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CABBIES END STRIKE, MANAGEMENT REVERTS TO OLD WAYS

Speaking to City Times, the drivers of Citi Taxi and Union Taxi claimed that the drivers and the CARS Taxi management — the company that operates Union and Citi Taxi in Sharjah — were into negotiations on January 4 but had not reached an agreement, when news of Shaikh Maktoum’s death spread and the management announced that the drivers could continue to work as per their old agreement i.e. to meet a monthly target of Dh7,500.

"The management was trying to convince the drivers that the price of petrol had increased, and the company had to bear other expenses too, so the drivers had either to continue as such or leave," claimed one driver. "But on Wednesday, our manager said that we could continue working on the old target," he said.

But, Abdullah Sultan, General Manager of Cars Taxi, said that a 'mid-path' settlement had been reached between the management and drivers. "Because I had not met the drivers earlier, I did not understand what they were going through. But now I know that they are poor people who are really suffering," he said. "If the employees stop working like this, then we will all lose our jobs as well as the company, and therefore, we have to work hand-in-hand," he added.

Nearly 70 drivers of Citi Taxi and over 300 drivers from Union Taxi were on strike yesterday asking the company to lower their monthly targets. On January 1, all taxi companies operating under the umbrella of Sharjah Transport Corporation hiked their fares by 50 fils and also increased the monthly targets of the drivers. Drivers had said they would not work unless the company withdrew the hike, but company officials said that the increase was reasonable and there was no pressure on the drivers.

The drivers said that it was difficult to find passengers in Sharjah and that they could not meet the new targets set by the company even if they worked 24 hours a day.