Taxi drivers decide fi strike again!

Taxi operators holding signs which say 'AMNESTY'
during the November 14, 2022 strikes in Jamaica.

 Di taxi man dem seh dem nah see di govament a move in dem favor suh dem decide seh dem a guh strike todeh again! 

After a failed mission to bend the government to their will that fateful Monday (Nov. 14, 2022) the taxi men have hatched another plan to stay off the job today, December 1. Unfortunately, less of their colleagues are in agreement this time around. We learned from the local news that the taxi operators and organizations are divided as to whether or not this was the best move to force the government's hands.  

Some time ago the government had issued a warning to the operators that they would be implementing a system that would make sure that taxi men who rack up a ridiculously high number of traffic tickets would be slapped with warrants to appear in court. The deadline for that promise/warning is today! It would seem that in anticipation of that move by the Jamaican government the taxi men have decided to hit the streets again to voice their displeasure with this proposed plan and again reiterate their need for the traffic amnesty. It remains to be seen if this "strike" will work this time.

This seems like a last gasp effort on their part. Though the first strike inconvenienced the commuting public who don't have their own transportation it wasn't totally detrimental to the country's productivity. Although some persons had no recourse but to stay home and let their kids stay home also, many people found a way to get to work. They either got a ride from a work colleague, a neighbour, a friend or some managed to charter an uber. While it was a nuisance, life continued for the most part on the two days the strike occurred. Well... it was supposed to be three (3) days but by day two (2), some taxi men were having second thoughts so by day three (3) the majority of them went back to work. Also it wasn't a united effort, many individual taxi men still plied their route while their colleagues went ranting.

Quite significantly, taxi men in St. Ann, St. Mary and parts of Westmoreland, said they weren't having it, and several in the corporate area were prepared to come out and do their jobs, if it weren't for unscrupulous persons who felt intimidation was the way to go. I don't believe intimidation is going to work so well this time. The plan is to strike today but we are already hearing that the "united front" is fading and opinions are divided. 

While I do sympathise with their concerns if it is true that paid traffic tickets still show up as unpaid on the system, there must be a better way to handle things. The government should not have allowed a system where the issuing of ridiculous amounts of traffic tickets is possible. Hopefully, whatever new system is implemented will be a fair and properly ordered one, not just for the taxi men, but for all our sakes.