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bies_too_white?
Friday, 12 October 2007
Sunday, 7th October 2007 Are London's Cabbies Too White?
They might drive black cabs, but London’s licensed taxi drivers have
come under fire today for being too white.
The ranks of traditional Cockney cabbies are the latest group to fall
foul of equality groups, who say there are not enough female or ethnic
minority taxi drivers.
Claiming that cab drivers fail to accurately represent the city were
they work, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has launched a drive to put more
women and people from ethnic minorities behind the wheel of the city's
taxies.
Mr Livingstone said the commitment to learning the gruelling "Knowledge"
that each cabbie must memorise before being allowed to take fares
He said: "This project will help address the barriers to employment that
currently exist for women and people from Black, Asian and ethnic
minority communities to participate in this important part of our city's
life."
The scheme, run by the London Development Agency, aims to boost the low
figures of women drivers, who make up just 1.6 per cent of London
cabbies, and those from ethnic minorities, who form five per cent.
Around a third of all London residents are from an ethnic minority.
It will support participants learning the 25,000 different routes within
a six-mile radius of Charing Cross, offering language and numeracy
skills, and childcare provision throughout the process, which can take
up to three years to master.
Manny Lewis, Chief Executive of the London Development Agency, said:
"London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
"This programme for women and people from Black, Asian and Minority
Ethnic Communities will help them do the Knowledge course, and
ultimately achieve greater diversity in the taxi trade to ensure that it
is more representative of London's population."
The programme was also welcomed by womens' groups.
Vivienne Hayes, director of the Women's Resource Centre, said: "The
Women's Resource Centre welcomes the Mayor's initiative to promote
women’s employment in this predominantly male arena.
"Women in London will no doubt be pleased to see an increase in female
taxi drivers.
"Women's Resource Centre acknowledges and thanks the Mayor for
continuing to address issues concerning women’s inequality and
poverty, particularly in the current environment where the discourse
around gender consistently fails to address the continued discrimination
faced by all women."
A spokesman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission spokesperson
said: "Schemes like this are a step in the right direction towards
enabling people with the skills and tools necessary to reach their full
potential."
Applicants must be over 21 and have a full driving licence. They will
have to go through an interview before being accepted on the scheme.
------------------
Fire service bans white men from open days - to boost number of ethnic minority recruits.
By MATTHEW HICKLEY -
Last updated at 230pm on 25th January 2008
White men have been banned from fire brigade recruitment sessions because bosses want to hit their diversity targets.
Four out of five "open" days held by Avon Fire Service were restricted to women and ethnic minorities.
Critics last night accused the West Country brigade of discrimination. An MP said the move would fuel resentment and undermine race relations.
Avon's bosses insist their ban on white men is simply "positive action".
Scroll down for more ...
Avon fire brigade Avon Fire Brigade at a recruitment session today. The fire service held four recruitment days for women and people from ethnic minorities only
The five "have-a-go" days at the brigade's Bristol HQ were set up to allow potential job applicants to try out firefighting equipment.
They also had the chance to chat to staff and learn more about selection tests ahead of an application deadline next week.
Two of the six-hour sessions have been limited strictly to women and ethnic minorities. Another was for women only and a fourth was laid on exclusively for ethnic minorities.
Only today's event is open to everyone, allowing white men to attend.
Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, said: "This sort of thing just makes people's blood boil and does more damage than good to race relations in this country.
"How would people react if women and black people were banned from an open day?
"I don't care whether the fire service is only made up of ethnic-minority women - as long as they are the best people at fighting fires.
"If the chief fire officer is so concerned, he should give up his job to an ethnic minority woman instead of depriving other white men of a job."
One Avon fireman, speaking anonymously, warned that the targeted recruitment drives were 'not helpful' and would cause resentment.
"It has a very negative effect on everyone," he added.
"When you see people from black and ethnic communities the first thing you think is 'has he or she only got the job because of their minority origin?"
"It's not helpful to them as they may also feel that this is the case. Open, across-the-board recruitment is the only way to stop this."
Avon officials said they were trying to recruit women and ethnic minorities because 97 per cent of their 921 staff were white men.
Kevin Pearson, the brigade's chief officer, said: "I totally refute the allegation that Avon Fire Service is engaged in any form of positive discrimination.
"It is unlawful and we wouldn't do it. We are doing what we can to encourage applications from women and minority groups who are currently under-represented in the fire service.
"It is my concern to improve diversity so the service reflects the community it serves and we can provide the best possible service.
"But that positive action stops at the point of selection. Once someone has applied, they are selected on merit."
He said Avon was aiming for 15 per cent of its staff to be female and 3 per cent to come from ethnic minorities.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said the fire brigade appeared not to have broken any equality laws.
While positive discrimination between candidates is illegal, a spokesman said, encouraging applicants from particular groups is not.
Avon Fire Service said 103 women and ethnic minority hopefuls had attended the three restricted open days held so far.
The women-only event was attended by 47, the ethnic event by 28, and the joint women and ethnic event by 28. The final event, also joint, will be held today.
Yesterday's session, which was open to all, attracted 179 people within the first 90 minutes.
The open days, along with all other recruitment information, were advertised on the brigade's website.
Avon and Somerset Police were embroiled in a race row two years ago when the force rejected 186 white applicants at the first stage of selection.
The force received 800 applications for just 180 jobs and admitted it had "deselected" white male applicants in a bid to increase ethnic diversity. Chief Constable Colin Port was forced to apologise.




0pm on 25th January 2008
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