VTWC Platform Staff

[brick60000]

Hi all

I've noticed recently an abundance of platform staff both at Stafford & Wolverhampton wearing relatively plain clothes compared to the usual staff, and in hi-vis jackets. They were being supervised (or so it seemed) until recently though this morning they seem to be operating independently at Stafford. There were in fact two dispatchers dispatching the 0942 to London Euston.

The train manager on this service was also in hi-vis clothing.

Does anyone know their role / reason for their being there instead of the stations usual staff?

Brick60000

 

[AlterEgo]

I was caught up at Milton Keynes yesterday following the fatality at Leighton Buzzard. I noticed several Virgin staff on the platform who didn’t have uniform.

My first thought was that they were management or trainees being shown the front line.

 

[brick60000]

Have just asked one of them. Frontline staff on strike apparently so "trying to keep things running"!

 

[12guard4]

Managers/admin staff etc being trained to work during industrial action.

 

[DarloRich]

I raised a similar question recently - it is fairly obvious what was/is going on.

Have just asked one of them. Frontline staff on strike apparently so "trying to keep things running"!

AKA strikebreaking/blackleg labour

 

[brick60000]

Wonder why they feel it necessary to equip them with hi-vis jackets, opposed to Virgin coats? I guess if they don't have any spare and thus it works out cheaper ? Was also intrigued by the need for an assistant dispatcher on platform 1 at Stafford (stood between the guard and the train dispatcher, giving an all clear to the dispatcher prior to the dispatcher displaying the bat) - they never usually have one!

 

[pt_mad]

Was also intrigued by the need for an assistant dispatcher on platform 1 at Stafford (stood between the guard and the train dispatcher, giving an all clear to the dispatcher prior to the dispatcher displaying the bat) - they never usually have one!

Its regular practice at places like York and Doncaster. They should both be using hand signals though.

 

[MichaelAMW]

AKA strikebreaking/blackleg labour

I don't think you can blame a business for trying to keep their service going in such circumstances... They are neither strike breakers nor blacklegs as they are not on strike. I am a strong supporter of union representation but I don't support incorrectly labelling people in this case. My own concern would be whether they were sufficiently well trained to do the job safely.

 

[Josie]

If they're people who would never normally be involved in train dispatch, who are being trained for the sole purpose of covering the work during a future strike and for no other reason, that makes them scabs in my book.

 

[farleigh]

If they're people who would never normally be involved in train dispatch, who are being trained for the sole purpose of covering the work during a future strike and for no other reason, that makes them scabs in my book.

What a horrible way to describe somebody.

 

[Josie]

What a horrible way to describe somebody.

What a horrible way to behave during workers' industrial action.

 

[Ianno87]

What a horrible way to behave during workers' industrial action.

Heaven forbid wanting to keep the railway running for the benefit of fare paying passengers, many of who will have no alternative.

 

[AlterEgo]

What a horrible way to behave during workers' industrial action.

They’re management, what do you expect them to do?

 

[Josie]

They’re management, what do you expect them to do?

They're managers indeed, I wouldn't expect them to do any different, nor would I expect the business not to want to carry on trying to run trains.

They're still scabs.

 

[CentralTrainer]

They’re management, what do you expect them to do?

Do a decent job managing the workforce to avoid strike action being taken maybe?

 

[Domh245]

Do a decent job managing the workforce to avoid strike action being taken maybe?

I don't think the sort of low-level managers that are involved in this have much say over pay (which is what this particular dispute is about)

 

[Josie]

I don't think the sort of low-level managers that are involved in this have much say over pay (which is what this particular dispute is about)

No, but one of the marks of a good manager is that they support their staff. Ok, so they probably can't strike. They probably have to cross the picket lines. But they don't have to literally learn a new job that isn't in their usual role in order to break that strike. If a junior manager respects that the frontline staff have to strike, then they can go in and do their job as normal and support the strike by not taking on extra platform duties.

 

[380gk]

No, but one of the marks of a good manager is that they support their staff. Ok, so they probably can't strike. They probably have to cross the picket lines. But they don't have to literally learn a new job that isn't in their usual role in order to break that strike. If a junior manager respects that the frontline staff have to strike, then they can go in and do their job as normal and support the strike by not taking on extra platform duties.

Most junior managers have it written into their contract that they have to do this, or are given little in the way of an alternative.

 

[AlterEgo]

Do a decent job managing the workforce to avoid strike action being taken maybe?

These management are not likely to be the same people “responsible” for the situation that led to balloting in the first place.

 

[AlterEgo]

They're managers indeed, I wouldn't expect them to do any different, nor would I expect the business not to want to carry on trying to run trains.

They're still scabs.

I hope you revisit your attitude of name calling - I’m disappointed you would be so insulting and frankly hypocritical; I know you would quite rightly not tolerate being insulted for your personal choices.

(I know your identity in real life though of course I would not disclose that to the forum)

 

[Josie]

They are strike-breakers. They are literally carrying out a role in order to break a strike. "Scab" is usually seen as derogatory, but it's not an insult - crossing a picket line to do the job which is normally done by the striking workers on that picket line is scabbing. I don't see how it can be insulting or hypocritical to say that.

But whether or not you, I or any given person thinks it's acceptable behaviour, it's still a fact that they are scabbing - it is a verb as well as a noun, and that is what they are doing.

 

[MG11]

Are these staff issued with T keys?

 

[387star]

It seems no deals have been made with the RMT in a long time

Their last success I remember was securing staffing on LU

In the past weren't disputes generally solved prior to striking ?

 

[387star]

I'd love all these disputes to be settled

 

[6Gman]

On a point of etymology...

The generally accepted distinctions between the various words are:

A blackleg is someone within the workforce who ignores a strike decision and carries on working in his/her normal role (i.e. a member of the platform staff who is a union member but ignores the strike call and continues working)

A scab (commonly strikebreaker in US usage) is someone specifically recruited to take over work from striking staff.

Using these definitions managers who are already within the organisation, and who have an obligation within their contract to cover other roles when required, are neither blacklegs (since they are not involved in the dispute) nor scabs (since they have not been specifically recruited to take over the jobs of strikers).

Of course, the words are often interchanged.

Could be worse. Another word for a strikebreaker is "knobstick".

 

[BestWestern]

It's worth pointing out that, in my experience, the managers involved in strike-breaking (a perhaps less confrontational and more factual term) often have little choice in the matter. Some do it because they've always wanted to play trains of course, but many of them will be doing it simply because they value having a job and woud prefer to remain employed. One particular TOC almost had a strike from TSSA management staff alongside ongoing RMT action, because of pressure being put on these people to 'volunteer'.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

It's worth pointing out that, in my experience, the managers involved in strike-breaking (a perhaps less confrontational and more factual term) often have little choice in the matter. Some do it because they've always wanted to play trains of course, but many of them will be doing it simply because they value having a job and woud prefer to remain employed. One particular TOC almost had a strike from TSSA management staff alongside ongoing RMT action, because of pressure being put on these people to 'volunteer'.

This is true and is also not a new practice. Back in the days of the "old" Northern when guards were on strike over harmonisation a skeleton service was operated using whatever "trained" white collar staff were available, very few of which had any option but to co-operate. Some were in fact perfectly capable of filling in being Conductor Managers or even Conductor Standards Managers and there was also a handful of former guards who had found a way to maintain their competency. But inevitably there were also some who had simply been given the "shortcut" guards' course who could just about cope with dispatch but little else. It is perhaps a measure of just how incredibly safe the current railway really is that the use of such cover staff has not (yet) led to any significant incidents though of course, as was documented here at the time, during the early phase of the Southern dispute a Safety of the Line incident did occur due to the shortcomings of one such person. As for uniforms spare items are not held in large numbers but Hi-Vis vests are a different matter (and are relatively cheap).

 

[221129]

Are these staff issued with T keys?

Yes, obviously. they would likely already have one for their normal role.

 

[ComUtoR]

Yes, obviously. they would likely already have one for their normal role.

Really ? T-Keys are generally for operational staff. Managerial or office based staff do not get issued T-Keys and I don't see a reason why they would. Our Station Managers do not have T-Keys. My LOM (Driving grade Manager) is not Operational and does not have a T-Key.

It is a very specific piece of equipment for people with a very specific set of skills.

 

[221129]

Really ? T-Keys are generally for operational staff. Managerial or office based staff do not get issued T-Keys and I don't see a reason why they would. Our Station Managers do not have T-Keys. My LOM (Driving grade Manager) is not Operational and does not have a T-Key.

It is a very specific piece of equipment for people with a very specific set of skills.

Fair enough, It seems like anyone at our place can get one then.