Railway union workers industrial and strike action - 2022

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Revised strike day timetables for the 21st and 23rd are now available to view in the Journey planner/train timetable viewer of your choice.

Does anyone know where I can find PDFs of the strike day timetables?

Sadly GWR don’t believe in producing timetables at times of disruption, engineering work or industrial action and haven’t done so for many years despite at one time being one of the best TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) for doing so. We are always told to consult journey planners for times of trains.

Every TOC website that I’ve visited that’s affected by next week’s strike action have published revised timetables. Why can’t GWR?

[the void]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Revised strike day timetables for the 21st and 23rd are now available to view in the Journey planner/train timetable viewer of your choice.

Does anyone know where I can find PDFs of the strike day timetables?

Sadly GWR don’t believe in producing timetables at times of disruption, engineering work or industrial action and haven’t done so for many years despite at one time being one of the best TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) for doing so. We are always told to consult journey planners for times of trains.

Every TOC website that I’ve visited that’s affected by next week’s strike action have published revised timetables. Why can’t GWR?

TOCs can plan what services they would like to run next week, but none of them can actually guarantee they will be able to deliver the revised timetable. If no signalers turn up, there won't be any services running! So what is the point of publishing a revised timetable that may ultimately be completely inaccurate. Is it not better to wait until the day and see what happens? The advice across the whole industry is to avoid travelling if possible.

[grahame]

These are exceptional circumstances Graham, ....

I understand that.  Just as we have had "exceptional circumstances" nearly every year since the published timetable increased in December 2013.  If it's not Box Tunnel closed, it's staff shortage. And if it's not a reduced Covid timetable it's the Berks and Hants closed. Or perhaps it's the signal cables were cut or the staff going on strike or Westbury station being shut so they can relay it.  All of those rather longer than just a day or two. 

I sometimes feel that an "exceptional circumstance" would a summer with running all day throughout.

[broadgage]

These are exceptional circumstances Graham, ....

I understand that.  Just as we have had "exceptional circumstances" nearly every year since the published timetable increased in December 2013.  If it's not Box Tunnel closed, it's staff shortage. And if it's not a reduced Covid timetable it's the Berks and Hants closed. Or perhaps it's the signal cables were cut or the staff going on strike or Westbury station being shut so they can relay it.  All of those rather longer than just a day or two. 

I sometimes feel that an "exceptional circumstance" would be a summer with running all day throughout.

Not forgetting the apparently surprising need to train staff on the new trains, or the need for extra staff on a 10 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train), Easter arriving without warning, or new trains getting drowned at Dawlish, and of course seasonal weather which no one could have foreseen.

[grahame]

These are exceptional circumstances Graham, ....

I understand that.  Just as we have had "exceptional circumstances" nearly every year since the published timetable increased in December 2013.  If it's not Box Tunnel closed, it's staff shortage. And if it's not a reduced Covid timetable it's the Berks and Hants closed. Or perhaps it's the signal cables were cut or the staff going on strike or Westbury station being shut so they can relay it.  All of those rather longer than just a day or two. 

I sometimes feel that an "exceptional circumstance" would be a summer with running all day throughout.

Not forgetting the apparently surprising need to train staff on the new trains, or the need for extra staff on a 10 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train), Easter arriving without warning, or new trains getting drowned at Dawlish, and of course seasonal weather which no one could have foreseen.

Not forgotten, but I'm being specific about Melksham Station's service.  We've had a couple of HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) call, but never an IET even though they run through often enough.   I WILL half-give you the weather one, with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) not running any trains for multiple days when the bad weather meant they could run trains, even long after other lines had re-opened - but a winter not a summer issue.

[TaplowGreen]

Well, that's it then - Gentlemen (and ladies) of the railway, load your weapons, and take aim at your feet.............

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/rail-and-tube-strikes-will-go-ahead-next-week/?fbclid=IwAR0EXNC4oMsH1rP31ljdA1CSJDYXQbohcieDafup6wxTk8YRhvO4igGDGkk

[stuving]

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)'s statement today reads:

In the past few weeks, discussions have been taking place at senior level with Network Rail, Train Operators and London Underground.

Despite the best efforts of our negotiators no viable settlements to the disputes have been created.

It has to be re-stated that the source of these disputes is the decision by the Tory Government to cut £4bn of funding from our transport systems - £2bn from national rail and £2bn from Transport for London.

As a result of this transport austerity imposed by the Government, the employing companies have taken decisions to:

    Savage the Railway Pension Scheme and the TFL^▸ (Transport for London) scheme, cutting benefits, making staff work longer, and poorer in retirement, while paying increased contributions.
    Thousands of job cuts across the rail networks.
    Attacking terms, conditions and working practices in a form of internal fire and re-hire.
    Cutting real pay for most of our members through lengthy pay freezes and below RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) inflation pay proposals.

In the face of this massive attack on our people the RMT cannot be passive.

So today, having heard the reports on the discussions that have been taking place we are confirming that the strike action scheduled to take place on 21st, 23rd and 25th June will go ahead.

We want a transport system that operates for the benefit of the people, for the needs of society and our environment – not for private profit.

We call on our members to stand firm, support the action, mount the pickets and demonstrate their willingness to fight for workplace justice.

Every worker in Britain deserves a pay rise that reflects the cost-of-living crises. All working people should have the benefit of good negotiated terms, conditions, working practices and occupational pensions that will ensure their living standards in retirement.

We call on the entire labour movement and the working people to rally to the support of the RMT and our members in this struggle.

The RMT will support every group of workers who organise and fight for these aims and we call for joint campaigning and coordinated action to achieve a better deal for workers and a fairer society.

RMT remains available for discussions that will settle this dispute and ensure our transport system can operate without disruption.

Or, as summarised on the site of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI):

UK^▸ (United Kingdom): RMT officials offer surrender to Tories on eve of national rail strikes, as Corbyn and McDonnell give their blessing
Chris Marsden
15 hours ago

Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) General Secretary Mick Lynch appealed for direct talks with the Conservative government June 15, in a begging letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Had Shapps accepted, there is no doubt that next week’s planned strikes would have been called off as the RMT negotiated a rotten betrayal...

[TaplowGreen]

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)'s statement today reads:

Or, as summarised on the site of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI):

UK^▸ (United Kingdom): RMT officials offer surrender to Tories on eve of national rail strikes, as Corbyn and McDonnell give their blessing
Chris Marsden
15 hours ago

Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) General Secretary Mick Lynch appealed for direct talks with the Conservative government June 15, in a begging letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Had Shapps accepted, there is no doubt that next week’s planned strikes would have been called off as the RMT negotiated a rotten betrayal...

That's classic, brilliant! I can almost hear the Internationale playing in the background!

(Typing must be tricky whilst singing it and raising one hand in a clenched fist!) 

[ellendune]

Paul Waugh iNews is reporting that the reasons the negotiations broke down is because the train companies have been instructed by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) not to properly negotiate. 

https://inews.co.uk/news/train-strike-chaos-continue-ministers-rail-firms-rmt-1693370

In other words this strike is not caused by RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), but by Grant Shapps. Judging by the rhetoric presumably so that they can blame it on the Labour Party to make it sound like a Corbyn and McDonald still run the party.  They are trying to re-run the battles of the 1960's and 70's.  Obviously coincidental that there are two byelections this week. 

[TaplowGreen]

Paul Waugh iNews is reporting that the reasons the negotiations broke down is because the train companies have been instructed by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) not to properly negotiate. 

https://inews.co.uk/news/train-strike-chaos-continue-ministers-rail-firms-rmt-1693370

In other words this strike is not caused by RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), but by Grant Shapps. Judging by the rhetoric presumably so that they can blame it on the Labour Party to make it sound like a Corbyn and McDonald still run the party.  They are trying to re-run the battles of the 1960's and 70's.  Obviously coincidental that there are two byelections this week. 

The article is behind a paywall but it's all he said/she said now, hard to know who to believe.

I suspect the chance to have two by-elections in the same week as the strike along with Glastonbury, the Headingley Test match and GCSE & A Level exams to disrupt was too good an opportunity for the RMT to miss and another reason why they chose these dates.

I think the Tories will struggle to pin it on Labour given the Opposition Leadership's at best ambiguous attitude towards the RMT's actions, I am sure they will try but let's face it, Lynch etc and Starmer are hardly fellow travellers, in any sense next week!

[Electric train]

Paul Waugh iNews is reporting that the reasons the negotiations broke down is because the train companies have been instructed by DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) not to properly negotiate. 

https://inews.co.uk/news/train-strike-chaos-continue-ministers-rail-firms-rmt-1693370

In other words this strike is not caused by RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), but by Grant Shapps. Judging by the rhetoric presumably so that they can blame it on the Labour Party to make it sound like a Corbyn and McDonald still run the party.  They are trying to re-run the battles of the 1960's and 70's.  Obviously coincidental that there are two byelections this week. 

The article is behind a paywall but it's all he said/she said now, hard to know who to believe.

I suspect the chance to have two by-elections in the same week as the strike along with Glastonbury, the Headingley Test match and GCSE & A Level exams to disrupt was too good an opportunity for the RMT to miss and another reason why they chose these dates.

I think the Tories will struggle to pin it on Labour given the Opposition Leadership's at best ambiguous attitude towards the RMT's actions, I am sure they will try but let's face it, Lynch etc and Starmer are hardly fellow travellers, in any sense next week!

It does not matter which week is chosen, there will always be events happening. At the end of June is Wimbledon and Henley for example.

[Robin Summerhill]

It does not matter which week is chosen, there will always be events happening. At the end of June is Wimbledon and Henley for example.

Quite. And indeed the Tories could actually get political mileage out of an "evil unions" stance at the by-elections

[Henry]

  I notice ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) have also voted for Industrial Action, which seems to be
  totally ignored by the media. Which, unlike the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), does involve a majority of
  train driver's. So who is going to drive the trains ?

[stuving]

  I notice ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) have also voted for Industrial Action, which seems to be
  totally ignored by the media. Which, unlike the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers), does involve a majority of
  train driver's. So who is going to drive the trains ?

ASLEF are voting TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) by TOC, and so far results and resulting strike dates have only been announced for Greater Anglia and Hull trains. This was last Thursday's statement:

ASLEF, the train drivers’ trade union, today [Thursday] announced strike action over pay:

[/i] Drivers at Greater Anglia will strike between 00:01 and 23:59 Thursday 23 June 2022.

[ii] Drivers at Hull Trains will strike between 00:01 and 23:59 on Sunday 26 June.

[iii] And tram drivers in south London will strike for a fair pay deal from 00:01 on Tuesday 28 June until 23:59 on Wednesday 29 June and from 00:01 on Wednesday 13 July until 23:59 on Thursday 14 July.

Finn Brennan, ASLEF’s organiser on the Underground, said: ‘More than six months after the end of our last pay settlement and with the RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) rate of inflation running at over 11%, there has still been no offer from the company to resolve this dispute. Every day our members are seeing the price of their necessities, from fuel to food go up, while the real value of wages has fallen dramatically. Tram drivers, like other workers in public transport do a difficult and demanding job with round the clock shifts seven days a week. They deserve fair pay and are determined to fight for it.’

He added: ‘ASLEF members on Croydon Tramlink returned an incredible 99.2% Yes vote to strike on a turnout of over 86 %. It is a result that any union would be proud of and demonstrates just how strongly our members feel about managements failure to make an acceptable pay offer. The ball is now in management’s court. They can either make a fair offer or face the prospect of hard hitting and drawn-out strike action. I hope they will choose the sensible option our members are ready and prepared to act if they do not.’

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, says that figures published this week by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) that reveal that passenger numbers on Britain’s railways are nearly back to normal – back to pre-pandemic levels – underlines why there is no need for rail workers to be asked, effectively, to take a pay cut.

Mick said: ‘The latest Department for Transport statistics show that passenger numbers reached the milestone of 90% of pre-covid levels on Thursday 19 May – and went up to 92% over the next three days. That’s great news – not just for the railways, but for Britain.

‘But this blows the argument that “there is no money” right out of the water. There is, now the railway is returning to normal, because passengers are back and services are packed again.

‘Many of our members have not had a pay rise since 2019. We will fight to maintain the pay, terms & conditions, and the pensions of our members. We are not naïve. The train companies are doing very well out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and we are not going to work longer, for less. We want a pay rise, for train drivers, who kept people and goods moving during the pandemic, in line with the cost of living, so that we are not, in real terms, worse off.’

 
Note to editors:

ASLEF has called ballots for industrial action over pay at Arriva Rail London; Chiltern; Croydon Tramlink; Greater Anglia; Great Western; Hull Trains; LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about); Northern Trains; ScotRail; Southeastern; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.

We have successfully concluded pay deals with DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) Cargo; Eurostar; Freightliner Heavy Haul; Freightliner Intermodal; GB^▸ (Great Britain) Railfreight; Merseyrail; MTR Elizabeth line; and PRE Metro Operations.

And we also have multi-year deals with other companies, which were previously agreed, already in place.

[Henry]

 Yes, sorry stand corrected.