“We are not riders 4.0”. All the unions of taxi drivers have confirmed the general strike for Wednesday 24 November. The protest of Fita-Cna, Ascom taxi, Uiltrasporti, Unica-Cgil and Uritaxi will culminate with a march in Rome in which taxi drivers from all over Italy will participate to demonstrate first and foremost against the Competition bill. In detail, the withdrawal of article 8 of the competition bill is requested, with which – denounces the category – the sector will be further deregulated, in favor of multinationals. The article provides for a reform of non-scheduled public transport, therefore taxis and NCC.
Strike from 8 to 22, procession in the capital
The strike will take place from 8 to 22. Essential services will be guaranteed to the weaker sections of the population. The procession will start at 11.30 from Piazza della Repubblica to arrive at Piazza Madonna di Loreto. “The competition bill cannot be a pretext to give demand management to platforms for mere intermediation, making us 4.0 riders for passenger transport”, the unions wrote. “Technology does not scare us and we are willing to think about how to be more efficient and improve, but without distorting or deconstructing what was built with sweat and effort”, add the trade associations, underlining that we must “complete the regulatory review begun in 2017 “.
The reasons for framing a QR code
And it will be a more digital strike than usual. The reasons for the protest, as well as being displayed on board the taxis, will be available by framing the QR code displayed on the taxis. The same Qr that will stand out on a banner displayed in the Roma Termini parking lot. And framing it, it will read: “Strike because I defend my work from those who would like to destroy the public service, 40,000 businesses and 40,000 families; strike because I want to continue to guarantee you a certain, visible, administered rate; strike so that you do not fall prey to a cold price multiplier that doubles, triples, depending on the demand for rides; strike because like you, I’m tired of paying the taxes that multinationals evade; I strike because I want certain rules for everyone and not a jungle in which the smartest or the most thief wins; strike because like you, I sacrifice my every moment to give dreams and a dignified future to my family. Against politics colluding with multinationals ”.
The withdrawal of the accused article is requested
The taxi drivers ask the Government to remove the article under accusation and instead issue the implementing decrees, linked to the previous reform of non-scheduled local public transport (law 12/2019). “We asked to remove article 8 of the competition bill and to restart from the implementation decrees that we have been waiting for three years – underlines Marco Verzari, national secretary of UilTrasporti -, reopening the tables for implementation that first became rare and then disappeared . The two expected implementing decrees and the dpcm to be issued deal with three aspects of regulation: the Ren (national electronic register), the electronic service sheet and the regulation of apps. The article of the competition bill must be eliminated because it deconstructs the system, leaving some free and others, such as taxis, very governed. With obvious, inadmissible, disparities ».
The future of the sector is at stake
“At stake is the future of the sector and of our families – explains the national president of Uritaxi Claudio Giudici – with the competition bill an agreement is betrayed to benefit multinationals”. For Giudici, “the inclusion of non-scheduled public transport in the bill is against all legal and economic logic, as it would pretend to put a sector that, inasmuch as it is administered as a public service, at an administered rate, with service obligation and imposed shifts, cannot in essence suffer competition from those who are not subject to these rules. Otherwise, in fact, it would be the legislator himself to legalize a phenomenon of unfair competition to the advantage of some and to the disadvantage of taxi drivers ».