Chris Grayling blames unions for rail fare hike

[Taunton]

I agree that rail staff pay is moving well ahead of the general population/farepayers. And there is little sign of efficiencies to compensate, either attained or offered.

However, it is not just the unionised grades. Senior execs at the TOCs and their arms-length owners have managed even greater whoppers. At Go-Ahead (onetime Northern General Buses of Gateshead), now proud majority owners of GTR/Thameslink et al, Chief Exec David Brown from 2017 to 2018 (ie right through the Thameslink timetable fiasco) managed a 50% increase, from £782,000 to £1,175,000, while the Chief Financial Officer Patrick Butcher went from £422,000 to £630,000, a similar 50% increase - and promptly left for the different pickings at Capita. These seem somewhat unbelieveable so here's the data from Go Ahead's own Exec Remuneration Report. There's a lot of text but the figures are in the box at the bottom of the first page https://www.go-ahead.com/content/dam/go-ahead/corporate/documents/2018annualreport/Remuneration committee.pdf

Meanwhile, over in Whitehall the rail industry dominates the top paid public servants, Mark Thurston, Chief Exec of HS2, is the country's topmost, at £615,000, and No 2 is Andrew Haines, Chief Exec at Network Rail, on £590,000. In fact, of the top 16 paid officials across the whole public sector, 13 of them are in rail, many of whose job descriptions sound somewhat overlapping. Again, you probably would not believe this without the official government report listing it, so here it is https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-officials-high-earners-salaries

Who said Gravy Train?

 

[londonteacher]

Many senior teachers and head teachers earn well in excess of any train driver, i.e. over £100k especially in the semi private academy sector.

Yes, some Senior Teachers and Head teachers may earn this amount of money but it is extremely rare. I am a teacher and I am paid significantly less than a train driver (not moaning about my pay).

Could some sort of payscale be introduced like in most careers?

 

[6Z09]

Coditions for many staff have been going backwards!
Part time and zero hour contracts agency staff being used instead of filling vacancies.
Lack of station staff .
Nothing is Graylings fault though he sticks to the dont blame cry what ever job he has had in government.

 

[coppercapped]

Once again Grayling has gone for the easy pickings, the ordinary staff on the ground. The ORR have released figures stating that staff wages make up just 25% of the cost of the railways. What he fails to admit is how his departments failings are pushing up costs elsewhere. Trains that are bearly half life are likely heading for the scrap yard because of the new trains bonanza which will push up leasing costs. No it’s far easier for Grayling to attack ordinary staff than it is to admit his own gross failings. Grayling definitely has a default mode, blame the unions for absolutely everything.

Err, not quite!

The ORR's figures show that 23% of the TOCs costs are staffing costs...
This NOT the same as "staff wages make up just 25% of the cost of the railways".

 

[Andyh82]

The rail industry seems to be almost unique where you are guaranteed every year to get an above inflation pay increase, and that it isn’t linked in any way to the performance of the employee or of the company they work for.

On that basis it is no wonder that there are fare increases every year.


On the news, Labour were once again blaming the recent poor performance on the TOCs and saying they should foot the bill for the cost increases with a fares freeze. Ignoring as always the input Network Rail had in the poor performance.

 

[Basher]

As a person who only uses the railway about twice a year, and doesn't have a local railway station. I would say let the fares go up by reducing the tax payers support, let the people who use it pay the true cost.

 

[AM9]

that's definitely not right. if you work a 5 day week and have 5 weeks holiday, over a year that is 47 weeks X 5 which makes 235 days. £6428 divided by 235 is £27.35 a day (unless they mean the £13.85 is each way?)

Theat is for an Anytime Return plus a zone 1-6 Travelcard for those days. A fare of £27.35 per day is just 43% of the £64.30 that an Anytime Travelcard costs. It's even 20% cheaper than a £33.20 Super Off-peak Travelcard which won't allow travel into London until after 12:00 and has an evening restriction starting less than four hours later. Season ticket holders get a far better deal than walk-up ticket buyers who effectively subsidise their lower fares.

 

[bb21]

Old news and same old predictably boring arguments back and forwards.