Belfast Taxi bosses’ fake-news attempt to misrepresent union position on bus lanes falls flat

Unite encourages taxi drivers to join the fightback and unionise to secure better pay for themselves

March 28th: Unite Regional Officer, Sean Smyth, called on Belfast taxi drivers to join his union on the back of the strength of solidarity they expressed with striking admin workers:

“Pickets were once again placed on Belfast Taxis today in the ongoing dispute between administrative workers and company bosses over their failure to provide a pay increase in years.

“Before the action, company bosses put up fake-news notices attempting to fool workers by misrepresenting our concerns over private sector operators flooding the city’s bus lanes and trying to suggest that we were seeking the exclusion of Belfast taxis – a non-profit distributing community interest company – from such lanes. As is well known our union was satisfied that the numbers of licenced taxis-buses in the city would not adversely impact bus lanes but bringing more than 4,500 additional Class A taxis would bring it to a standstill.

“Thankfully drivers saw straight through this misrepresentation by the bosses and showed their solidarity with fellow-workers demanding a pay increase.

“The strength of feeling on the picket lines today among the workers and those in the community who came out to support their action was palpable. In many cases drivers not only refused to cross the pickets but actually joined it telling us of how they were unhappy with their own pay arrangements.

“Now’s the time for drivers at Belfast Taxis to join Unite, the fightback union, to secure themselves a better pay deal; in our unity there is strength.

“Management at Belfast Taxis has treated their employees with distain and their attempts to throw dust in the eyes of workers have been exposed as dishonest. They need to get back to the table and make a genuine pay offer addressing our members’ just demands.

“In the absence of such a move, our members’ industrial action is due to escalate next week with an all-out strike commencing next Wednesday [April 4^th]”, Mr Smyth concluded.