UPDATE
The striking limousine and minivan drivers returned to work at noon on Thursday after it was agreed that there would be no increase in their payments.
Original Report
PHUKET: Many passengers arriving at Phuket International Airport after 1pm today were left to fend for themselves as 110 drivers of limousines and minivans went on strike against their boss.
The man, a local powerbroker who also controls many of the shops in the airport, told the drivers earlier today that they would have to pay an extra 250,000 baht to 300,000 baht over four years to retain their positions in the rented ranks at the facility.
''We stopped work because it's an extra 15 to 20 percent for us,'' one limo driver, who wished to remain anonymous, told Phuketwan this evening.
''We are already stretched and forced to ask high fares because of what we have to pay to others.''
Airports of Thailand manages the Phuket International Airport and deals in rent negotiations with the two people who directly control the two limousine and minivan services.
Governors of Phuket have for years attempted to impose a better structure than the current arrangement at the airport, but have sometimes been threatened with blockades.
The contract for the spaces at the airport, Phuketwan has been told, comes up for renewal every four years.
This new contract will run beyond the November 2014 date set for completion of the Phuket International Airport enlargement to handle 12.5 million arrivals and departures.
The airport contract system is just one symptom of Phuket's public transport chaos that generates excessively high fares for limos, taxis and tuk-tuks.
The limo driver told Phuketwan ''A big guy is on his way from Bangkok tonight to sort it out for us.''
My heart bleeds when I read such bad things to good people... ;)
Posted by Tbs on November 23, 2011 20:26