Ukrainian cab drivers threatening with new protest actions
KIEV, November 4 - Ukrainian cab drivers, who held protest actions in all major cities Thursday, have warned a new strike will be forthcoming if the authorities ignore their demands.
Vassily Ponik, the chairman of the Drivers Trade Union the protesters had given two days to the government to reconsider amendments to the Law on Automobile Transport, which the national parliament has endorsed in the first reading.
"If they don?t take our wishes into account, we?ll hold a similar action next week then," Ponik said.
He also said the cabdrivers had declared their demands at a meeting with Deputy Prime-Minister Oleg Rybachuk.
About 100,000 cabs moved along the streets of Ukrainian cities at a speed of not more than 20 kilometers per hour Thursday, thus blocking the traffic.
In a show of solidarity, all the cabs stopped across the land at 13:30 local time, and in Kiev the resultant traffic jam clogged the streets adjoining President Yushchenko?s Secretariat for several hours.
Amendments to the national transport law suggest that all the taxis will be divided into two categories - street cabs that will be parked at special lots on the streets in an expectation of clientele and the so-called cabs to order.
In the latter case, the drivers will not be able to pick up passenger on the streets or to park in the taxi lots - they will only service orders the clients placed by telephone in advance.
The amended law also says a cab cannot be operated for more than ten years and a driver must have 27 mandatory documents instead of eight documents until now.
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