Taxi drivers in Abu Dhabi are going to court to protest over wages and working conditions, it was reported on Tuesday.
More than 100 cabbies who work for Tawasul Transport and National Taxi are taking their employers to court over claims they have not been paid all the money owed to them, that they are made to pay the full cost to repair cars damaged in collisions and that they receive no holidays, UAE daily The National reported.
The paper said documents filed in Musaffah Labour Court claimed Tawasul has not paid drivers their full income and has charged drivers if they are involved in an accident.
Tawasul representatives denied the claims, saying it has “complied to fulfil all of its contractual duties”.
Mohammed al Hosani, manager of regulation and licensing for TransAD, the capital’s taxi regulator, told the paper the complaints by the taxi drivers were motivated by their desire to find work with another company for better pay.
“This practice [of complaints] is hurting the sector itself,” he said.
Al Hosani told the paper TransAD had “justified” to the Ministry of Labour that the drivers’ claims were not valid.
National Taxi said it was not aware of that particular complaint against the company.
