Hundreds of taxi drivers who staged a protest convoy in Dublin yesterday have warned that they will hold a further work stoppage in the city next week as part of their campaign against a new regulatory regime and fare changes due to come into effect later this month.
They also repeated their threat to withdraw taxi services during the Ryder Cup later this month.
Tommy Gorman of the National Taxi Drivers Union (NTDU) and other taxi union leaders yesterday called for the appointment of a mediator in the dispute between the main taxi unions and the regulator, Ger Deering.
Mr Gorman said the new regulatory system would not work, but Mr Deering was refusing to negotiate on any part of it.
Mr Deering said that, while he had always been prepared to meet the union leaders and would do so on September 11th next, there could and would be no change to the new regime which would become effective from September 25th. There had been significant consultation about the regime with all relevant parties, including the taxi unions, he said. "It is going ahead."
Hundreds of drivers took part in the protest convoy which set off from Dublin's Phoenix Park early yesterday and finished at the regulator's office in Fitzwilliam Square in mid-afternoon. The protest was supported by the NTDU, the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation and Siptu.
The convoy caused some traffic disruption, with the worst affected areas being the north city quays and Nassau Street. Fitzwilliam Square was closed until about 3pm.
Gardaí estimated some 600 drivers were involved, while the taxi unions put the figure at about 1,000. These included drivers from around the country, including a number from Tralee. There are some 17,000 taxi drivers nationwide.
A letter objecting to the new regulatory regime was handed to the regulator by taxi union leaders.
Drivers shouted "Out, out, out" and carried placards with messages including "Strangulation by regulation" as they congregated outside the premises. The mood was clearly angry and one elderly driver handed his taxi plate into the office.
The protest was due to finish at 1pm but lasted until about 2.30pm.
While a large number of drivers urged that the protest continue for as long as it took to compel Mr Deering to address them, it was agreed after a hurried meeting of union leaders that a further protest would be held to coincide with the meeting on September 11th.
Next week's protest will be the drivers' fourth since July last. Among the complaints about the new regime yesterday were that it would cost drivers money to install new meters and new plates and that fare changes failed to take into account rising fuel costs and the situation in different areas of the country.
