GMB Taxi Drivers Demand Fair Deal

GMB Taxi Drivers Demand Fair Deal

GMB Scotland have instructed local legal firm Muir Myles Laverty to start legal action against Dundee City Council after they refused to help vulnerable drivers.

GMB has been asking the council for three years to look at the fairness of their taxi policy but this has been refused by officials and councillors so we have been left with no alternative but to go to court.

Dundee City Council has created a two tier workforce, those who can afford it and those who can’t. We have drivers that must buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle which starts at £19,000 (with an average cost of £24,000), and those that are allowed to buy any vehicle from as little as £1000.

This has resulted in more and more taxi drivers getting into debt and forcing young Dundonians looking to start a career being at the mercy of the taxi offices. Offices charge up to £400 a week to hire a car and then we have drivers nearing retirement having to take on huge sums of debts to earn a living.

Therefore, we are asking for the council to look at each taxi driver’s case individually rather than having a one size fits all approach. Stopping taxi offices in Dundee exploit new taxi drivers and forcing more taxi drivers into huge sums of debt. For too long taxi drivers don’t feel they have a voice against the offices or the council and GMB are here to give them hope.

Drew Duffy, GMB Officer, said “The council can still avoid wasting public money defending an unfair policy and listen to what we are saying. All we want is a fair playing field for every taxi driver in Dundee to make a living. Not have some needing to make £400 to £500 a week just to break even. Drivers with young families, new drivers and drivers thinking about retiring all deserve the chance to make a living and not have a two tier workforce based on when you became a taxi driver. The council has a duty to look after the interests of the public and taxi drivers but GMB feel it’s more interested in keeping the offices happy and not the people doing the job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

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Contact: Drew Duffy GMB Senior Organiser on 07912 560806,  William Lees GMB WAV Branch President on 07974 935586 or Peter Welsh, GMB Communications Officer on 07976 447077

 Notes to Editors

The GMB Dundee WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) Branch was set up in 2013 to represent the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Drivers in Dundee.

GMB represents Taxi drivers across the UK