The ‘Clyde’
Column
©
Customer Care is the key answer to be unemployed was because that looking for workers of any kind. The pubs
now and always
would be his or her choice… not for the and restaurants were bravely dangling meal
lack of work. offers and discounting the price of a pint
I
can only say that this has been the worst
trying to attract the few who were still able to
summer season for the Glasgow cab
Casting my mind back to when I was spend a penny… so to speak.
trade since the last fi nancial downturn
leaving school at the Virginias age of
when the economy almost collapsed and
sweet sixteen…YES guys even I was
As for us older drivers we have come to
the word “Redundancy” took on a new
a virgin at this point! I had applied for a
terms with the phrase “downturn in the
meaning. At fi rst, I must admit, I was being
total of six jobs and after the interviews I
economy” and have been there before.
swept along as if nothing could really
was offered fi ve jobs out of the six. The
On hearing these dreadful words we know
happen to endanger my lifestyle or my
sixth interview did not really go very well
our wheels will grind to a halt, and it is
earning potential. Workers were being
as the pervert who was interviewing me
only then that you start to look all over the
paid off right, left and centre, but despite
was more interested in my fourteen year
place for a taxi rank with a space. Circling
all those warnings and alarm bells going
old sister and what school she attended
the city centre looking for an empty or
off telling us that the economy was in
and did she wear ankle socks or socks
near empty rank becomes the norm for a
“Freefall” and that we should prepare for
just above the knee. The perv would
few days until you realise that everyone is
the worst, many drivers paid absolutely no
have been better suited interviewing for a
doing the same thing and there is nobody
attention to these warnings.
lapdancers club.
fl agging down cabs while on the run.
Reluctantly you come to terms with reality
It was not because we were daft or didnʼt
This redundancy money was virtually the
and pull on tenth car. You really want to
go home and start afresh the next day
see what was happening around us, it was
fi rst time companies had paid out this
but you did that the day before and things
quite simply that the cab trade was having
ʻsweetenerʼ. In many cases it was quite a
have not improved. Slogging it out for less
the total opposite effect to the national considerable amount of money and was
than 50% of the going rate is what you can
downturn than what every other trade was meant to cover times of hardship or loss of
expect until things head back to normality.
experiencing. The reason for this was wages. This “dunny money” - as it became
Itʼs times like these that I start to think
quite simple. Large numbers of people known to us - was the cherry on top of the
about how many customers we have lost
were losing their jobs and while they were cake for most people and was seen as an
throughout the years and what we could
being handed their P45 they were also express ticket to “Party time”. Suddenly
have done to keep them using our cabs
being handed a cherub as a redundancy thousands of workers found themselves
instead of them going to the opposition.
payment. The longer the service for the with a surplus of time on their hands and
employee that was being paid off the a surplus of cash to spend it with. Pubs,
Personally speaking, I could never
larger the cherub for the redundancy restaurants and of course our good selves,
understand why taxi drivers refuse a fare
payment. The average 5/8 had never were kept exceptionally busy during this
just because it doesnʼt suit them to go in
experienced a downturn in the economy, “PHONEY” downturn and this is what gave
a particular direction. I do understand that
never read a newspaper without the job us the impression that the recession was
there are certain times during the day and
section screaming for workers and most for everyone else but not for us… we were
valid reasons for being unable to go where
certainly never experienced being paid off. exempt. Needless to say the “dunny money”
the customer wants you to take them. I
soon dried up and the cab trade instantly
know all those reasons, but itʼs the sheer
So being told that they were being made realised what the meaning of a recession
arrogance of some drivers that just blatantly
redundant did not really pose any threat. truly meant. Mrs Jones and Mr Smith did
refuse to go in certain directions or certain
They would simply apply to whatever job not require a cab any more to get to work. areas. For some reason or another they
advert they fancied and go and work for They were now counting whatʼs left of their prefer to go somewhere else. What is it
the company that suited them best. Such big payoff, and sitting on their couch looking that these drivers are looking for? Do these
a plentiful of work had been around since for job adverts that were non-existent. drivers want to tell the punter where they
childhood and the only reason for anyone Indeed, the bubble had burst. No one was want to take them?
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