YORK cabbies who are annoyed about being told to wear ties should look across the Pennines to Stockport.

Last month, a government worker, Matthew Thompson, became an instant hero among supporters of open necks when he won a case at an employment tribunal in Manchester. Mr Thompson had rebelled when told he should wear a tie to work.

Although Mr Thompson's case was slightly different, in that his argument lay in having a job where he did not meet members of the public, the anti-tie principles remain similar.

York cabbies who use the rank outside the station do meet members of the public - and that explains their dislike of ties. They believe the regulation ties could be used to strangle them, and fear that having to wear a tie could put them at risk.

Many men feel social norms require them to wear a colourful garrotte around their neck. Cabbies have a more literal reason to complain, fearing an enraged or unstable passenger could abuse a driver's tie.

People expect a certain level of service from cabbies. This entails the driver arriving promptly, delivering them by the least circuitous route and not over-charging at the end. It may even involve the sharing of certain colourful opinions en route.

The enforced wearing of ties caused a dispute among drivers in York in 1997, and now this knotty - or perhaps knotted - issue has returned.

The dress code for drivers is being insisted on by GNER, which controls the £428-a-year permits for the station rank. Station Taxis, which issues the permits, has agreed the code with the railway company - under threat of losing the right to operate outside the station.

Bizarrely, drivers can avoid ties in summer, so long as they wear smart polo shirts. The imposition of such a strict dress code on drivers seems unnecessary.

It is right that drivers should be presentable - but quite where ties come into this is another matter.

Updated: 11:21 Thursday, May 01, 2003