Darmok
pfm Member
I really feel quite strongly about Johnson attacking the rail workers in this way. He is stirring up a class war and encouraging the mechanisms of the state to attack it's own workers.
This is the same party that worships the laws of supply and demand and competition; the holy "Market". And yet when the balance of demand in the labour market tilts slightly towards workers, they are straight in with the boot.
I think you should read this, an account by a rail worker, because it gives a clearer picture of the details of what is going on.....
'Three years ago we accepted a 0% pay rise, two years ago we accepted a 0% pay rise. But this year they came to us with a 0% pay rise plus over 2500 redundancies, changes to terms and conditions. An increase from 28 weeks of nights to 39 weeks of nights. An increase from 32 weekends worked to 39 weekends worked. Currently for a night shift we get time and a quarter, for a weekend turn we get time and a half. They wish to cut both of these to time and a tenth. So that’s a 15% pay cut on every night shift and a 40% pay cut on every weekend turn. But they want us to work more of them. This is their modernisation they talk about. Not technology, we embrace technology and have seen more and more of it in recent years. They also wish to fire and re-hire the operative grades and bring them back under a new job title but on £9000 a year less. They also want them to use their own vehicles to get to work sites, this when fuel is at its highest. They will also be pooled when currently they are part of the team. The press are painting this to be about pay above all else. It is not. But now we’ve said sod them we are going to demand better. I wish everyone could see past the government controlled media smear.'
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...tion-britain-latest-updates#comment-157140591
SO. there we have it.