The RMT London taxi branch is currently working on a new website that will have links to all sections. This will be much more convenient for users, rather than having to search for each blog. This will be a huge improvement, and we will continue to keep drivers informed of all the issues affecting the London taxi trade.
The new website can be found at:
http://www.rmtlondontaxidrivers.webs.com/
Tuesday 6 December 2011
Monday 1 August 2011
TAXI FEEDER PARK INCREASE 2011: PART II
Remember
The Taxi Feeder Park entry fee will be £6.54 from Monday 1 August 2011
BAA announced a 26pence increase in the Taxi Feeder Park entry fee on July 11th, rather than the 34pence suggested in "The Taxi Feeder Park-Price Review Consultation Document 2011".This increase would have included a 2pence rise in the amount handed over to the private company Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS) bringing the HALT levy, as it is properly known, up to 80pence.
The taxi trade at Heathrow is unanimous in its rejection of any more money going to this company, and a further meeting was held with those trade reps that BAA will talk to on Monday 25th July 2011. The RMT London taxi branch replied to the BAA proposals rejecting the notion that any money should be going to a private company, let alone increasing the amount we are already forced to hand over. Many of the suggestions put forward in our response now seem to have made their way onto the agenda for further discussion. Funny how BAA doesn't want anything to do with the RMT but seems to listen, for fear of upsetting the trade, when the RMT puts forward suggestions that would be very difficult to disagree with.
The outcome of this meeting seems to have pacified some of those trade reps that were at this last meeting, but I don't think they have gained anything when BAA agreed to reduce the proposed TFP entry fee increase from 26pence to 24pence. This reduction may seem as though HALTS won't now be getting their 2pence after all, but does it? It would appear that there is a twist in the tail, and the taxi trade has been wrong footed by BAA after it was revealed that HALTS will be getting a 2pence increase after all.
BAA has stated that it will pay the increase to HALTS out of its own portion of the TFP fee! How is the taxi trade supposed to swallow this little gem? After all, the money that we pay to BAA is for the running of the Taxi Feeder Park, not for awarding its pet company more of our money. The trade has been sold yet another pup by BAA, and it seems to have done the trick. No wonder BAA doesn't want the RMT at any of these meetings! This piece of chicanery has not gone unnoticed.
Looks as though the HUTG has done another good job for its members. What, you may ask is the HUTG?
Apparently it is Heathrow's version of the UCG, which is a loose affiliation of taxi trade organisations consisting of Unite, the LTDA and the LCDC. The HUTG consists of HATDU, Unite, the LTDA and the LCDC. The irony is that this is all done in the name of "trade unity". United in what? Well anyone with half a brain can clearly see that this so called "trade unity" is nothing more than a ludicrous attempt at excluding the RMT. You only have to take a look at the LTDA Taxi paper to see the pathetic lies and misinformation that emanates from Woodfield Road. It is known as the "Stop the RMT" campaign.
The sadness of all this is that there are members of these other trade orgs that actually believe what they are told by trade leaders who do very little for their money, except waste time finding ways of keeping the RMT on the outside. What was that you were saying about "trade unity"? The only people to suffer from all this is working taxi drivers and their families.
Join the RMT today and stop the further decline of the London taxi trade.
Wednesday 13 July 2011
TAXI FEEDER PARK INCREASE: 2011
BAA has now announced the proposed Taxi Feeder Park increase for 2011 which will take effect from August 1 2011. This year's increase is later than usual and, along with the debacle that the trade was subjected to last year, there is controversy over the proposals, yet again.
The RMT response to BAA's proposed TFP increase this year makes it clear that the London taxi trade at Heathrow is no longer prepared to tolerate the continued undermining of its right to protect its own interests against those of a handful of carpet-bagging taxi drivers with the support of BAA.
This year the whole trade is unanimous in its opposition to an increase in the amount of money already handed over to the very unpopular private company, Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS).
In its TFP increase consultation document, BAA proposed an increase of 34pence bringing the entry fee up from £6.30 to £6.64. It was generally accepted that this would be broken down to as follows;
BAA to receive extra 29 pence
taking its part of the TFP up from £5.52 to £5.81
HALTS to receive extra 5pence
taking its part of the TFP up from £0.78 to £0.83
Total: £6.30 £6.64
The anticipated announcement by BAA arrived as scheduled on Monday 11 July with the following;
BAA to receive an extra £0.24
HALTS to receive and extra £0.02
This would bring the TFP entrance fee up to £6.56.
Whilst it is customary for the annual TFP increase to be rather less than that initially proposed, any further increase in the amount paid over to HALTS was dismissed as unacceptable by all trade reps from every trade organisation at Heathrow, bar none. The slogan has been "Not a penny more!"
Despite this BAA has decided, in its infinite wisdom, to inflame an already controversial issue and ignore the wishes of all legitimate trade representatives at Heathrow. It would appear that the taxi trade at Heathrow has had its worst fears confirmed. Those fears are that BAA has chosen to listen to the voice of one person only, and that person has never legally gained the consent of any driver to represent taxi drivers' interests at Heathrow Airport.
For anyone who cannot understand the significance of what this all means I have this to say:
The legitimate rights and privileges that your Bill gives you are being blatantly undermined by a concerted attempt to take away the protection that both the Hackney Carriage Act and the Airports Act gives you. This is not about an extra 2p, this is about the future of the London taxi trade at Heathrow.
The RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) response to the proposed TFP increase can be seen below.
BAA Taxi Feeder Park- Price Review Consultation Document 2011.
RMT Response:
The TFP Price Review Consultation process took place without invitations from BAA for the RMT to attend any meetings convened for the purpose of this important process. Despite this, the RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) has been kept fully informed of the details of all meetings that have taken place through the Taxi Feeder Park Network, and is fully conversant with the issues.
BAA will no doubt be aware by now that the RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow), along with HALT members, is in dispute with the Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Limited (HALT) de-facto committee and has taken the first steps in a legal resolution to this problem. With this in mind, it will be apparent that the RMT and HALT members do not recognise the assertion made by either BAA or Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society (HALTS) that an increase for the part of the TFP entry fee, known as the HALT Levy, should be made.
The RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) does not recognise the legitimacy of any part of the HALT Levy being paid over to any mutual society, industrial and provident co-operative or private limited company, whether limited by shares or guarantee, other than Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Limited (HALT). The right of HALT to raise funds for the provision of taxi information desks through the TFP Levy was established by the Competition Commission (CC) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2003, and was endorsed by such bodies as Unite (T&G), Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) London Taxi Drivers Club (LCDC) and Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC).
A Freedom of Information request to the CAA revealed no evidence that it had either endorsed or recommended any changes to this situation, except that it did extract from its files the following;
The terms of the agreement prohibit HALTS from publicising or advertising the terms of the agreement. Providing a copy to third parties could render that term ineffective if the agreement itself were then distributed to persons not bound by that restriction.”
The RMT London Taxi Branch (Heathrow) will advise its membership to continue paying the TFP entry fee with the understanding that it has neither been consulted nor invited to participate in any discussions regarding any increase in the TFP entry fee. Further, that both RMT and HALT members do not recognise the legitimacy of any part of the TFP fee being paid over to HALTS.
RMT London Taxi Branch view on TFP Entry Fee Consultation Process.
The RMT London Taxi Branch considers the TFP consultation process to be flawed and lacking in information provided by BAA to the Heathrow taxi trade community.
The RMT recommends the following for the future:
• All established trade representative organisations to be included in negotiations with BAA.
N.B. Heathrow Airport Licensed Taxis Society is not recognised as a representative trade organisation, but rather a third party contractor. Both the RMT and HALT members strongly object to any payment made to this company through the TFP entry fee.
• A BAA accountant to be available on at least one scheduled meeting with a detailed break-down of the TFP costing. This information must be available to the trade for its own accountants to scrutinise.
• A chairperson to be present at all such meetings.
• Minutes of all taxi trade/BAA meetings to be taken and made available for all taxi trade reps in order to consult their own membership within 7 days of each meeting. Without this there can never be universal agreement on any issue.
• Details of the costs of any third party contractor in the running of the TFP.
• The taxi trade must have more say over the conduct and training of any third party company charged with running the TFP system. At the moment NSL staff is constantly at logger heads with the trade because of a lack of proper training, and the RMT considers that this company does not offer value for money because of inefficient working practices.
The proposal for an extra 5p to be paid over to HALTS has received universal condemnation within the Heathrow taxi trade community, and the RMT recommends that this company does not receive any increase in the monies it already benefits from. It is the opinion of the RMT that to do otherwise would inflame an already controversial issue.
However, the RMT London Taxi Branch is willing to concede to an increase in the component within the TFP entry fee that BAA has asked for. This is in recognition of the fact that the Heathrow taxi trade community has not been able to thoroughly scrutinise the costing of running the TFP on this occasion, and the time now required to so would bring the trade too close to the next TFP consultation period. Therefore, the taxi trade does not expect to pay the extra 5p that HALTS has asked for, but rather is prepared to pay 29p to BAA only, taking the TFP entry fee up to £6.59 from 1st August 2011.
The taxi trade hopes to see this reflected in the BAA TFP entry fee announcement on 11th July 2011.
Michael Moran
RMT Taxi Trade Rep, Heathrow.
Sunday 20 March 2011
You Can't Do It On Your Own
On March 4 2011 the RMT won a Court of Appeal victory which has effectively stopped employers from taking away the right of workers to take industrial action.This has been a victory for millions of union workers, and it has also highlighted some of the “bullying” tactics that many employers use to keep their employees in line. The case was RMT v Serco.
Employers within the construction industry have for years been using blacklists for denying employment to workers who belong to certain unions; members belonging to the RMT and Unite amongst others have appeared on these lists. A company called The Consulting Company (TCA) has been selling these lists to construction companies for many thousands of pounds, and workers who appear on them are effectively barred from finding a job within the industry. This blacklist was discovered when the offices of TCA were raided in 2009. It is now illegal to keep, disseminate or share blacklists.So what has this got to do with self employed taxi drivers at Heathrow? The fact that we are self employed does not mean that we cannot benefit from union membership; in fact it is essential that self employed people have proper union representation as they have far fewer rights in law than employed workers. The attitude amongst most drivers is that they don’t need any representation at all, and those that do often decide to join one of the trade’s own mutual societies. All of these mutuals have been set up by taxi drivers who have very little industrial relations experience and seem to think that knowledge of the taxi trade is enough to see them through the myriad of problems that can befall not only the individual, but also the taxi trade itself.
I cannot stress the importance of belonging to a proper union strongly enough. Yes, the executive committee may not have a sound understanding of how the London
Bob Crow is not a builder, but I bet there are many thousands in the building industry who now feel that without the power of the RMT they would truly be dumped on the scrap-heap created by blacklisting.
Plan for “meet and greet” agents
Heathrow Taxis (HALTS) and Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) recently posted a notice in the airport canteen lobby and Cab In seeking drivers who would be willing to volunteer to act as meet and greet agents for the taxi desks.
This has caused uproar as these drivers would be expected to work a “shift” as unpaid staff for Heathrow Taxis, and then be allowed to by-pass the Taxi Feeder Park in lieu of payment.
Emergency meetings have been held with various trade orgs which included Unite, LTDA, LCDC and HATDU. It appears that they will not stand for this, and neither should they. I have been approached by one of the leaders of one of these trade orgs for support in the event that there is a Feeder Park stoppage.
I have stated that the RMT would be willing to take part if certain conditions are met. This would include a commitment from all trade orgs that they are united in a call for a stoppage, and that the RMT is recognised as an equal participant in any stoppage.
The London Taxi Branch has agreed to any action that may take place so long as all other conditions are agreed to.
Chief Superintendent Bert Moore
I would like to welcome Chief Superintendent Bert Moore in his new post as head of SO18, airport security at Heathrow Airport, and I hope that the taxi trade can have a good working relationship with Heathrow Police on any issues that may affect all of us.
In last month’s RMT Newsletter I featured the issue of airport security and the waste of both police and taxi drivers' time when drivers were pulled over for having their For Hire lights on.
I have been in contact with Jenny Croft of NSL and Chief Superintendent Bert Moore of Heathrow police, and it appears that there is no record of any such events taking place, or who authorised the digital display message that advised drivers to turn their For Hire signs off when making their way to the terminals.
Of course, we all saw the message on the digital display board in the canteen, and in the Feeder Park
Monday 31 January 2011
Airport Bombing
Three Britons were amongst the 35 killed at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport a couple of weeks ago, and another 110 were injured following the suicide bombing that left so much human suffering in its wake.
In a week when Britain was conducting its own inquiry into the London tube and bus bombings that killed a similar number, the Moscow
The problem, however, is that there are now so many holes in the security measures that are supposed to protect us, that it may only be a matter of time before a similar thing happens again somewhere in the U.K. Anyone that takes the time to look around any public place where large numbers of people gather will notice that there are numerous opportunities for terrorists to create carnage. We all know that a determined terrorist will succeed if they are not challenged early enough, or if they manage to go undetected by the intelligence services. So why hand it to them on a plate?
Last week a number of taxi drivers were pulled over by police at Heathrow on the airport perimeter road. Their “crime” was having their For Hire signs illuminated whilst making their way to the taxi rank! Each of these drivers were told to switch the For Hire sign off, as plying for hire within half a mile of any taxi rank at Heathrow is illegal. What the police at Heathrow don’t seem to understand is that the For Hire sign is only a visual aid, and does not constitute “plying for hire”. So what a waste of police time and resources this turned out to be. Could the police have been better deployed at one of the largest airports in the World?
Heathrow airport has been the target of terrorist attacks in the past, and the current climate of terrorist threats makes it a very sensitive and potentially dangerous place for the public. Rather than pulling taxi drivers over on the perimeter road, the police should be making sure that the areas where the public do congregate are looked after. After all, if a bomb were to go off on the perimeter road it is unlikely that many people would be killed or injured, but if this was to happen in one of the terminals the consequences would be horrendous.
The main focus of police activity should be in the terminal buildings themselves, not the perimeter road. And the freedom of people to wander into the terminal buildings when they have no business there should be of far greater concern to them than taxi drivers who have their For Hire signs on when legitimately making their way to the taxi rank. The illegal taxi touting that is carried out by both licensed and unlicensed minicab drivers is now at epidemic proportions in some of the terminals at Heathrow, and this in itself is a major security issue. It’s not the touting that should concern the police so much, as the potential for a suicide bomber to be ignored under the pretence that it is just another tout.
Wasn’t it illegally parked “minicabs” that were packed with explosives in Haymarket, before suspicions were raised, after it became apparent that they had been abandoned?
If these two car-bombs had not failed to detonate, there would have been a terrible loss of life as a consequence.
Domodedovo airport has been accused of lax security, and President Medvedev has called for the sacking of senior security staff at the airport. Could a similar thing happen at Heathrow? Let’s hope that David Cameron doesn’t have to call for the sacking of those responsible for security at Heathrow in a similar fashion.
If the police at Heathrow want to really do something worthwhile, they should forget about taxi drivers legitimately displaying their For Hire signs, and concentrate on the illegal activities of taxi-touts in the terminal buildings instead.
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