Newsroom
City taxi drivers went on strike Thursday morning to protest a number of issues including city permits, social security, and the traffic code.
According to media reports, cabbies went on strike Wednesday morning at 6am, with the work stoppage taking place in different cities in the Republic of Cyprus.
The strike, which was expected to last four hours until 10am, is meant to send a message according to Vasilios Yiotis, a representative of urban taxi drivers.
A decision banning exchange of money during licence transfers angered taxi drivers who consider the amount as a retiring bonus
The grievances include social security contributions, taxi licence and registration, title transfers, unlawfulness, bus lanes, traffic code, as well as excluding private cab owners from tourism plans.
A recent decision angered taxi drivers when an official said transfers ought not to be made in exchange of money, an amount which is considered by retiring cabbies as a form of social insurance.
“Why is the President of the Republic all of a sudden talking to training organizations but he won’t even agree to speak with us?” asked Yiotis.
The representative says the President is “nowhere to be seen” while urban taxi drivers are the “lever” which raised the GDP of the country.
