Taxi drivers protest over unpaid commission

MIRI: Several members of Miri Taxi Association yesterday staged a peaceful demonstration at Miri Airport alleging that Miri Taxi Cooperative has failed to pay their commission that was promised during their meeting in January.

According to its chairman Wan Jau, the protest was a show of their dissatisfaction with the cooperative which promised to pay the association’s 40-sen commission from the sales of taxi coupons at the airport.

The meeting was also attended by officials from Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board and the airport manager.

Wan said the protest was attended by the committee members and a few taxi drivers “so as not to complicate the matter”.

“If the cooperative fails to resolve the issue we will conduct another protest to involve more people,” he said.

About 300 taxi drivers are registered as members of the association.

Meanwhile, Miri Taxi Cooperative, in a statement yesterday, alleged that they had no option but to withhold all payments with regard to the 40-sen commission “as it has been found out that the association has also printed taxi coupons that are sold by a third party at another counter at the airport”.

“Their action has breached the Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement. As a result of selling other coupons apart from coupons printed by Miri Taxi Cooperative, the number of coupons sold by the cooperative is less and this is considered a loss.”

The statement added that all payments to the taxi drivers would be withheld until such time the matter was amicably resolved.