First Great Western - industrial action in 2015 - merged topic

[whole diary]

[plymothian]

Looking at @FGW^▸ (First Great Western) twitter feed, they are saying:

If your booked train IS running, you MUST get that train.
If your booked train is NOT running, you can only travel on the PRECEDING or PROCEEDING train.
If your journey involves a line that is closed you can travel on the DAY AFTER the strike has FINISHED (Tuesday).

So, no flexibility at all really,

[Timmer]

I think for the sake of passengers and staff, who need to know whether they are working or not, they need to call it one way or the other today.

[ChrisB]

Do you really think that is uppermost in the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)'s mind? Really?

[Adelante_CCT]

Seems to be confirmed as going ahead
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34063596

[Timmer]

Do you really think that is uppermost in the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)'s mind? Really?

Not at all. That's clearly been demonstrated by their choice to inflict travel disruption over the bank holiday weekend.

[Timmer]

Seems to be confirmed as going ahead
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34063596

Reading that it appears they are just going round and round in circles until one of them breaks and backs down. If FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can continue to run 70% of their services everytime the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) strike, it won't be FGW who backs down.

[TaplowGreen]

Do you really think that is uppermost in the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)'s mind? Really?

.....you're assuming that there are functioning minds within the RMT.

[Timmer]

I keep hearing words such as 'positive' and 'constructive' with regards to talks between FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers). Well they can't be that positive or constructive if they are going on strike for three days over the bank holiday weekend. If they were then surely RMT would postpone this weekend's action to demonstrate how positive and constructive things are in the negotiations. By striking it only demonstrates that both sides are still far apart on getting an agreement.

[Red Squirrel]

.....you're assuming that there are functioning minds within the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

I'm quite sure there are very good functioning minds within the RMT. Whether they care much about their members, or the railways, or whether perhaps they have some other agenda, is another matter.

[ellendune]

I'm quite sure there are very good functioning minds within the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

I quite agree.

Whether they care much about their members, or the railways, or whether perhaps they have some other agenda, is another matter.

I am sure they care about their members to the extent that they want them to continue as members.  Trade Unions, like trade associations will only retain their members if they are seen as providing what their members want.  In recent years, particularly under Bob Crow, RMT have been very good at getting benefits for their members by brinkmanship and short strikes. To keep their members happy I suspect they have had to balance lost wages from striking against the longer term benefits of the settlements they reached. The present leadership has tried to continue this, but I suspect in they may have not been quite so clever at picking the topic or the timing this time. 

Of the three issues:

1) Train maintenance - it is out of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s hands as I understand it. RMT entered the dispute far too late if they were to influence this decision. 
2) Buffet cars v trolleys - despite the polarised views expressed here it appears to me that most people seem to prefer trolleys or use of station facilities.  FGW report that in their trials trolleys raised more income. So iif most passengers like it and so does FGW I think FGW will  make a stand on this one. After all no one is being made redundant.   
3) Guards/door operations - I suspect they could reach a settlement if this was the only issue. But remember again no one is being made redundant.   
 

 

[ChrisB]

I'm quite sure there are very good functioning minds within the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

I quite agree.

Me too. Strike definitely ON
https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/strike-action-to-go-ahead-on-first-great-western/

27 August 2015

RMT Press Office

Strike action to go ahead this weekend on First Great Western as company continues to fail to address core issues.


RAIL UNION RMT said today that strike action in the dispute with First Great Western will go ahead as planned this weekend as the company continues to fail to offer clear-cut assurances on the core issues impacting on staff and passengers from the introduction of the new fleet of Hitachi inter-city trains.

The action is as follows:

All Grades (Excluding Fleet Maintenance Members)
^    00.01 hours on Saturday 29th August 2015 and 23.59 hours on Monday 31st August 2015

All Fleet Maintenance grade members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:-

^    00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Saturday 29th August 2015
^    00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Monday 31st August 2015

All Fleet Maintenance grade members will be instructed to take discontinuous industrial action short of a strike as outlined below: -

^    Not to work any overtime or rest days between 00.01 hours and 23:59 hours on Sunday 30th August 2015

The action follows a rock solid 48 hour strike last month and 24 hours of action last Sunday which led to widespread disruption to services.  The issues in dispute remain the same:

^         Lack of assurances over TUPE^▸ (The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.) and job protection on Engineering Grades

^         The proposed introduction of Driver Only Operation (DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard))) with door operation procedures to transfer from the Guard to Driver.  This is a clear dilution of the important role of the Guard and the crucial role of safety critical platform staff for safe incoming and departure of trains at stations and is contrary to RMT policy.

^         The proposed removal of buffet/restaurant car facilities remains in place with nothing other than an undertaking by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to endeavour to modify the design of AT300 rolling stock to accommodate a buffet.
While Virgin East Coast Trains have committed to safe running of services with Guards responsible for door operation and dispatch staff on stations FGW ^ using exactly the same rolling stock ^ continue to refuse. The key pledge from Virgin East Coast is that:
^The existing duties of the guard will continue and the role will maintain responsibility for the safety of customers and staff on every train.^
That is the assurance that, despite strenuous efforts from RMT negotiators, FGW refuse to match.
The union has made it clear that it will continue to defend jobs, services and safety for all grades on First Great Western and as a result that is why there has been no option but to press ahead with the strike dates and industrial action this weekend.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:

^Despite strenuous and continuing efforts by our negotiators we have not been able to secure the kind of progress we hoped for in the key areas of jobs, services and safety for us to reach an agreement.

^As a result we have no option but to push ahead with the action planned for this weekend.

^The fact remains that if it is good enough for East Coast, using the same trains, to meet the very basic assurances sought by this trade union then it is good enough for First Great Western as well.

^We congratulate our members for their rock solid support for the strike action last month and last weekend and we know that they remain united and determined as we continue with our campaign on these crucial issues. RMT remains available for talks.^
 
 
 
ENDS

They then go on to elaborate on the reasons. Not easily copy 'n paste-able.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/275448210/First-Great-Western-Why-we-are-striking

[TaplowGreen]

Round objects.

[lordgoata]

Round objects.

They're striking over doughnuts now ?!

[TaplowGreen]

Round objects.

They're striking over doughnuts now ?!

.....don't tempt them!

[Timmer]

I feel for the staff on this because their union leadership is leading them on a fight they can't win.

Why? Because it's not FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that they are fighting, it's the Dft, who won't/can't back down because they have agreed to pay Hitachi mega money for these trains, way over the odds. Let's not forget one of the bidders lead by Alstom walked away from IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) because in their minds it didn't add up. They could do easily have provided a fleet of Pendolinos with loco haulage beyond the wires but for this quirky plan of operating bi-mode units.

I think this because by now if it was in FGW's power to do something about this, that would satisfy the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), that they would have done as this is not good for business having yet another strike to deal with no matter how many trains they run this weekend.