Rail industry preparing for national strikes

[baz962]

Signallers on Monday
PWay on Tuesday
Drivers on Wednesday
Guards on Thursday
Platform Staff on Friday
ECO on Saturday

Nobody works on Sundays anyway.

How very dare you. I work Sundays

 

[DanNCL]

Do you mean like two years ago when I had 10 people on my trains all shift. Umm, they came back, because in truth many have little choice. Have you seen the cost of petrol these days?

Taking customers for granted is something that should never be done. Anyone who's worked in business will know that.

This is pure fantasy land thinking

Not at all, it's true. That's what happens when customers are taken for granted.

Really? I'm afraid you are somewhat misguided. Been plenty of rail strikes in the past..... passengers simply accept the reality and travel another way.

Not on this scale in the age of convenience there haven't been. And previous strikes have had an impact on passenger numbers, you've only got to look at some past ORR station usage figures and notes added next to stations with major decreases in usage to see that.

If people really do prefer an alternative then surely it isn't bad. The railway shouldn't exist to force people into using a mode that doesn't align with their needs.

The reason they'd prefer the alternative, which in most cases would be the private car, is because it's reliable and doesn't go on strike... Surely you'd want people to choose the railway, no?

All Staff want is a negotiated compromise

Then the unions should try negotiating one. The RMT haven't they've just barked orders at the DFT and lied to their members to convince enough people to vote for strike action for the ballot to be valid. That list of ticket office closures they published was a load of bollocks, but no doubt it'll have convinced some people to vote for this action who otherwise wouldn't have.

They’ll be back.
Regardless of this fantasy where passengers leave in droves, they come back as they don’t have a choice. People don’t use the train because they want to, they use it because they have to and it’s quite often the most time saving and efficient way to travel across the UK, wether it’s one stop or twenty

Even the hypothetical man who buys a car for his commute, will still return to the train as soon as his car is in for repair or as soon as he wants to go to see a football game or have a night on the town.

That was the case before Covid. An ever increasing number of journeys are discretional leisure journeys - people will simply choose not to do it.

 

[yorkie]

They’ll be back.
Regardless of this fantasy where passengers leave in droves, they come back as they don’t have a choice. People don’t use the train because they want to, they use it because they have to and it’s quite often the most time saving and efficient way to travel across the UK, wether it’s one stop or twenty

Even the hypothetical man who buys a car for his commute, will still return to the train as soon as his car is in for repair or as soon as he wants to go to see a football game or have a night on the town.

Is it really your aim to only provide a bare minimum service for people who have no choice? If so, I'd say you're in the wrong job.

 

[Fokx]

That was the case before Covid. An ever increasing number of journeys are discretional leisure journeys - people will simply choose not to do it.

I don’t know which part of the UK you are currently in but where I am the trains are mainly full and standing, and not just peak times.

The day after ‘normality’ I sent 4 full and standing reports from the 6 trains I worked that day. One of the highest complaints currently at my TOC is capacity issues (after cancellations)

 

[CFRAIL]

I doubt any staff deep down want to strike, this is more about sending a clear message and giving us the mandate to strike if necessary. Presumably the aim is to now encourage the concerned parties to get round the negotiating table and negotiate meaningfully... this strengthens the hand of the workers/RMT from a negotiation point of view and that can only be a good thing. The government claim they want to level up and to have a high skill, high wage employment, time to put their money where their mouth is....

 

[Tomp94]

I wonder what'll happen now then...
I assume the strikes will go ahead, starting some time in mid june w/c Sunday 12th June...
Can't see RMT and the regime reaching a deal!

 

[43066]

That was the case before Covid. An ever increasing number of journeys are discretional leisure journeys - people will simply choose not to do it.

So on the one hand the railways are so essential that you want to ban strike action. On the other we will all be made redundant because nobody will use it anymore.

You can’t have it both ways!

Keep in mind we already have extremely strict anti union laws in this country, and the list of countries with stricter prohibitions (some where unions are banned altogether) is a highly disreputable one which nobody who values decent democratic principles should want the U.K. to join.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Then the unions should try negotiating one. The RMT haven't they've just barked orders at the DFT and lied to their members to convince enough people to vote for strike action for the ballot to be valid. That list of ticket office closures they published was a load of bollocks, but no doubt it'll have convinced some people to vote for this action who otherwise wouldn't have.

Hmmmm like the negotiated payrise that got swept under the table just as covid hit? Passengers will come back and many many Ticket offices are in great danger of being closed. The Gov or Toc's dont care about their Customers they care about profit. Even during the depths of Covid dividends were still being paid.

 

[Fokx]

Is it really your aim to only provide a bare minimum service for people who have no choice? If so, I'd say you're in the wrong job.

That’s what public transport is, that’s why it exists.

It’s not my personal aim, and it’s certainly not the service I personally provide but that’s certainly the view of the DfT

 

[KendalR]

For all the posters complaining about Police,NHS,Teachers and private sector workers... I agree they should all get inflation matching pay rises. Just because they do not does not mean railway employees are not entitled to them. It isn't a race to the bottom.

We are living in times with inflation at it's highest and the worst energy crisis in a generation. The average wage and house prices are getting further and further apart making the country a nation of renters.

All whilst the rich get richer, new billionaires getting created each year, multi-nationals avoiding tax and energy companies are making excessive profits.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Bit in bold - AIUI the decision to "write off" that was an HMRC one, but there has to be a balance. If the cost of trying to claw that back is more than it will recover, then what's the point? It's the kind of decision that HMRC take day in day out - I don't for a minute believe they choose to write amounts off lightly, but they do have to act in the public interest.

Its not that the cost of it its the fact that many of these companies were setup by crime syndicates in overseas entities and are all but untouchable. Oh and if they were acting in the public interest they wouldn't have just given the money out so easily.

 

[winks]

We were told so many times that the current governement’s aim is to create high skills high wages economy .

Time to live to its promises .

We were told so many times that the current governement’s aim is to create high skills high wages economy .

Time to live to its promises .

The railway industry is a high wage economy. This is a fact. Guards on min. £35k (SWR) and TfL forklift driver on £47K

 

[WatcherZero]

I think Transport for Wales is now the only major TOC in Britain that is not in dispute with ASLEF or the RMT. But of course if Network Rail staff go on strike, no trains will be able to run in Wales & the English Borders anyway.

RMT GTR voted for action short of a strike and against striking.
RMT Isle of Wight Island Line voted against strike and against action short of a strike.

 

[A0]

They’ll be back.
Regardless of this fantasy where passengers leave in droves, they come back as they don’t have a choice. People don’t use the train because they want to, they use it because they have to and it’s quite often the most time saving and efficient way to travel across the UK, wether it’s one stop or twenty

Even the hypothetical man who buys a car for his commute, will still return to the train as soon as his car is in for repair or as soon as he wants to go to see a football game or have a night on the town.

Not before the rail industry has lost a huge amount of revenue and public confidence.

That can take years to recover.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Under 30k on Northern

 

[Gems]

Oh come along now. Let's be honest. The government have been totally incompetent. They and their cronies have blocked any form of pay negotiation. All they had to do was get around the table. Inflation is at 10% and rising.

If you want to see incompetence. Look to a government who's amazing leader between getting Pissed and telling lies, openly admitted he signed the NI protocol believing the EU would never hold him to it.

There Sherlock is your villain's. Not workers who turned up for work during a pandemic to be coughed, sneezed and in some cases spat at.

 

[MadCommuter]

They’ll be back.
Regardless of this fantasy where passengers leave in droves, they come back as they don’t have a choice. People don’t use the train because they want to, they use it because they have to and it’s quite often the most time saving and efficient way to travel across the UK, wether it’s one stop or twenty

Even the hypothetical man who buys a car for his commute, will still return to the train as soon as his car is in for repair or as soon as he wants to go to see a football game or have a night on the town.

I guess I'm the exception then. I haven't used a mainline train since March 2020 and now I'm back in the office, I'm enjoying the warmth of my car, travel when I want to, a guaranteed seat, no cancellations and I'm able to avoid delays with Google Maps.

 

[class ep-09]

.

So the turkeys have voted for Christmas. Just remember folks how well the RMT did protecting those jobs at P&O.

strikes = reduced passenger demand = reduced service levels = fewer jobs. The RMT are among the biggest bunch of muppets going.

Yeah, we know , we’ve heard that so many times .

 

[43096]

Never heard of it. Was it like the 1982 railway strike that finished off the railway and its unions?

The one where the BR Board was on the point of issuing redundancy notices to everyone and shutting the railway down, resulting in ASLEF caving in?

The RMT are among the biggest bunch of muppets going.

It's all part of their class war; the sheep that voted for it are the ones who will pay, both in terms of lost income and in terms of the long term repercussions.

 

[al78]

So because its inconvenient bring in even more Anti Union legislation when we have some of the strictest in Europe. The more Democracy is buried the more you have a dictatorship

The Juice Media satirised this nicely in the case of Australia, but there may be parallels with the UK:

 

[Cletus]

So, how long might it be until a strike will happen?

Days? Weeks? Months?

 

[class ep-09]

Yes people will - they'll decide they prefer the alternative, never return to the railway again and there'll be mass redundancies on the railway as a result of demand being permanently down. Is that really what you want?

Project Fear

 

[ar10642]

I did warn you.....and so did your colleagues. So .... signalling staff , guards, and drivers all strike on separate days. Each grade loses a day's pay, but the railway shuts down for 3 days. That's the likely reality. And it could well go on for a long time.

Ok, so I'll either not go to the office or drive for £20 less than the railway wants. Why would I bother coming back if you're going to trash the service for a "long time"? It's sticking 2 fingers up to the people that use the service.

 

[A0]

Its not that the cost of it its the fact that many of these companies were setup by crime syndicates in overseas entities and are all but untouchable. Oh and if they were acting in the public interest they wouldn't have just given the money out so easily.

It's easy, with hindsight, to criticise the process by which Covid recovery funds were allocated - but we shouldn't lose sight of quite how quickly the world shut down and something had to be put in place to prevent a huge number of business failures. Inevitably when things are done in a rush, quality suffers - but there was a need for an "at pace" response.

 

[KendalR]

So, how long might it be until a strike will happen?

Days? Weeks? Months?

Mid June

 

[43096]

You got to Double Figures!! some days I didn't have that.

And you still had a job at the end of it. Many in other industries didn't.

 

[Class 466]

are detailed results available for any other TOCs yet?

 

[ar10642]

Project Fear

Project reality

 

[Gems]

I guess I'm the exception then. I haven't used a mainline train since March 2020 and now I'm back in the office, I'm enjoying the warmth of my car, travel when I want to, a guaranteed seat, no cancellations and I'm able to avoid delays with Google Maps.

Why are you bothering with a railway forum then if you hate trains so much?

 

[142blue]

We

Well I for one and very angry right now.

We need strong anti-strike legislation immediately - Too late for now but it is not right that the RMT can hold the country to ransom whenever they feel like it without any regard for the people that you are harming.

Another Summer down the drain - thanks lads - at least that is tomorrow sorted to cancel all of my plans.

So if workers feel so badly that they can't legally vote to a strike and meet the required mandate you spit your dummy out and demand it's made illegal. You can probably guess what my opinion is of you right now