Ex-LTI staff hold protest in Coventry

Buy photos » LTI senior stewards Paddy Byrne and Roy Peavoy with other employees in Broadgate on Saturday. 47.012.023.cov.jm1

EX-WORKERS at Coventry black cab maker LTI took to the streets on Saturday in a planned protest.

They urged shoppers to back a campaign to ensure the iconic cabs continue to be built in the city.

Last month the company went bust before administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) made 156 redundancies at sites around the country.

The iconic vehicle sat in Broadgate as former staff garnered support in the Save Our Black Cabs protest, organised by Unite.

The union is urging PwC and potential buyers to keep manufacturing in Coventry and the black cab on the road.

Regional officer, Peter Coulson said: "The black cab is part of Britain's manufacturing heritage, but they are at risk of being built abroad or even disappearing from our roads altogether.

"We believe a British icon should be built in Britain.

"Over the coming weeks we will be stepping up our campaign and gathering support to persuade PwC to do the right thing because you can't put a price on a world famous icon."

It comes just days after a solution to the steering fault which provoked a recall of hundreds of cabs has been found.

Administrators said they had focused their resources on developing a solution to the defect as quickly as possible.

Replacement of the parts in the recalled fleet will start this weekend with the aim of being completed by December 14.

Matthew Hammond, joint administrator and PwC partner, said: "I fully appreciate the difficulties that the recall has created for individual taxi drivers, fleet operators, dealers and availability of taxis in the London black cab market.

"I hope that within a matter of weeks we will have addressed the main difficulties faced by drivers and the under-supply of vehicles to the London black cab market.

"We are working to get taxis back on the road as quickly as possible but clearly, with the large number of vehicles affected in London and also in the regions, this work will take several weeks to complete."

Despite the planned protest, Mr Hammond praised support shown from those affected.

"The support of the Group’s management, employees and unions has been outstanding and a critical factor in getting to this stage.

"We are grateful for their ongoing support and resolve, and we all remain focused on securing the future of the company.”

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