Taxi fares up as LPG price keeps rising – 20th June 2008, Sydney Morning Herald

Faruque Ahmed
P O Box – 349, Alexandria – 2015
Mobile: 041 091 4118
Email: union_faruque@yahoo.com.au
Blog: Member of Parliament and Media Outlets

To
The Editor
Sydney Morning Herald

Re: Taxi fares up as LPG price keeps rising – 20th June 2008, Sydney Morning Herald



Dear Sir

“the fuel used by more than 90 per cent of taxi owners” (Taxi fares up as LPG price keeps rising – 20th June 2008, Sydeny Morning Herald) is serious distortion of the truth. In reality more than 90% non owner bailee taxi drivers pay for the fuel.

According to the law of the land, the bailor is responsible for fuel and wash.

However, at the Industrial Relations Commission the “taxi mafia” made an application to pass the responsibility of fuel and wash to the bailees without any compensation whatsoever.

During the proceedings, the TWU lawyer said to CC Connor, “we reserve the right to oppose at a later date” (was it a conspiracy?).

Further to ICAC Submission, long long ago; a “phantom strike” was called at Granville Taxi Base, Sydney, NSW of the ‘lucky country’! The TWU troubleshooter named Robert Mayell who used to work around the adjacent area quickly went over there and negotiated a settlement! The ‘Pay-in’ went down by five dollars!!

The following day, a number of taxi drivers were frog marched behind the “messiah” Robert Mayell at the Industrial Commission in front of CC Connor (NSW IRC Matter No 2383 of 1993).

No one is suggesting any conspiracy here! Poor Faruque and a few taxi drivers busted in anger and confronted the “messiah” Robert Mayell and the Transport Workers Union lawyer Adam Hatcher.

During that time those new taxi drivers of Granville asked Faruque to be quiet and follow Meyall. Faruque told them, “I do not know who you are and I have not seen you in any of TWU meetings earlier – who are you people and what is the game going on here”?

Later many of these people confessed to Faruque and others that they were not even members of the TWU, many of them were not financial members of the union and the taxi bosses encouraged them to join in the TWU!

The good CC Connor found the opportunity and then he keenly passed the responsibility of gas and wash to the bailees without any compensation whatsoever. He did so despite strenuous objections made to him by Faruque and other drivers.

The decision by CC Connor did not change the bailor/bailee remuneration principle or law, but he made a decision which was not opposed by the parties.A few weeks later the LPG price jumped from $A0.20-$A0.30/L to $A0.50-$A0.60/L.

An application was made to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on a different ground. After a futile exercise, the price went down for a while.

Today, who is increasing the LPG price and on what basis no one knows or cares. The net impact is the weaker party in the chain is carrying the burden while “taxi mafia” is laughing all the way to the bank. The TWU lawyer Adam Hatcher found a chamber at the higher end of the town and become a BARRISTER! The good union boss Steve Hutchins became the president of the NSW Labor Party and eventually a number one ticket SENATOR from NSW.

Taxi drivers made an appeal to the Full Bench.

After a long and costly exercise, we found out that only the TWU have the right to represent taxi drivers at the Industrial Commission! During that hearing the rights and wrongs of the actual case were not discussed.That means, in reality the court said the TWU can do whatever they like and they can ignore their own taxi driver members all together or their welfare! They are virtually not answerable to anyone. The union bosses do not have to follow justice, fairness, courtesy or common sense! Since then the union removed a few bi-laws of their own constitution i.e. they don’t have to advance the well being of their own members”. The law is same today.

Whether we drivers like it or not, even if the TWU got any taxi driver members or not they will decide the bailee taxi drivers working conditions. No matter, how sad, immoral and unlawful they are.

Faruque and others used to expose them in the media. However, the union bosses used to make attempts to trap taxi drivers and block them from the media, parliament, etc. etc. Some of the documents are very revealing.

I say, the most tragic thing of my life is that knowing and dealing with the NSW Transport Workers Union.

Thursday, December 20, 2007
Source: Independent Commission Against Corruption

With thanks

Sincerely Yours

Faruque Ahmed
Media Manger
NSW Taxi Drivers Association
Friday, June 20, 2008