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Train strikes

Monitor Gold 10 said:
So think please consider that lot before forming an opinion.
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I’m not arguing against any of that in any way. You have my support.

My point is this problem can’t possibly be fixed by a government wedded to an entirely failed Thatcherite ‘tax cuts for the rich’ trickle-down ideology against a background of a catastrophic economic death-spiral and simply massive inflation.

Any solution needs to be framed on a rational assessment of where we are: a) accepting Brexit has been a catastrophic failure that has cost us best part of half our export market and dramatically ramped the price of imports up, and b) privatisation of public services has been a total failure leaving amongst other things a public transport network that is no longer fit for purpose.

Sadly Truss and the rest of them will be starting with a totally deluded ideology that failed 40 years ago even when propped-up by massive north sea oil profits. This time crashing and burning is assured. Their “answer” can’t work. We need to start from an entirely different and more rational place.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Which is in turn paid to the owners of the train companies who are often overseas governments. This is obviously a far better arrangement than nationalisation.
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I can’t understand why the same people who object to foreigners coming here, taking our jobs and using our services and resources, don’t have a problem with foreigners benefitting from our privatised national services.
 
paulfromcamden said:
Expect a lot more strikes, from a lot more professions, as inflation rises - there are estimates of 20% next year.

I suspect Tony is right, the economy is shagged. But I don't hold much hope for a Truss government doing much to help. So what choice do people have?
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yes next week my wife who is a lecturer is on strike and our son who attends same college cant do his course as no lecturers !!!!
 
legzr1 said:
That’s not necessarily true - some TOCs have Sundays included in the working week as do all freight companies.
Most TOCs have Sundays outside the working week but there is a contractual commitment that means staff either work what is rostered or find others prepared to work it as o/t.

Contrary to popular belief, Unions have pushed to have Sundays included in the working week - it means more staff required, a higher ‘establishment’ and more potential union members.
Most TOCs are against it because of cost.

Shapps and certain TOCs (I’m looking at you Avanti…) issued weasel worded press releases muddying the facts which a client media were delighted to report as fact.

In my earlier post I said differing disputes with different grades and unions should be separated.
Yes, drivers are fairly well paid but that has nothing to do with a NR track worker making £27K being forced to agree to working 39 weekends a year, up from 22 for example.
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thanks for this ... good to know the issues involved
 
As a train driver of over 40 years experience, I’d suggest anyone who’s not happy with the amount drivers earn, why not apply for a job? There are hundreds, if not thousands of vacancies throughout the UK. My own company has over 50 jobs uncovered every day. The problem comes when applicants can meet the standard, pass the medical, but most important is the ability to work at the most stupid hours of the day. Many find out later than they can’t. My company are able to roster staff to work days, nights, afternoons in the same week. Sundays are included in the week, as are bank holidays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. They can also put you in a hire car and have you drive 200 miles to cover a ballast job which often takes shifts up to 13 hours. ( 1 unpaid). Working away from home for weeks at a time is allowed, which many with families find unacceptable. When I started on the footplate in the late 1970’s, driver’s told me that the wages are earned when it’s all gone pear shaped, and you are the one to sort it out, and answer to the person in the funny wig if you were deemed to have made an error.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
I can’t understand why the same people who object to foreigners coming here, taking our jobs and using our services and resources, don’t have a problem with foreigners benefitting from our privatised national services.
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They probably don't have a clue, many will have pensions invested around the world. Mine isn't anything unusual and is about 36% UK invested.
 
happy_chappie said:
As a train driver of over 40 years experience, I’d suggest anyone who’s not happy with the amount drivers earn, why not apply for a job? There are hundreds, if not thousands of vacancies throughout the UK. My own company has over 50 jobs uncovered every day. The problem comes when applicants can meet the standard, pass the medical, but most important is the ability to work at the most stupid hours of the day. Many find out later than they can’t. My company are able to roster staff to work days, nights, afternoons in the same week. Sundays are included in the week, as are bank holidays, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. They can also put you in a hire car and have you drive 200 miles to cover a ballast job which often takes shifts up to 13 hours. ( 1 unpaid). Working away from home for weeks at a time is allowed, which many with families find unacceptable. When I started on the footplate in the late 1970’s, driver’s told me that the wages are earned when it’s all gone pear shaped, and you are the one to sort it out, and answer to the person in the funny wig if you were deemed to have made an error.
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Got to be GBRf!

I’m 35 years into it myself and the conclusion I’ve come to is this : we’re now paid 4 times the wages for doing the job of 8 people :)
 
Most of what you wrote covers DB, FLhh and Colas too - it was the hire car for a T111 200 miles away that gave it away.
Well, alongside the 15 emails a day begging for volunteers for all the uncovered work.

Once you’ve managed to get out of bed at 01:15 for the fifth time that week and eventually get going, the job itself isn’t too bad. What gets me down are the constant emails,calls and texts with last minute changes and amendments. And it seems to be getting worse.

However, you need to be conscious of others on half the wages doing equally crap jobs when sounding off in a mess room (remember them?!).
 
Always worth realizing, the people doing the hardest graft are usually on the lowest wages. Never truer when we see the poor sods out on the track every night. Shoveling ballast in the wind, rain and snow, miles from civilization, a few feet from 100 MPH trains. I believe Network Rail want to cut night rate from plus 25% to plus 10% and increase compulsory weekends from 22 to 39.
 
happy_chappie said:
Always worth realizing, the people doing the hardest graft are usually on the lowest wages. Never truer when we see the poor sods out on the track every night. Shoveling ballast in the wind, rain and snow, miles from civilization, a few feet from 100 MPH trains. I believe Network Rail want to cut night rate from plus 25% to plus 10% and increase compulsory weekends from 22 to 39.
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This. This is what those who blindly repeat the “already well paid” mantra omit.
 
striking train drivers left me about £500 out of pocket having had to make alternative arrangements for travel. Under any other circumstance we would have not travelled, but this time we risked losing several times that amount.

Now they are disrupting the London Marathon - an event where people raise millions for charity...
 
gintonic said:
striking train drivers left me about £500 out of pocket having had to make alternative arrangements for travel. Under any other circumstance we would have not travelled, but this time we risked losing several times that amount.

Now they are disrupting the London Marathon - an event where people raise millions for charity...
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There was always going to be some collateral damage.
Nature of the beast I’m afraid.
You think a limited strike at 0200-0300 every other Sunday would have any effect?

Shapps was totally out of his depth but was only the mouthpiece for a deliberate and orchestrated action to take on a union. It’s been brewing since a junior at the DfT let slip back in 2016.
The Tories have deliberately hamstrung any attempts at a deal involving RMT.

With him gone things should hopefully progress now.
They’ve been close to a deal on at least three occasions only for the Minister to step in and stop it.
ASLEF and TSSA unions have managed to negotiate and settle disputes fairly quickly when interference from the Tories stopped.

The Unions and TOCs could relatively easily come to an agreement. Compromise from both sides is needed and has been offered.

Maybe a strongly worded email to your MP could help things along.
 
Strikes don’t get people behind the cause, they just put people off using the service. It’s cheaper and more reliable to drive pretty much anywhere now (unless you can travel 3 weeks next Wednesday at 2.17pm, if it’s running).
 
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