The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Taxi drivers go on strike in Tralee
TRALEE’S taxi drivers staged an all out strike on Saturday night as the row over a council decision to move the town’s main taxi rank deepened.
The Tralee Taxi Association – who claim their members’ incomes have plummeted since the new rank was introduced in May – have threatened further strikes if Kerry County Council does not address their concerns.
TAXI drivers in Tralee have warned of further strike action if Kerry County Council doesn’t adequately respond to their concerns over the re-located taxi rank in the town.
On Saturday night – in an unprecedented move – almost all of Tralee’s 104 taxis withdrew their services from 7pm to 7am on Sunday.
The strike left hundreds of people stranded in the town centre in the early hours of Sunday morning and saw crowds in the town’s pubs and restaurants noticeably reduced.
The row centres on the new taxi rank introduced as part of changes to Tralee’s traffic system.
Since the new rank at Abbeycourt opened in May – replacing the old rank on The Mall – taxi drivers say their income has plummeted.
The new rank is typically empty after dark, and many members of the public – who see it as isolated and dangerous – refuse to use it.
While the Tralee Taxi Association (TTA) – which represents about three quarters of the town’s taxi drivers – have had several meetings with management at Kerry County Council (KCC) the group say the council is not taking their concerns seriously.
As a result last Friday night the association’s members voted to mount the strike – the group’s second protest in two weeks – which was announced on Saturday morning.
TTA Chairman Terry Boyle – who said 20 taxis are close to going out of business – warned further strikes are inevitable if the council doesn’t engage ‘meaningfully’ with drivers.
“A mistake was made with the rank and it’s in the gift of the council to fix it. Up to now they’ve just been going through the motions,” said Mr Boyle.
“The idea of the strike was to focus minds and hopefully help businesses see the reality of the situation. This needs to be dealt with. It’s not good for the taxis, the people or the town going forward,” Mr Boyle said.
“Business in the town is like a food chain. “We play a important part in getting people in and out of town. When part of that chain stops functioning properly the whole thing starts to break down,” said Terry Boyle.
TT Secretary Anthony Dineen said Saturday’s strike was a last resort for the drivers.
“The decision to strike was not one we took lightly. I think it was a success and had the desired effect. It got the word out there and got people talking,” said Mr Dineen.
“Nobody wanted to strike but people have been supportive, they understand the issue. We don’t want to inconvenience anyone but we felt there was not other option,” he said.
The Association – which is seeking a face-toface meeting with KCC Chief Executive Moira Murrell – says it will take a few days to see how the council responds to Saturday’s strike before they decide on what, if any, further action they will take.
These actions could range from further ‘slow drives’ through the town centre – as seen two weeks ago – to another all out strike.
“Several alternative protest actions are being considered. Different ideas are being explored to see how best to meet our aims,” Mr Dineen said.
Mr Dineen said that ‘without a doubt’ there will be more protests if a compromise can’t be reached with the council.
A KCC spokesperson said the authority has always and continues to engage ‘very pro-actively’ with the taxi drivers.
“The Council has repeatedly ruled out the provision of a taxi rank on Denny Street or The Mall, and that remains the position, however, as has been indicated previously, there will be a night-time rank on The Mall once the works are completed in November,” said the spokesperson.
“The Council remains in discussion around a number of proposals for the location of additional temporary ranks.”
Moira Murell has declined to meet the Taxi Association personally and she has asked the Tralee Municipal District Manager to meet the drivers’ representatives on her behalf.