SWT Drivers Strike (31/03/2008-03/04/2008)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

I Work For FGW^▸ (First Great Western) blog post link.
http://www.iworkforfgw.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=66&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[Lee]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) article link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7305316.stm

This Is Plymouth article link.
http://thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=181429&command=displayContent&sourceNode=229968&home=yes&more_nodeId1=133174&contentPK=20191441

[dog box]

If this dispute goes ahead looks as if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Trains will be in for a busy time...its a bit funny really some older posts on here where people are singing the praises of SWTand suggesting lots of FGW services should be handed over to them...........if that had happened a lot of people would have had No train to go to Work on

[swlines]

The driver's aren't really being unfair bearing in mind what they had to ballot on - a lot would not mind with a 4.5% increase with no change in terms & conditions, but that is not what they voted on.

[Lee]

I Work For FGW^▸ (First Great Western) blog update link.
http://www.iworkforfgw.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=69&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[swlines]

Hmm.... I wonder where I recognise that timetable from...

Oh yes, the previous strike ...

[eightf48544]

One of the reasons why so many free marketeers wanted BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) broken up was to curb the power of the Unions.

Well that that ones come back to bite them, by handing the unions more power rahter than less. They don't have to call all drivers as they did in BR days  they can just call out a few hundred from one TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) and win their dispute. Then they go to the next TOC and say that lot have given us X% but they lost Y days of strikes, how about X+1 and no strikes? A classic case of divide and rule.

It's good to see the workers winning for a change.

Good luck to them I say.

[mjones]

...
It's good to see the workers winning for a change.

Good luck to them I say.

Which workers? Not the people who won't be able to get to work and may end up losing pay, many of whom are paid less than railway workers 

[Conner]

I've just realised this is the week I am in Weymouth for a holiday.
I was hoping to take the train around and get some SWT^▸ (South West Trains) pictures as I have never seen them before.
Well now I can't.
I'll leave my thoughts off or the other moderators will kick me.

[swlines]

Conner, I would imagine that there will be a few 444s parked in Jersey sidings or in Weymouth itself during the strike. Jersey sidings are a pair of sidings about a 15 minute walk from Weymouth station.

[Conner]

Conner, I would imagine that there will be a few 444s parked in Jersey sidings or in Weymouth itself during the strike. Jersey sidings are a pair of sidings about a 15 minute walk from Weymouth station.

Good, will pop up there when I get there on Monday, I have a few hours to kill in Weymouth.

[Lee]

Further BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) article link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7314016.stm

[Ollie]

Strike has been suspended.

[Conner]

Strike has been suspended.

[Lee]

Latest I Hate FGW^▸ (First Great Western) blog post link, which may well have been composed before news filtered through about the suspension of the SWT^▸ (South West Trains) strike.
http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2008/03/sarkozy-effect.html