You really seem to have it in for the railways.
I'm not in the industry but try and see it this way.
When you are employed you have a contract with terms and conditions. That is what you and the company agreed to as to your role. Now the company turns round and just changes it to your detriment and says that's what you will do now.
You would quite rightly be p'd off. It's sod all to do with x to play ball it's about fairness. Drivers rightly see themselves in a safety critical role and generally are a brotherhood (Union spirit is very strong). There won't be the x who tow the line. Looks what has been happening with the underground. Don't think it won't be any different elsewhere.
I don't have anything in the for railways. Since I've worked for the company I've worked for we were forced to have Sundays off or face redundancy numbers, my shift patterns have been changed to suit workloads and my hours have been adjusted with market and economic conditions taken into consideration.
Peter Wilkinson is trying to change the railways to make them more in his model of thinking for whatever reason. If the drivers have their way then the railway will always be the way it is today because a contract will force the old adage "We do it this way because thats the way we always done it".
I noticed Wilkinsons resume covers quite a bit of the globe. So perhaps this is cultural. Perhaps British workers don't budge as much as foreign overseas workers. Perhaps he's well educated on past friction between railway unions and management.
What I am trying to say is that railways are not immune to change based on contracts. Its ugly, its not welcome, but there are a lot of us outside of railways that have felt the pinch of change.
As for the OP, his demeanor leaves a bit to be desired and you shouldn't start negotiations with fighting words. As I see it, it will provoke a nasty response that won't help either party and the railway customers will no doubt suffer as consequence.
