Before or after they'd had their 1st class food!!
To solve this problem and all the problems caused by the railway industry's dependence on overtime and rest day working the Government has to enable the railway industry to recruit enough additional staff to end this dependence on overtime and rest day working. I note the following statement by the Rail Minister Lord Hendy in the House of Lords on 5 December.
I'm going to have to ask you to explain your logic here because I can't make head or tail of it. Avanti guards haven't struck for around a year (I can't remember the precise date that RMT settled). So "constantly" is cobblers for a start. As there haven't been any walkouts in ages, what do you think that managers have been covering? It's got nothing to do with strikes.
Realistically there will still be some kind of service. It may not be very good but it's very very unlikely anyone will be stranded over the two days of no service somewhere they didn't want to be. Some Avanti, LNR & WMR and TransPennine Express trains will run. Maybe not many but not none.
And some highly put-apon junior managers will be obliged to provide the stop gap.
It does seem odd to strike over a poor overtime rate - normally the response would just be an overtime ban. The fact that it has gone to strike (with a massive mandate at the ballot) is indicative of just how bitter relations are. Like someone suggested on the Northern thread, a management clearout would be the fastest way of restoring harmony.
It's almost impossible to convey to people how low industrial relations have gotten in many industries across the country. It's the heavy unionisation of the transport sector that brings it to the public's attention, but everyone I know is fed up with the endless cuts in their respective organisations, be that retail, education, law, publishing, or wherever.
In an e-referendum, 92.8% of our members rejected management's latest proposals on a turnout of 81%.
Avanti train managers to strike after overwhelming rejection of rest day proposals
Train Managers at Avanti West Coast will take strike action after overwhelmingly rejecting the company’s inadequate proposals on rest day working arrangements.www.rmt.org.uk
Is this confirmed? RMT and Avanti websites still showing the strike as if going ahead. Have you a source for this suspension?
Yes it is. Just seen the Avanti memo from a TM I was passing with. kev77 I believe works for them so...
Given Kev77's previous posts he is presumably one of the TMs involved and has been informed by his rep.
Procedural Chess
Noting the following press article perhaps the Government asked Avanti management to make a revised offer to avoid the strikes on 22, 23 and 29 December.
They don’t always get breaks away from the train so they’re more than entitled to have some down time to themselves, also entitled to a bite to eat, AWC may not be perfect but it’s not a sweatshop either.
Why would you assume it's likely to be rejected? The RMT wouldn't have suspended the action had they thought the offer would be unacceptable to their members.
Remember this next time that people are blaming RMT for lack of information.
31st would be difficult. The vote closes on the 17th so they'd have to give notice extremely quickly.
