The Regional Council Secretary wrote to all branches, asking for their assessment of their branch’s work during 2009, and suggesting that they might address the following points:
- whether your membership grew or shrunk during 2009, and why you think this is
- any problems you have had filling reps’ positions within the branch’s area
- how effective your branch was during any industrial action in your area last year
- what recruitment activities you have organised
- any comments on how the union, either nationally or regionally, has helped (or not helped!)
- ideas for future improvements

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London Taxis branch report

In just over one year the RMT London taxi branch has managed to become a new voice for the self employed London taxi-cab driver.

On the 5th of Feb 2009 members of the newly formed branch attended a demonstration at Trafalgar Square and the banner was proudly raised to the concern of all other trade groups/bodies in attendance.

Since that demonstration the branch grew at a pretty decent rate with some members joining a trade union for the very first time. Many issues have hit the headlines with Bob Crow visiting the taxi feeder park and taxi-cab drivers expressing vocal support to his speech on the day. It must be said taxi-cab drivers are very good at giving an opinion it is another matter to get them to sign an application form and join. With the branch starting to flex it industrial muscle with demonstrations ranging from the toilet tax/pedicab ranks/a convicted killer on the knowledge of London others within the taxi trade became more concerned and led by the LTDA and the union UNITE a concerted campaign to discredit the RMT had begun.

The branch is doing well but finds it difficult to operate effectively due to the lack of financial resources for reps due to the fact we are self employed and therefore not covered by trade union legislation. Therefore this is certainly an issue we will have to address in the coming weeks, months and years. Excellent work has been done by the branch and its political officer James Croy with a meeting arranged with John Mcdonnell MP at parliament to discuss the London Local Authorities and Transport for London (no.2) Bill, clause 19 seeks to introduce a voluntary registration scheme branch policy is to ban these objects from the public highway or at worst confine them to the parks in the capital.

Branch members and officers have begun to attend regional meetings and recently the taxi branch attended a rally at parliament in support of network rail workers.

On an even more positive note over 100 hundred taxi-cab drivers in Luton have joined the union thanks to the great work done by committee member George Vyse and airport rep Lenny. The branch have also weathered the storm and insults thrown at them by the LTDA and the union UNITE and ended the year of a positive note passing over 16 motions which gave the branch a spine and a bedrock/platform to move onwards from. The branch have started a newsletter and blog www.rmtlondontaxibranch.blogspot.com with a small A5 monthly booklet soon to be hitting the ranks of many mainline stations.

London's taxi-cab drivers are a challenging demanding bunch of workers but the standards they hold are high, the committee of this branch firmly believe we can move this branch forward and create new branches to represent members in the suburbs and at Heathrow Airport. The potential is here for the RMT to become a force and a voice not only in London but right across the nation.

A special thank you must go out to Eddie Lambert and David Vidgen without these two committed trade unionists this branch would never had been created, we must mention the excellent work Stan Marut is doing has complaints officer of the branch. We also thank Thompson's Solicitors with regards to an issue at Heathrow Airport Taxi Feeder park.