Agreement reached in Dublin Airport taxi dispute

Updated: 10:45, Friday, 24 August 2012

Agreement has been reached between the Dublin Airport Authority and representatives of taxi drivers following overnight talks.

Talks between the DAA and taxi unions, aimed at resolving the two-day-old dispute at Dublin Airport, began at 5.30pm yesterday and concluded after 6am today.

The agreement will see the 70 parking spaces that had been at the centre of the dispute reinstated to taxi drivers for a two-week period, with talks taking place during that time to find a more permanent solution.

Around 400 drivers took part in three slow driving protests yesterday, leading to severe traffic congestion in and around the airport.

The row began on Wednesday after the DAA took back the 70 parking spaces, which had previously been available to taxi drivers.

The authority has said that there is adequate space for taxi drivers even without these spaces, though taxi unions have said some of the other suggested parking locations are not suitable.

The proposal from the National Transport Authority Review goes to public consultation today, which allows everyone to have their say on how the increase might affect them.

But Irish Taxi Drivers' Federation President Joe Heron says the review only looked at increased operating costs for taxis between 2014 and 2016 and is already out of date.

"It will be two years before the next review," he said.

"We were asked if we would take this 3%, or reject it and wait and have another review next year.

"Now if there was another review done next year, it would be 2019 before that would be passed, so it is vital that we take this, even though it's probably slightly less than half of what we need to keep in line."