Tempers flared this Tuesday morning in the Brussels Parliament, during a stormy interior commission which looked into “the plaster ordinance”, this text supposed to allow Uber drivers deprived of their work by a court judgment of appeal from Brussels at the end of November to rework, while waiting for a more global solution, scheduled for in a few months.
“In the Interior Commission, several majority and opposition parties clearly accuse Rudi Vervoort, in the Sparadrap/LVC case, of not respecting parliament, the government’s decision or the government agreement. What are the majority parties going to do?”,tweeted David Weytsman (MR), Brussels MP and member of the opposition who questioned the Brussels Minister-President about a circular sent on December 23 which frames the controls of taxi and LVC services (car rental with driver).
Vervoort: “None of these drivers sees their work regime modified by the plaster order”
MP Marc Lowenstein (Défi), member of the majority, stepped up to the plate. He points to a circular released on December 23 which set the rules for implementing the plaster order, including the situation of Flemish and Walloon license holders. However, in this text, only races that begin or end in Brussels are recognized. Those that take place inside Brussels are not and drivers who have a Walloon or Flemish license then risk fines.
“The philosophy of the Band-Aid Order is to allow Uber drivers to continue driving and not change the current rule. But not, three or four months before the global reform, to go further than what in our opinion was agreed”, specifies Marc Lowenstein. “Some will say that they want to save the jobs of Brussels residents, but many of the Flemish or Walloon license holders are from Brussels or have a connection with Brussels.”
The Brussels Minister-President responded to the criticisms made in committee. For Rudi Vervoort, in the absence of a cooperation agreement between Regions, “the authorizations to operate a taxi or LVC service issued by neighboring regions can only be operated on Brussels territory within the limits determined by the Constitutional Court”. In summary, some drivers have been able to put themselves in order to continue working, but those who drive under a Walloon or Flemish license do not depend on the Brussels authorities.
The socialist adds that “we do not have the number of Flemish or Walloon LVC license holders” and specifies that “none of these drivers sees their work regime modified by the so-called “strapadrap” ordinance. He recalls that the platforms , such as Uber, can only dispatch their taxi rides “to LVC operators who comply with the legal rules set by the legislation concerning them” and that “non-compliance with these provisions may lead to the suspension and withdrawal of approval. “
The answer did not convince all the members of the opposition or even of the majority.
“A confrontation between the PS, very close to the taxi lobby, and Challenge”
Christophe Magdalijns, Défi deputy, extends the reflection. “We are upset by the procrastination of the PS. It appears that circulars are taken to regulate the sector whereas the plaster order was to allow us to take the time for a definitive solution. They already seem to condition the market and make it more difficult for Uber, making it more favorable to taxis. There is a confrontation between the PS, very close to the taxi lobby, and us, who are sensitive to the 2.0 economy”.
“It was said in this ordinance and in the parliamentary debates that the Flemish and Walloon Ubers were included in it, so basically they are part of the plaster text”, specifies David Leisterh, Brussels deputy and president of the Brussels MR. “On the ground and in the circulars, this is not the case: they are sanctioned! In the interior commission this morning, Rudi Vervoort was disavowed by the opposition party which says because it does not respect the initial deal. It is either an error, a lie or even a betrayal.”