Reality is, that scenario would mean an election campaign over Christmas and New Year which would not be popular. Realistically I think the latest date for an election would be October or November 2024, but May 2024 still a possibility.
-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
RMT members overwhelmingly back further strike action
- Thread starter Philip
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
The government aren’t going to want to run the clock down to the last possible moment. They will want to resolve the current IR issues in all sectors and be seen to move on from them well before any election. They will also want some flexibility to choose dates.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Agreed. It’s an unknown for now, but highly unlikely under any circumstances to be the latest legally possible date.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
New Labour were a competent and pragmatic government who were happy to compromise when required. New Labour were the best government we’ve had since at least the 50s. I’d take New Labour in a flash compared to the shysters and charlatans in charge now.
They won’t need to “give in” to the unions, they’ll just need to negotiate with integrity. For all the bluster, the RMT are a very pragmatic union- hard negotiators, but realistic negotiators. Negotiate in good faith and the RMT will do too.
Topological
Established Member
I really hope that you are right about the industrial relations issues being resolved.
I think that goes for everyone involved on both the staff and passenger side!
The problem the RMT have is that it’s no longer a big news story, when strikes involving teachers, nurses, doctors etc are a much bigger sorry. When something becomes a regular occurrence it becomes less newsworthy.
So there will be intermittent strikes every few weeks/months that receives minimal news coverage until after the next general election
Labour won’t want to commit too much this side of the election and it won’t be at the top of the agenda in the election manifestos, and they probably won’t agree to all of the demands afterwards either. Eventually a deal will be made that is little different to the one on the table now.
So there will be intermittent strikes every few weeks/months that receives minimal news coverage until after the next general election
Labour won’t want to commit too much this side of the election and it won’t be at the top of the agenda in the election manifestos, and they probably won’t agree to all of the demands afterwards either. Eventually a deal will be made that is little different to the one on the table now.
Didn’t P&O just fire all the existing staff, no rehire was offered at the time that I can recall ?
bramling
Veteran Member
I sense the same mood everywhere.
The one result this government have achieved is that today my household did something I once thought would *never* happen. I’m still feeling sick now.
Hopefully it will send a message.
No by-election here (I’m in a London Borough). Come the GE I’ll be either not voting, or possibly voting Lib Dem, which will be by far the furthest left I’ve ever voted! I’m in a safe Tory seat so that will be more effective - and I doubt I’ll be able to bring myself to vote for Mister Softee!
No seat in London is expected to be safe for the Conservatives if the electorate pay attention to who is the closest alternative.
bramling
Veteran Member
I would have considered voting Lib Dem, however notwithstanding that I’m always wary of the way they have in the past positioned themselves as a protest option by promising different things to different people, the local Lib Dem councillors have unimpressed me over recent months. I’m fuming with the Conservatives in so many ways - the rail situation being one, but also the Hunt budget, the Truss fiasco, the way they have squandered their political capital, and of course Johnson’s dishonourable conduct.
irish_rail
On Moderation
OK please elaborate ? Because after 13 years of Tories dragging the country to hell id like to see Labour possibly do any worse!
You automatically assume that a Labour Government would be a "nightmare".
How anyone can say that after the Truss fiasco is laughable.
I spent my early working years through the last labour government and they were the definition of stability compared to the neverending fiasco of the Tory government, so I will laugh at your "absolute nightmare".
Sleepy
Established Member
And what do we get from Harper on Question Time about resolving the disputes ? Train drivers are on £60k, which he was quickly taken to task for....
Dougal2345
Member
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2009
- Messages
- 635
Perhaps the RMT could consider cancelling the Eurovision strike, as a gesture of goodwill, which might gain them a modicum of public approval - I think the reason given for choosing that day was that it was the only date possible under the existing mandate at the time?
The RDG's "clarification" is the route cause of the latest chapter of this dispute.
I think most were willing to accept the Dispute Resolution Process before that.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Nope. There are still ICEC grades who have allowances above and beyond salary.
I think most were willing to accept the Dispute Resolution Process before that.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Nope. There are still ICEC grades who have allowances above and beyond salary.
Even a vote for the monster raving loony party is better than not voting at all.
bramling
Veteran Member
The problem with local elections is there’s not that much choice. Here there were five choices - Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, Green and Christian People. Two of those are complete no-no for me on principle, which leaves the three mainstream parties. Lib Dem was out for me because of the performance of the local councillors, which then narrowed it down to two, and my views on one of them at the moment are well documented.
A spoiled paper is probably better than no vote though, though in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t achieve much.
whoosh
Established Member
- Joined
- 3 Sep 2008
- Messages
- 1,894
I stand corrected.
They did more than most though. Ticket offices and shunters were restructured, as well as drivers, guards, and on board staff.
railfan99
Established Member
So do I, because the ongoing strikes (in not just rail) are doing England's international reputation no favours.
Nor does it help the cause of rail advocates who want to encourage passenger and freight usage of this wonderful transportation mode.
Do workers who voted 'yes' to further strike action understand the damage that wage-price spirals historically have done to lower paid employees?
Oh dear here we go again. As a matter of interest, and not working in the industry myself. What percentage of employees in the various companies are actually members of RMT? Expressing those voting in favour as a percentage of total staff in the appropriate areas might show industry wide support for strikes to be much lower than the 50%+ in the RMT figures.
There aren't official figures that I am aware of, but it's normally very high. There's never been more than a few people at the depots I've working in that are not union members (RMT or ASLEF, or TSSA for platform/management). Probably 95-96%ish
Surely the only logical solution is for the RDG to amend the deal and change the wording regarding the mandate for industrial action.
Remove the part that states that an endorsement of this deal will terminate the current dispute, and add in a clause that explicitly states that the dispute and mandate will remain valid, but that the RMT have agreed that they will not exercise the right to strike during the 3 month extensive negotiations at TOC level under the second phase.
This is a win-win and would save the RMT the hassle of going through a reballot of members like the original offer proposes. The leverage of industrial action remains and the RMT could use this immediately should no agreement be made at the end of the 3 months.
Remove the part that states that an endorsement of this deal will terminate the current dispute, and add in a clause that explicitly states that the dispute and mandate will remain valid, but that the RMT have agreed that they will not exercise the right to strike during the 3 month extensive negotiations at TOC level under the second phase.
This is a win-win and would save the RMT the hassle of going through a reballot of members like the original offer proposes. The leverage of industrial action remains and the RMT could use this immediately should no agreement be made at the end of the 3 months.
philosopher
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Sep 2015
- Messages
- 1,513
While the strikes are big news here, I would be surprised if they gain much news coverage internationally. If they do it, it would probably be limited to a minute of so long news story during the second half of the news programme or a couple of paragraphs in a newspaper.
If you are tourist in London on a day when there is a tube strikes or you arrive at / depart from Gatwick airport when ASLEF are striking your experience of the UK may be soured from the strikes and may put off you visiting the UK in future, however most tourists would still have to be unlucky to have their holiday disrupted by the strikes.
Therefore I doubt the strikes have that much impact on England’s international reputation.
irish_rail
On Moderation
Local election results last night in England seem to suggest big dissatisfaction with the Tories. Labour and Lib Democrats have cleaned up with the exception of a few Eastern outposts. This should send a message to Sunak and his cronies that the public at large do not support his crazy views on allowing strikes to continue indefinitely. Its time to get round the table, and RDG not to play silly beggars with offers they know give zero chance of being accepted.
They won't be getting that message at all. Indeed, they might be feeling that coming down hard on striking workers is one of their more popular policies for all we know.
The government will dismiss the results as just what happens to an incumbent government, not link it to any particular policy.
Wage price spirals. Seriously?
You do realise many of the workers currently involved in action in the UK have seen significant real terms pay cuts over the past decade, and many rail staff haven’t had a pay rise since 2019.
It’s interesting how people outside the industry talk down the popularity of railway unions and their commitment to strike action. As I say, from the standpoint of actually knowing scores of RMT members, I’m not remotely surprised by the result of the ballot.
irish_rail
On Moderation
In which case they are merely digging their own graves. But with this current lot of Tories being SO out of touch with reality, I'm not remotely surprised.
- Status