Southern / Govia Thameslink Railways - ongoing disputes

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Southern rail conductors to stage three strikes over supervisor row


Southern trains operate in Sussex, Surrey and parts of Kent and Hampshire

Conductors on Southern railway are to stage three 24-hour strikes in a dispute over changes to their role and the introduction of driver-only trains.

Members of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union will walk out at 11:00 BST on 26 April and at the same time on 10 and 12 May.

The union is against plans for a new grade of on-board supervisor and proposals for drivers to operate doors.

Govia Thameslink said there would be no job losses or cuts in salary and the changes would make staff more visible.

Members of the union were 306 in favour of walkouts and 14 against. A total of 320 votes to one backed other forms of industrial action.

The RMT said it was fighting to keep the conductor grade and the changes were "nothing short of bullying and harassment".

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said the "reward" for the "loyal and professional service" of members was having their "role and responsibility reduced and their hard-earned terms and conditions attacked".

"These trains are desperately over-crowded and the conductors are the eyes and ears preventing a major tragedy on the platforms and carriages," he said. He added the company had already axed catering services, "threatened" ticket offices and delivered "appalling levels of customer service in their drive to milk these routes for every penny they can".

A spokesman for Southern, which is run by Govia Thameslink, described any possible strike action as "unnecessary and damaging". He added: "The changes we are making to the conductor role mean there will be no job losses and no reduction in salary for any staff, whilst passengers will benefit from having more visible staff on trains. We are preparing contingency plans in case a strike does go ahead, but in the meantime we urge the RMT to return to the negotiating table."

Southern operates in Sussex, Surrey and parts of Kent and Hampshire.

[ChrisB]

All aboard the DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)), already 12car Thameslink trains on the Brighton mainline then....

[JayMac]

This is what GTR have said in a staff bulletin. One that was posted on Facebook:

Dear all

Following Andy Bindon^s letter last week I wanted to bring you an update on our union position surrounding the On-Board Supervisor role and the introduction of 12-car trains on Gatwick Express.

You may already know that we want to introduce a new role into GTR by July this year. This role would be an evolution of the current on board roles (revenue protection and conductor) and would be more focused on customer service.

On Southern services it would mean drivers operating the doors (on rolling stock equipped for it) freeing up the conductors on these trains. Across all routes it means providing additional training to all on board teams to create this newly evolved role.

The role would allow our on-train teams to spend a lot more time interacting with passengers, providing information, checking and selling tickets and providing reassurance on our services. The added flexibility of a role that is not linked to operational duties also means we can have our teams where they are needed most, so passengers are more likely to see a member of staff on board the train.

We are committed to having no compulsory redundancies as a result of our proposals. There will be a job in GTR for everyone who wants to work here and help us modernise the railway, our proposals are a natural evolution of a really important role.

Our aim was to consult meaningfully with the recognised trade unions, RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) and ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about). Unfortunately, despite our attempts to consult not only on these changes but on many of the issues that are important to our conductor and revenue teams, the unions do not want to enter into meaningful discussions with us. Legally this now means we will be forced down the unfortunate road of having to make our conductor role redundant (on services where the drivers can operate the doors) and then re-employ those people into the new on board role. This is a regrettable position to be in and we want to make very clear that there will still be no compulsory redundancies. This is purely a legal obligation that has been placed on us in these circumstances.

If you would like to find out more about the On-Board Supervisor role and our current position we have uploaded all the relevant documents onto our intranets.

So, we remain committed to introducing the new role because we feel it is the right thing to do to in order to bring a more modern approach to how we run this franchise while developing our teams through more training and new skills. We value highly our on board teams and the essential service they provide to our passengers and we must be pragmatic about keeping up with developments of technology and customer expectations. Our aim is to modernise the role, bringing flexibility and operational benefits.

Our conductors have been balloted for strike action surrounding these proposals; any industrial action would clearly have a significant impact on the business and our passengers. The ballot is due to close on 19 April and we^ll provide further updates on the results when we know more.

Update on Gatwick Express

On Friday, ASLEF wrote to Gatwick Express announcing it intends to ballot for strike action against the introduction of the new 12-car fleet. The Gatwick Express trains have been operated by drivers, without conductors for many years, but the introduction of the new fleet is being viewed as an extension to Driver Only Operation by the unions. The introduction of new more reliable trains with better facilities and more carriages is a key part of the solution to improving the rail service for our passengers, and we are disappointed that ASLEF has taken this position.

We urge ASLEF to reconsider and put our passengers first. These trains are much better with WiFi, more space for luggage and are fully accessible. Clearly this position may impact our service over the coming weeks and we want to keep you in the loop as these situations unfold.

Commitments to our people

Our people commitments aim to bring reassurance to affected colleagues as we continue to discuss and agree our plans to modernise the railway. Though times of change can be unnerving we hope these commitments show we are dedicated to making things better.

^ There will be a job for everyone who wants to be part of GTR and who is willing to help us to modernise and transform our business
^ The roles will be more varied and you^ll be trained in all the skills and behaviours to succeed in your new roles
^ The changes will happen without any compulsory redundancies or reduction in salaries
^ We will listen to you and involve you as much as we can to evolve and refine the plans
^ You will have the right tools and information to do your job and we^ll make sure you^re safe while you^re doing it

We will bring you more details as soon as we are able to and we welcome any questions you have. Please continue to send your questions to <redacted>
Kind regards

Alex Foulds
Passenger Services Director - Southern

Also posted on Facebook:



Drivers in the ASLEF union have also been balloted on the issue of the introduction of DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) on 12 car Gatwick Express trains. ASLEF believe, although I've seen no verifiable proof, that there is an agreement in place that limits DOO to 10 cars on Gatwick Express and Southern. With the new position of On Board Supervisor (OBS) being created, trains on Gatwick Express and Southern routes will have two members of staff aboard in the future. The concerns for the drivers is they will become responsible for doors. And more of them with 12 car trains. The concern for conductors is they will no longer have a safety critical role. So the reasons for the disputes with both the RMT and ASLEF are many fold.


Note: 'Gatwick Express' and 'Southern' are brands within the Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise, operated by  Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd

[ChrisB]

Conductors may not be responsible for doors but I'm damn sure they would be responsible in an evacuation.....

[IndustryInsider]

Disquiet at the rather shambolic situation Southern currently finds itself it is reaching a crescendo:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/southern-railway-desperate-commuters-to-hold-victoria-station-protest-a3292251.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3683086/Now-PASSENGERS-say-ll-strike-refusing-pay-fares-rail-chaos-bad-forcing-commuters-house.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Similar problems on Scotrail, and, let's not forget, that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be trying to do (or should that be DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard))) a very similar thing shortly when the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.)/SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET))/AT300 trains are introduced next year.  Whatever side of the argument you personally believe is right, the chances of more industrial action on GWR is increasing.  It will be interesting to see how the Southern and Scotrail situations develop.

[Electric train]

The Government will want a couple of industrial disputes ( a few on the railways and the Junior Doctors) to take the publics focus away from Brexit so the Government can do a deal with the EU^» (European Union - about) (note the deal with the EU will not suit the 52 percenters or the 48 percenters)

[TaplowGreen]

Don't you just love the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)?  All this sudden sickness too.....is there a mysterious illness which only affects rail staff during disputes with management?

[phile]

The DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) are in the background and pushing GTR.  It is their agenda.

[IndustryInsider]

Don't you just love the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)?  All this sudden sickness too.....is there a mysterious illness which only affects rail staff during disputes with management?

I don't think 'throwing a sickie' because you're not happy with something is exclusive to the railway industry.  It annoys me having not had a day off sick now for many years, but it does seem to be a part of our culture, especially in jobs where you get full sick pay and don't end up with extra work to do when you come back as a result.

[Electric train]

Don't you just love the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)?  All this sudden sickness too.....is there a mysterious illness which only affects rail staff during disputes with management?

Throwing a "sickie" is not really the issue GTR not being able to cover rostered turns by using rest day (overtime) working is more a problem, GTR also have a shortage of Drivers.

There is a serious breakdown in relations between both the management and GTR, evidence of this was the offer by the RMT to call off the strikes for 3 months to allow negotiations to take place GTR dismissed the offer.

[LiskeardRich]

Don't you just love the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)?  All this sudden sickness too.....is there a mysterious illness which only affects rail staff during disputes with management?

Every job I've been in when going through tough times, there is a high level of stress related illness.

[TaplowGreen]

Good news (if this is the dispute in question, or is it another one?)..........no doubt those afflicted by the mystery illness will now rise, Lazarus like from their sickbeds?

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) strike action among Southern engineering members - suspended

Date: 10 Jul 2015.


The RMT has agreed today to suspend its proposed industrial action amongst Southern engineers following successful talks. 

During the forthcoming pay talks, Southern (with the agreement of GTR) will make an offer which will include a reduction in the working week, in a phased way, to a 37 hour week by May 2017 as part of a multi year deal to be negotiated with GTR.

Southern recognises that the hard work and commitment of our engineering staff has contributed towards the efficient operation of the company over the life of the franchise and any pay offer will be fully cognisant of this fact.

In recognition of this the RMT has agreed to suspend the current dispute.

[John R]

It must be another one, as the main dispute has been in relation to guards.

[plymothian]

GTR also decreed that self certification is null and void, so even 1 day sickness means needing a fit note, which then means a wait to see the GP, who are also in dispute with the government...

[LiskeardRich]

GTR also decreed that self certification is null and void, so even 1 day sickness means needing a fit note, which then means a wait to see the GP, who are also in dispute with the government...

A GP will not (normally) issue a sick note until day 7. As for getting an appointment, my wife called for an appointment last week, the earliest available appointment for non emergencys....2nd August!