....live isn't always fun and if you can't compete in the market then its time to get out.

No the same can't be said, because there is not the same regulation for stores.

Cabaal wrote: »

As already mentioned, if taxi drivers want to make it then stand out
- Have a clean car
- Have a car that doesn't actually smell of smoke (not supposed to due to workplace smoking ban but yet many of them do!)
- Dress nicely (suit/shirt etc)
- Actually be nice to customers (vast majority of taxi drivers I've used get a F in customer service for either not talking at all, nonstop bitching about the most negative stuff they can think of...being positive goes a long way!)

Do this and you;ll stand out and perhaps you might just create a niche in the market, you think there's anything wrong with these suggestions?>

That's fine and well, but not always applicable as drivers work off the rank, or on dedicated calls. The fact is too many cars are on the road, and that is what they are protesting about.

well butty

What absolute Sh!te dlofnep. What should any industry be afforded protection from competition. Wake up and smell the roses. The analogy of the shop is very relevent. Its just you don't want to hear it. Regulated distribution of licences held Joe Public to ramsum for way too long. I for one can remember, having to wait for taxi's on a Friday or Saturday night because there was so few of them or the taxi driver had made enough money and had decided to go home.

In addition, it is important to note that the taxi drivers are not on strike as most of them are self-employed. They should be arrested for disrupting the general public as they go about their business. I call for better/ more public transport and feck the bloody taxi drivers!!

Cabaal

dlofnep wrote: »

Not when the economy is under severe strain, and there is one of the highest levels of unemployment the country has seen in decades. Drivers are being forced to working long hours for much less pay. I've spoken to drivers who've had to work 15 or 16 hour days to make ends meet. I'm glad you don't consider this an issue. :rolleyes:

err 80's had higher unemployment :rolleyes:...but anyway so you think they should be protected from reality yet other people working in shops, plumbers etc should have to deal with reality and competition in the market place? How is this ok then?

Pull the other one will you, 15-16hrs day...awww god bless them I know many a people that have worked those type of hours be it good or bad times.
Again family owned shop is a very valid example here,

Nobody forces them to choose the profession they choose, nobody forces them to remain in it in much the same way as a bouncer at a nightclub chooses to work late hours to make ends meet and later doesn't bitch about it...again if he/she didn't like it they should look at changing jobs.

If they don;t like the profession they choose then its time for a change for those that don;t like it, they should not under any circumstances be offered protection from market competition.

No the same can't be said, because there is not the same regulation for stores.

Oh so stores and other business such as tradesmen should have to put up with reality? Oh thats ok then

If you want a market that has regulation then try this.
Don't you think that if BT turned around in the morning and bitched and moaned to comreg that too many telco companys existed in the market place (Eircom, UTV, Imagine etc etc etc) to allow it to make a profit then it would be laughted at?

Of course they would be, they be expected to get their act together and make cuts themselfs without comreg ordering/telling them what to do.

In reality BT didn't like the market in Ireland so they allowed Vodafone to buy their residential sector and so things move along just fine because thats how these things work

Just because things don't go your way doesn't mean all the rules should be changed for you.

The striking that these taxi drivers do only f*ck's off their customer base more and more and would be equal to BT not getting their way with comreg so they strike by suspending customers phones services for a day.

Such actions would be madness and everybody would be up in arms and would stop dealing with them and rightly so.

I for one refuse to support such short sighted selfish actions by taxi drivers.

In a busy market place with competition, only the strong survive and if your not prepared to put in the hours and make yourself stand out then get out of the kitchen, again sure it sucks but this is reality.

That's fine and well, but not always applicable as drivers work off the rank, or on dedicated calls. The fact is too many cars are on the road, and that is what they are protesting about.

Your kidding me right?
So a taxi driver shouldn't have to make an effort of a suit/shirt, clean car etc because they don;t always work of ranks or on dedicated calls.

They are dealing with customers so as such like an industry should create a good imagine for themselfs this includes actually being able to talk to customers in a good manner, having a clean workplace and one that doesn't smell of smoke!

dlofnep

Cabaal wrote: »

err 80's had higher unemployment :rolleyes:...but anyway so you think they should be protected from reality yet other people working in shops, plumbers etc should have to deal with reality and competition in the market place? How is this ok then?

It's not about competition. Competition is great. It's about over-saturation, and not allowing decent hard working men to earn a decent wage. A fair day's wage for a fair day's work. What's so hard to comprehend about this?

Cabaal wrote: »

Pull the other one will you, 15-16hrs day...awww god bless them I know many a people that have worked those type of hours be it good or bad times.

I'm sorry, but I doubt you'd know what a 16 hour day is like sitting on a chair in an office all day. I on the other hand have worked 84-hour weeks and no all too well what those kind of hours do to a person. I'm glad you think that forcing men and women to work double-days to make ends meet because they can't regulate a fair amount of plates in the taxi business. Not that the keyword here being fair - Enough to make it a competitive environment, but not over-saturated forcing people to work double-hours.

Cabaal wrote: »

Again family owned shop is a very valid example here

Apples and oranges. The regulator has the ability to regulate the business.

Cabaal wrote: »

Nobody forces them to choose the profession they choose, nobody forces them to remain in it in much the same way as a bouncer at a nightclub chooses to work late hours to make ends meet and later doesn't bitch about it...again if he/she didn't like it they should look at changing jobs.

That's fine and well for you to say - but not for some people who have invested their life into the business, and have no other qualifications to get jobs at the moment. Ireland isn't exactly a bastion for work opportunity at the moment - so where do you suggest they work?

Cabaal wrote: »

In a busy market place with competition, only the strong survive and if your not prepared to put in the hours and make yourself stand out then get out of the kitchen, again sure it sucks but this is reality.

Only the strong survive - there won't be many strong enough to work the hours they've been working as of late.

Cabaal wrote: »

So a taxi driver shouldn't have to make an effort of a suit/shirt, clean car etc because they don;t always work of ranks or on dedicated calls.

Please tell me where I stated that he shouldn't maintain a clean car? I said that most of them make their money off the rank, where there car is automatically queued - so the punter doesn't have the choice of which car they get in on a saturday night outside the clubs.

Cabaal wrote: »

They are dealing with customers so as such like an industry should create a good imagine for themselfs this includes actually being able to talk to customers in a good manner, having a clean workplace and one that doesn't smell of smoke!

I never said otherwise.

well butty

dlofnep wrote: »

It's not about competition. Competition is great. It's about over-saturation, and not allowing decent hard working men to earn a decent wage. A fair day's wage for a fair day's work. What's so hard to comprehend about this?

If a market becomes saturated as mentioned by another poster, the stronger (meaning more efficient) will survive and there will be a levelling out. When you become self-employed you take the risk like all other self-employed people. I don't hear the other self-employed people calling for "A fair day's wage for a fair day's work". They just get on with it or get out and get a civil service job if not able for the pressure!

dlofnep wrote: »

I'm glad you think that forcing men and women to work double-days to make ends meet because they can't regulate a fair amount of plates in the taxi business. Not that the keyword here being fair - Enough to make it a competitive environment, but not over-saturated forcing people to work double-hours.

Nobody is forcing anyone else to work long hours. Again, most of them are self-employed. i wish my business had a regulator too so that i could have guaranteed work and pay. Again, i think its the civil service you are comparing it with!

dlofnep wrote: »

Apples and oranges. The regulator has the ability to regulate the business.

Why should the taxi industry have a regulator? The market will set the price they can charge if you have open competition.

dlofnep wrote: »

That's fine and well for you to say - but not for some people who have invested their life into the business, and have no other qualifications to get jobs at the moment. Ireland isn't exactly a bastion for work opportunity at the moment - so where do you suggest they work?

What about carpenters, plumbers, block layers who have invested their lives into their trades. Do they deserve protection from the downturn or are taxi drivers special??

Cabaal

dlofnep wrote: »

It's not about competition. Competition is great. It's about over-saturation, and not allowing decent hard working men to earn a decent wage. A fair day's wage for a fair day's work. What's so hard to comprehend about this?

Exactly hard work = fair wage same goes for a family owned shop and trades men/women in general, I guess we should ban all tesco's so that these hard working familys are never put out of business and restrict the amount of painters that can setup in each county :rolleyes:

Seriously the reasons for striking are laughable

I'm sorry, but I doubt you'd know what a 16 hour day is like sitting on a chair in an office all day. I on the other hand have worked 84-hour weeks and no all too well what those kind of hours do to a person.

Your ignorance is very clear in relation to me, never assume you know anybody...in this cause you are clueless. :rolleyes:

I know too well the experience from a family owned business in both the catering/accommodation section, off-license and grocery and bar/lounge side.

My family has had over 75 years of experience in this so don't assume I don't know what true hard work is because the above mentioned trades are a good bit harder then that of sitting in a car all day

I'm glad you think that forcing men and women to work double-days to make ends meet because they can't regulate a fair amount of plates in the taxi business. Not that the keyword here being fair - Enough to make it a competitive environment, but not over-saturated forcing people to work double-hours.

Bull**** and you know it, there are people in the taxi industry for years that have made so much money that and I quote from a taxi driver "I have so much money I don;t know what to do with it".

Now that times have gotten hard (welcome to everyone elses reality) and they want to throw all the toys out of the pram and try and protect their monopoly, complete bull**** and you know it.,

If they find the business so hard they should get out of it, the same can be said for every other industry and business in Ireland and the world.

The taxi drivers have had a monopoly for years and now there's no loinger massive Q's when you need one and they hate it.

Apples and oranges. The regulator has the ability to regulate the business.

I'd agree that is the regulators job but they are also there to insure that consumers are not f*cked over and thats what happend for years.

They do not exist to bend to the wyms and pressures of a percentage of people that just don't like change.

That's fine and well for you to say - but not for some people who have invested their life into the business, and have no other qualifications to get jobs at the moment.

Shocking stuff,
We can use your example for all the builders, plumbers, publicans, trades men/women in general that the hard times have affected I guess we should just throw money at pubs to keep them open even if they are loss making and I guess we should get builders to continue to build houses that there are no market for.

Sound good? I know thats where I'd like my taxes going :rolleyes:

Just because times are hard does not in ANYWAY justify the actions of selfish people (taxi drivers) trying to protect their monpoly through what only can be described as bullyboy tactics.

Only the strong survive - there won't be many strong enough to work the hours they've been working as of late.

If they want it hard enough they'll do the hours,

Many a time I've sat in a taxi and heard what I can only describe as extremely racist remarks regarding blacks, polish etc buying plates and putting in crazy long hours and being refered to as "taking jobs" by the taxi driver's in question.

If the "hard working" drivers that you refer to are not going to do the hours to compete then thats not the average consumers fault and they should not have to suffer for other people's failings.

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