The decision by taxi drivers - by a 2 to 1 majority - to return to work is a welcome development in advance of the Christmas holiday season. Nothing could have been gained by a continuation of their strike. A great deal of further damage and hardship would have been inflicted on their families. They had lost the battle for public sympathy. Their remaining hopes of making further progress on their claims lie in the courts and by way of scheduled negotiations with the Coalition Government.
It was obvious for some time that the leaders of the various taxi groups had lost control of their members. Last week, a recommendation for a return to work was resoundingly defeated by angry plate-holders and drivers demanding unrealistic compensation payments and a reversal of Government policy on deregulation. These were impractical demands in the political climate that obtains, with the Tanaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney, standing firm on the need for radical change and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, concurring. The strike dragged on, causing further significant economic damage to business and commerce; disrupting the tourist trade and inconveniencing citizens.
Yesterday, the leadership tried again, using a High Court challenge to the Government's action as a face-saving measure in trying to end the strike. Mr Justice Kelly, whose original court ruling obliged the Minister of State, Mr Bobby Molloy, to embark on the deregulation process, granted the taxi-men a right to judicial review of the Government action. The granting of a review did not mean, he pointed out, that the application would succeed; just that he was prepared to listen to their case. Following what is effectively a cooling-off period, that review is now expected to take place on December 19th. In the meantime, the Minister has been allowed go ahead with arrangements to deregulate the industry. The court ruling in favour of the taxi-men was expected. It came as the National Taxi Drivers' Union and the Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation balloted their members for the second time in a week on a return to work. The result of the vote will allow for a further cooling of the situation and, no matter what happens in the judicial review, a second withdrawal of labour is regarded as unlikely. SIPTU has also been sounding out its members and a vote on a return to work will take place later today.
A meeting between the leaders of the taxi-men and officials at the Department of the Environment also took place yesterday. Discussions are understood to have revolved around details of the compensation package being offered by the Government to those licence-holders who will suffer an immediate and direct financial loss through deregulation. In the meantime, Mr Molloy issued a statement saying the State would strongly defend the judicial review before the courts and would persevere with the deregulation project.