Planned Industrial Action

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

Is there a reason why the instruction not to book on doesn’t include the 12th December?

Election Rebellion.

[CyclingSid]

Does that mean that the Communication Workers Union will modify their action to allow for postal votes?

[TonyK]

Does that mean that the Communication Workers Union will modify their action to allow for postal votes?

Ooh, now there's an interesting conundrum! The mood music from CWU^» (Communication Workers Union - website) headquarters suggests no concessions will be made, as shown in the ITV report. That will pose a dilemma not just for postal balloting, but for the delivery of firelighting material party manifestos and candidates' sales pitch.

Some think, though, that Terry Pullinger, UCW General Secretary, is simply refusing to remove no-deal from the table to strengthen his hand in negotiations.

[Henry]

 Makes you wonder what the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) were thinking.
 
 Can staff really afford such a length of time off, bearing in mind
 the time of year ?

 With some manager's working trains, could you see the gradual shift
 back to work ?

[stuving]

 Makes you wonder what the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) were thinking.
 
 Can staff really afford such a length of time off, bearing in mind
 the time of year ?

 With some manager's working trains, could you see the gradual shift
 back to work ?

I think the idea may be to put so much stress on what is an improvised arrangement, using staff with other jobs to do, that the company can't keep it up. Of course it also puts a lot of stress on their members, so runs the risk that the strike will crumble first.

[Celestial]

I think RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) are offering quite a lot of strike pay, so that the overall impact might not be that great.  How long they could afford to do that if the dispute drags on is another matter though.

Would First draft in managers from other franchises, particularly GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).  That could add considerably to the pool of replacement guards, though would be disruptive to GWR as they wouldn't be doing their day job for quite a while.

[CyclingSid]

Replacements from other franchises possibly not quite so feasible after timetable changes?

[grahame]

From Spire fm:

More details have been revealed about how the timetables will be affected during December.
27 days of strike action have been called by members of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union throughout next month.
They're planned to take place from December 2nd.
As we get closer to the walkouts, South Western Railway (SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)) has put out some information to passengers about the ways that will affect travel.

They've said there are a few key points:
More than half of normal Monday to Friday services are expected to run, but there will the same level of peak services as in previous strikes
Peak services will be much busier than normal though, queuing may be introduced at busier stations
Services will finish earlier than normal at around 11.00pm
Off-peak frequencies will be reduced
Buses will replace trains on some routes, with ticket acceptance with other operators on others

There is a map and

The map shows services from Salisbury towards London or Yeovil Junction will be less frequent.

It also suggests SWR won't be running ANY services from Salisbury towards Southampton Central - but other operators will be running on that route.

From Surrey Live - what SWR, the RMT, and (one, but could be common views) guard are saying.

SWR guard desperate for deal as RMT confirms mammoth 27-day December strike

An SWR guard has told SurreyLive his thoughts on the long-running dispute

The 27-day RMT strike on the South Western Railway network in December looks set to go ahead after resolution talks failed.

Workers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are staging the mammoth December walk-out as the ongoing dispute regarding the future role of train guards rumbles on.

Arbitration service ACAS held two days of talks between the two sides earlier this week. However, the RMT announced on Thursday (November 21) that the strike will go ahead as planned.

Chris Luckins, an SWR guard, contacted SurreyLive after the latest round of action was tabled, saying he just wants the dispute settled.

He explained that the sticking point remains the future role of guards and the proposal that drivers would have control of opening and closing doors.

"The RMT have agreed that the drivers could open the doors of the train, and the guard will take part in the dispatch of the train," he says. "This would ensure that all passengers can board or alight in safety. The train guard will then give the signal to the driver to carry on.

"There are several rail operating companies who use this method of operation for their train services, both guards and drivers working well together.

"Many of the stations on our network are understaffed for long hours through the day and night. It is essential for those passengers who require assistance that there is a guard on every train."

Mr Luckins added that he and his fellow guards will be happy to support "anything that will help settle this dispute".

Campaign group SWR Watch has been keeping a close eye on the long-running disagreement. Jeremy Varns, from the group, says he understands that SWR wants the role of the guard to change from operational - dealing with the doors and dispatch, to providing customer service - information, checking tickets and helping passengers on/off the trains.

"In short, FirstGroup and SWR are currently not willing to make assurances beyond stating that no staff will lose their jobs and that all new trains will have a second crew member (with the driver controlling the doors)," he added.


The strike will run from: Monday, December 2 to Wednesday, December 11; Friday, December 13 to Tuesday, December 24; and Friday, December 27 to Wednesday, January 1.

On confirming the strike, RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Throughout these ‎talks SWR have not shown any intention of moving the issues at the heart of the dispute forwards despite verbal assurances in earlier discussions.

"It has become increasingly clear that they are not interested in reaching a settlement at this time."

In response, a spokesman for SWR says it is "very disappointed" that the action will go ahead. "Despite promising to keep guards on all our trains and promising that they will have a safety critical role, the talks broke down yesterday," he said.

"We believe these promises deliver on what the RMT has been asking for, so these strikes are unnecessary."

[rogerw]

This has been running for so long that I am beginning to wonder if RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) can actually remember what the issues are.  They have never really spelt them out.

[TaplowGreen]

This has been running for so long that I am beginning to wonder if RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) can actually remember what the issues are.  They have never really spelt them out.

That's never stopped the RMT before to be fair.

[JayMac]

At least I have the option of driving to Castle Cary to join the rail network.

I already know of a few people in Templecombe who will struggle thanks to this pointless action by the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union dinosaurs.

[Celestial]

At least I have the option of driving to Castle Cary to join the rail network.

I already know of a few people in Templecombe who will struggle thanks to this pointless action by the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union dinosaurs.

It's not pointless from the RMT's perspective. It's sole aim is to ensure that they still have the power to stop the trains, and thus keep their industrial muscle. So a guarantee of a second person on every train is not enough, they have to have control of the doors.

From everyone else's perspective, I totally agree though! As with the dinosaur description.

[Timmer]

Timetables for services Monday-Friday 2-6 December now available:
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action/monday-to-friday

[broadgage]

This has been running for so long that I am beginning to wonder if RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) can actually remember what the issues are.  They have never really spelt them out.

The strikes are for safety of course.
Most strikes these days are for safety. Declaring a strike for higher wages is now very last year. A big enough pay rise sometimes makes the danger go away.

[JayMac]

Timetables for services Monday-Friday 2-6 December now available:
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action/monday-to-friday

If anyone has any advance gen about the strike timetable for Saturday 7th December I'd be very grateful. Friends in Templecombe have a planned trip to London on that day and would like as much notice as possible about their rail options. I've suggested Castle Cary but as they're going to football (White Hart Lane), and would like a beer or three, they'd prefer not to need a designated driver, or fork out for taxis between Templecombe and Castle Cary.

Had I still had the 7 seat Zafira I'd have offered to run them to and from CLC^▸ (Castle Cary) in exchange for a drink or three in the social club. Don't think I could get 4 adults and a nipper in my Megane!