XC Industrial Action from 23rd August onwards…

[Jamesrob637]

If you're referring to the "Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023" which allowed employers to get a court to order a minimum 40% service level, it has effectively never been used** and is in the process of being repealed.

But even if it was applied it only *allows* the employer to get a "work order"; it does not *oblige* them to get such an order, or to provide any service at all.

So the short answer is no, it's not illegal.

** I believe LNER might have obtained such an order, the union reacted by scheduling much more extensive strikes which complied with the 40% requirement and LNER abandoned the attempt. I may have misremembered the details though. As far as I know this was the only time the legislation has been used.

Yes, that one which was never officially enforced so a complete waste of time if it was never going to be carried out.

 

[Lanley]

Most operators would use managers with train working competence to provide the skeleton service.

I heard on the grapevine XC (more probably DfT) cut - or at least were intending to cut - management contingency competence, so many of the managers who would ordinarily cover the service on strike days may well now be out of competence to work trains.

The natural result will be, virtually no service on a strike day.

I believe it is an RMT agreement whereby XC agreed to not use management grades (or only specific grades) as contingents as per the link:

MANAGERS WORKING AS GUARDS - CROSSCOUNTRY

www.rmt.org.uk

Finally, the company have accepted the removal of competence from various managerial grades who have been undertaken the duties of our Guard Members. They have listed which managerial positions they require to maintain competence of the Guard and in which circumstances they can be used. This will come into effect from 1st April 2025.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Your app may show the cancellation sometime tomorrow when the journey planners etc. are updated, at the moment only the pdf at the link above contains the real timetable.

Basically you need to decide if you can possibly travel the following day, or if you have to try to travel earlier on the 23rd via XC, e.g. on the 1344 (assuming you're going southbound), or if you can re-route via London, then contact customer services to find out about ticket validity and assistance.

If you want more help here post details of where you are going and when you want to be there / when you absolutely have to be there / whether you can handle crossing London etc.

Was a Tutbury & Hatton to York as a day trip to show my partner the inspiration train, although EMR should be in touch since they are the ones who booked my assist, I sense there will be alot of frustrated station staff on the action days.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Strike service details have now appeared:

Industrial Action | CrossCountry Trains

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

The stand-out detail is *no services whatsoever* on Saturday 23rd August. As far as I'm aware they have always managed at least some restricted services on the core routes in the past.
Edit: Note that as of 13:15 18th August the journey planners etc. have not been updated, this is due to happen tomorrow sometime.
Edit: The timetable for Monday is now available via the link above. And it's *very minimal*. RTT etc. still not showing updates as of 16:15

Quote:


Monday has a *very* limited service:


Incidentally I love the way the complete canning of the Nottingham - Brimingham - Cardiff route doesn't merit a mention in the summary above for Monday while the other 170 route - Birmingham - Leicester - Cambridge - Stansted does.

Non-strike day Sunday is just "liable to cancellations", but that sounds like a typical Sunday anyhow.

I hope that on Saturday and Monday EMR might run 4 coach services between Nottingham and Norwich to cover the missing XC services from Peterborough to Ely; EMR should have enough spare due to the Stockport blockade.

Stockport is back open on Saturday.

 

[duffield]

Stockport is back open on Saturday.

So it is, I'd miscalculated. I'll edit my post.

 

[reb0118]

Forgive me if it’s a silly question, but I’m wondering why any bonus (3p or otherwise) should be justified for scanning an electronic ticket - surely that’s just doing the day job? If I get asked to perform a specific task in the normal course of my work day, I don’t expect a salary enhancement?

At my TOC one point, amongst many, was that m & e tickets were significantly reducing on train commission from ticket sales. Many ticketless passengers just buy an m-ticket on the approach of the guard, whereas before the guard would find them and sell them one.

One way to offset that, somewhat, was to offer a small scan commission.

There were other reasons too.

 

[eastcoast77]

From memory GWR pay on board catering staff a "Front Set Lead" rate when operating 5 car IETs in multiple with the guard in the rear unit. There were problems back in the beginning of IET introduction with units being locked out due to this not happening, I remember threads about it on the forum at the time.

I do wonder if LNER or Avanti have a similar arrangement.

On LNER ten cars, the front set will have a Customer Experience Leader (basc a Senior Host) who can check tickets. Unsure if they have revenue equipment to sell tickets or not though or if it's just a mobile scanning app.

 

[Wyrleybart]

On LNER ten cars, the front set will have a Customer Experience Leader (basc a Senior Host) who can check tickets. Unsure if they have revenue equipment to sell tickets or not though or if it's just a mobile scanning app.

Good of OLR to lead the way on this

 

[thealexweb]

I hope this doesn’t lead to continuous strikes/overtiem ban. Otherwise DOO will be back on the minds of many again.

 

[Zerothebrake!]

I hope this doesn’t lead to continuous strikes/overtiem ban. Otherwise DOO will be back on the minds of many again.

Good luck bringing DOO into XC's Cornwall operations when they are only currently prepared to pay for train dispatch at Bodmin Parkway (Down only), Truro & Penzance.

 

[Starmill]

I hope this doesn’t lead to continuous strikes/overtiem ban. Otherwise DOO will be back on the minds of many again.

I suspect there will be a big increase in cancellations due to people making their own personal choices to work to rule unfortunately.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

Good luck bringing DOO into XC's Cornwall operations when they are only currently prepared to pay for train dispatch at Bodmin Parkway (Down only), Truro & Penzance.

I am pretty sure that was a rhetorical point rather than an actual suggestion.

 

[Travelmonkey]

I suspect there will be a big increase in cancellations due to people making their own personal choices to work to rule unfortunately.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

Add on the further delay for failed assists too, DOO is a disaster for disabled travelers especially if you want your TUAG (turn up and go) rights.

It's all a bit of a farce XC struggle with staffing to the point they drag along empty trains. Is there any ticket easement on other operators during this industrial action.

 

[Class 170101]

I hope that on Saturday and Monday EMR might run 4 coach services between Nottingham and Norwich to cover the missing XC services from Peterborough to Ely; EMR should have enough spare due to the Stockport blockade.
Edit: Of course the Stockport blockade is over on 23rd August, so no large pool of spare units; I still hope they'll rustle up a couple for the busiest services.

Even if there were spare units its more likely they would be used to cover EMR's own problems like over crowding to Skegness rather than cover for XC issues.

 

[duffield]

Even if there were spare units its more likely they would be used to cover EMR's own problems like over crowding to Skegness rather than cover for XC issues.

Although XC's issues would become EMR's issues if they got delayed at Ely due to massive crowds being unable to board and ended up missing their ECML slot, with delays propagating right through to Liverpool potentially.

However, having thought about it, I don't expect it will actually be too bad at all, since (eg.) anyone heading from Stansted or Cambridge towards the West Midlands will have to go via London anyhow - getting from Ely to Peterborough is fruitless with no trains at all between Peterborough and Leicester. So it'll probably only be a little extra local traffic between Ely and Peterborough.

Anyhow, I should find out tomorrow, as I'll be on the EMR service in both directions (heading to and from the Mid-Norfolk Railway beer festival).

 

[Starmill]

The EMR service is likely to be busy with passengers travelling to and from Cambridge by changing at Ely.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

Add on the further delay for failed assists too, DOO is a disaster for disabled travelers especially if you want your TUAG (turn up and go) rights.

I don't think there's any proposal for this at present.

 

[800Travel]

Good luck bringing DOO into XC's Cornwall operations when they are only currently prepared to pay for train dispatch at Bodmin Parkway (Down only), Truro & Penzance.

I had no clue operators had to pay to be dispatched from stations. I just kind of assumed it’d all be covered by track access charges. Never really thought about it

 

[Benjwri]

I had no clue operators had to pay to be dispatched from stations. I just kind of assumed it’d all be covered by track access charges. Never really thought about it

It depends whose staff the dispatchers are. If XC employed staff to dispatch at these stations they obviously wouldn't have to pay, as GWR is the company providing the dispatchers they pay GWR to use them.

 

[sir_gummerz]

I had no clue operators had to pay to be dispatched from stations. I just kind of assumed it’d all be covered by track access charges. Never really thought about it

It varies from station to station. There's some places with a silly amount of different dispatchers all Dispatching there own tocs trains but not others. Manchester Piccadilly has 3 different pools of staff, although I cant remember who does what exactly. I know TPE used agency dispatch staff at one point, and cross country gets dispatched by northen staff. These will be negotiated between tocs. Cross country used to have dedicated dispchers at some stations but a few years ago there was a push to get rid off them

 

[357]

Staff have been told if they are going to man a picket line they have to buy a full price ticket and not use any discount/free travel

 

[1D54]

Cross country used to have dedicated dispchers at some stations but a few years ago there was a push to get rid off them

Why and more importantly by whom? Surely better than doing what TPE did and employing agency staff.

 

[Starmill]

I had no clue operators had to pay to be dispatched from stations. I just kind of assumed it’d all be covered by track access charges. Never really thought about it

It's included in the station access charges which have to be paid regardless. However it may affect the calculation if the risk assessment calls for mandatory assisted dispatch.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

Staff have been told if they are going to man a picket line they have to buy a full price ticket and not use any discount/free travel

I would have thought the staff in question would boycott the use of the service if they're on strike on that day so it wouldn't matter.

Priv tickets are never permitted for union duties anyway. Any duty facilities are by definition not available when on strike because you aren't on duty. So it seems a little immature to issue a reminder about this.

 

[LowLevel]

Staff have been told if they are going to man a picket line they have to buy a full price ticket and not use any discount/free travel

That's nothing unusual. We've always been told that free travel facilities are barred if you're striking. Might be more difficult ex BR staff passes but TOC passes always come with a "may be withdrawn at any time" rider.

 

[sir_gummerz]

Why and more importantly by whom? Surely better than doing what TPE did and employing agency staff.

They are now dispatched by a local toc, LNER, GWR, EMR ect.

The last to go were Edinburgh, got transfered to LNER.

It does kind of make sense, having to employ someone to dispatch 1 train an hour probably isnt very efficient

 

[1D54]

Makes total sense.

So say for arguments sake you had an XC employee dispatching one train an hour on an eight hour shift, what the heck was this person doing when not dispatching trains?

 

[Carlisle]

Makes total sense.

what the heck was this person doing when not dispatching trains?

Probably duties associated with arrivals & preparation for the next departures of Voyagers .

 

[LowLevel]

Add on the further delay for failed assists too, DOO is a disaster for disabled travelers especially if you want your TUAG (turn up and go) rights.

It's all a bit of a farce XC struggle with staffing to the point they drag along empty trains. Is there any ticket easement on other operators during this industrial action.

The answer from EMR appears to be no, ticket acceptance refused on all 3 impacted days.

 

[thelongestroad]

The answer from EMR appears to be no, ticket acceptance refused on all 3 impacted days.

Although good luck enforcing that...

 

[LowLevel]

Although good luck enforcing that...

I personally have little intent on doing so.

 

[Lanley]

The answer from EMR appears to be no, ticket acceptance refused on all 3 impacted days.

That seems contradictory to what’s on XC’s website regarding ticket easement:

Industrial Action | CrossCountry Trains

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

Ticket Easement

Tickets for travel on Saturday 23, Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August are valid for travel between Thursday 21 August and Wednesday 27 August, and passengers are advised to travel either side of the bank holiday weekend. This applies to customers completing their rail journeys wholly with CrossCountry, as well as journeys to, from or via CrossCountry services and connecting operators.

 

[LowLevel]

That seems contradictory to what’s on XC’s website regarding ticket easement:

Industrial Action | CrossCountry Trains

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

The using other days thing to connect with XC is fine - just using XC only tickets on other services is what I meant, sorry if that wasn't clear!