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GMB PERSPECTIVE


LATEST FROM THE BRIGHTON AND HOVE GUYS – IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY


Once again we wel- come with open arms Andy Peters, GMB representative from


Brighton and Hove, with his latest instal- ment:


Where to start? I know this latest edition of PHTM will be packed with articles on the dreaded COVID-19 so I will just add one small addition which was posted by a driver on our local trade Facebook group, which says it all...


“I’ve GOT to carry on, until either I get the virus or am TOLD to stop. No savings, £200 left on my credit card that’s maxed out and dinner tonight is a sausage roll and packet of Cheddars. I NEED some kind of proper help from the government. I earned just over £60 last week, once I’d paid for the cab, the fuel and fuel to come to work. They say sui- cide is painless. I’ve never felt more like finding out....”


I have spoken to him and he is feeling better but I am sure this anguish will be repeated throughout the country, and at the time of writing the government has not addressed how it can help the self-employed in this global crisis.


Card Readers: Brighton & Hove Council was recently approached by a trade rep who suggested that the council should look at having card readers as a compulsory condi- tion of licensing. Just to make it clear... I have had a card reader for about three years, as have a lot of drivers here, and I wouldn’t be without it. Additionally whilst it is actually beneficial for me when customers have to walk past the first three cabs on the rank that do not have card readers, it does annoy me that they don’t.


I really do wish that all drivers here would have them as it’s the best way to fight off the likes of Uber and other faceless predato- ry apps. However, at the same time I would defend the right for drivers not to have them as personal choice. And yes, I do per- sonally battle with walking the line of drivers’ rights and what might actually be good for them in the long run. I have even offered to supply one ‘stick-in-the-mud’ driver a card reader and £150 up front because of his fears of losing out, but could- n’t change his mind. Grrrrr!


So all the reps had a pre-trade meeting prior to the main council Trade Forum Meeting


80


where we have all the trade reps, councillors and licensing officers etc. (Official Licensing meetings are different).


We concluded that whilst we would encour- age all drivers to have card readers, we do not want any further conditions of licence added to our ‘Blue Book of Conditions of Licensing’ which has been growing each year, when we have hundreds of OOT’s (Out of town Uber cars) working here with impunity who do not have to abide by this. We made this very clear at the official Trade Council meeting.


I did raise questions about the enforcement of card readers such as: would the vehicle and the driver be suspended if not equipped with one because we would have enforce- ment officers checking tyres.. checking lights.. checking badges.. and now checking for card readers. The answer was “Yes”.


Prior to the main Licensing Committee meeting I also put the following forward: “The council issues licences to street traders, pubs, clubs and so on (which actu- ally includes sex shops but I forgot to add that!). But is there a condition of licence that imposes compulsory card readers?” And of course there isn’t.


Additionally I conveyed that I had lots of messages from drivers telling me about failed internet connections in the city which I have also experienced. Several times I have had a customer on board where I have had to drive away from the destination point to get a signal, and then go back to drop off the customer.


All three of the political party councillors agreed that at this moment in time card readers should not be a condition of licence. In fact one councillor stated it would be “Draconian to do so”.


I do have to emphasise that we have an extremely good cross-party relationship with our Licensing Committee Councillors who actually deserve a mention, such as Licensing Chair Cllr Jackie O’Quinn, fellow councillors Lizzie Deane, Dee Simson and


Lee Wares - all of whom are there to ensure a good standard within the local taxi/PHV trades for the protection of the public.


I can actually hear you thinking, “This is back- ward!” and “Dinosaurs!” and so on. In fact we had one locally well-known individual who will remain nameless, slamming drivers on Twitter who do not have card readers as being “obnoxious”. I took him to task. We did get an apology about this posted on our local Facebook group. Sometimes it’s better to think before one opens one’s mouth.


However... as a trade we are at the mercy of our Licensing Councillors... who, by virtue of the set up, are ‘Butchers, Bakers and Candlestick Makers’. This of course is abso- lutely right as this allows for a cross section of local individuals representing the local people and I wouldn’t have it any other way.


But as a trade of licensed drivers and pro- prietors we have to contend with so many conditions of licence that at some point we have to stand back and say, “Hold on!” For example, we have had compulsory CCTV for a few years now (although I have to say that Uber down here has been very much against it and have hundreds of OOT’s work- ing here without CCTV). But we can only have CCTV fitted by approved suppliers. We can only have our meters sealed by approved agents. So what would stop com- pulsory card readers being only supplied by approved suppliers, as in London, some- where down the line?


I really do hope that more drivers/propri- etors will soon have card readers, especially as they will quickly lose out as more and more are not carrying cash and do you know that there is such wizardry as flashing your mobile phone to make payments. All the kids are doing it... I kid you not!


Andy Peters Secretary GMB Brighton & Hove Taxi Section andy.peters@gmbtaxis.org.uk


APRIL 2020


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