The color is not easy to overlook. Yet nearly 600 turquoise-green taxis have been secretly shipped to Denmark.
This is reported by TV2.
The taxis are from the Vietnamese company Green SM, and they are currently parked in an industrial area in Avedøre, before rolling onto the Danish taxi market on July 30.
It is not only the taxis' color and Asian origin that have caused a stir, but also the working conditions the company offers, which several believe could challenge an already pressured industry.
"I always find it exciting when someone comes along who wants to challenge us, and I actually think this company does," says Jørn Hedengran, negotiation secretary at 3F Transport.
The taxis are produced by the Vietnamese car brand VinFast, whose founder also owns Green SM. Exactly how many taxis Green SM has in Denmark is unknown, but according to FDM, 590 units have been registered.
DR has attempted to get a comment from Green SM, but the company's Danish management has not wished to grant an interview.
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Working conditions are 'epoch-making'
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In various job postings, Green SM guarantees a fixed salary of 29,000 kroner per month with a bonus scheme for a 37-hour work week.
These working conditions seem very interesting to Gert Mark, chairman of the industry association ATAX.
"It is an interesting development where you start by offering the driver a relatively high salary and only afterwards offer the rides to customers. The industry is known for doing the opposite by giving a lot of discounts to customers, and then the driver can see what is left in salary for them," he says.
He therefore also hopes it will inspire others in the industry to do the same.
Below you can hear what one of Green SM's drivers says about the working conditions:
Jørn Hedengran, negotiation secretary at 3F Transport, is also positive about the working conditions the company promises.
"It is epoch-making for us that they step in and establish that the working hours are 8 hours. And regarding the salary plus the bonus they add on top, we look at it very optimistically," he says.
3F has already been in dialogue with the company, and although they would like to see them join an employers' association, they are reassured for now.
"The messages we have from the company are that they will follow Danish legislation and thus also wage and employment conditions. So we are actually fairly comfortable with that," he says.
However, he wants to see it happen before he fully believes it.
"They haven't started driving yet, so let's see how the wage structure and working hours actually work out once they get going," he says.
Below you can hear what a potential taxi customer says about the working conditions:
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3,000 drivers
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Green SM has previously stated to the trade magazine Ingeniøren that they will hire up to 3,000 drivers. Jørn Hedengran does not quite believe that, however, as there is already high demand for drivers.
"They are creating competition with other companies by recruiting people who are already in some form of employment. There is no doubt that we are dealing with a company with a high level of ambition," he says.
Gert Mark, however, is more convinced that it can succeed because the working conditions can compete with other companies.
> "I think they will very quickly lose their drivers, and that, I think, is actually okay"
> Gert Mark, chairman of the industry association ATAX
"I think those who today do not have orderly conditions, do not pay pensions, do not pay the minimum wage, they will very quickly lose their drivers, and that, I think, is actually okay," he says.
It also makes no difference to him that it is an Asian company.
"I just hope that the Danish companies still in the industry can see that they have to go the same way. With proper wages for the workers and proper agreements," he says.
However, he believes it is important that the authorities keep an eye on whether what they promise is being upheld.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.