Railway union workers industrial and strike action - 2022

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

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

Train strikes: Minister hopes Christmas walkouts can be stopped

[snip]

But Mr Harper has now agreed to help both sides come back to the table and will write to RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) boss Mick Lynch setting out the terms under which talks can take place.

Mr Harper said there was a "shared agreement" that the dispute had gone on for too long, but would not commit to offering more government money to help resolve the dispute.

Instead he maintained that industry reform was needed to deliver the savings which would enable a "reasonable pay rise" for staff.

[snip]

So as I read it, they're having talks about talks, and whilst they share an agreement that the dispute has gone on too long (!!) the government - quoted with Mr Harper as a spokesman - maintains that there are unchanged (?) pre-requisites for a solution on their side.

Pity the poor passenger, and the long term future of the rail industry and those who work there - but let's hope and encourage works towards a solution - that there may be opportunities in discussions to move forward.

Not quite the days of Harrold Wilson's "Beer and Sandwich" meetings at No 10 with the TU's

[grahame]

And the view from The Canary

Rail, Transport and Maritime union (RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)) general secretary Mick Lynch is back on the war path. The straight-talking trade union leader did another round of the TV studios ahead of planned strikes. The results were predictable: posh, smug TV presenters left gaping.

[grahame]

And from The Caterer

The next wave of rail strikes over the festive period could cost the hospitality industry an estimated £1.5b a day, UKHospitality has warned.

The trade body said businesses had already seen large-scale cancellations with operators facing their third Christmas in a row with disrupted trading.

It warned the damage caused by eight days of 48-hour strikes in December and January could be of a similar scale to that caused by the Omicron Covid-19 variant on bookings last year.

And from the The Night Time Industries Association

The Night Time Industries Association has stressed how damaging the latest rail strikes in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) will be for bars, clubs, venues and other night-time businesses, coming as they do in the middle of the key Christmas party season.

Indeed, NTIA boss Michael Kill says next month’s strike action will be “catastrophic” for bars, clubs and music venues, fearing that the strikes could result in a big drop in the number of people having nights out in December, certainly on the strike days, and maybe more generally.

[trainbuff]

Might it not be the case that it is cheaper to settle? Or are the Government worried that other workers such as nurses will take it as a green light for their pay claims?

[stuving]

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

ScotRail strike off as RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) staff accept pay offer

Staff at ScotRail have accepted an increased pay offer, averting a planned series of strikes.

The RMT had planned to strike next Saturday followed by regular walk-outs on Fridays and Saturdays up to Christmas.

Members were voting on a 5% rise plus an extra £750.

ScotRail said this means wages will rise by 7.5% for staff such as conductors and ticket examiners with an 8.5% increase for lower-paid workers.

Announcing the result of the ballot, the RMT said 67.7% of members who voted opted to accept the offer which the union had recommended.

However the deal is separate to the ongoing pay dispute and industrial action being taken by Network Rail staff who are members of the RMT.

The strikes were temporarily suspended on 10 November after ScotRail made the improved pay offer.

As part of the improved deal, minimum flat rate pay has been increased to £10.50 per hour and a no compulsory redundancies guarantee has also been increased from five to six years.

The current agreement on rest day working has been extended until 31 October 2023.

I guess that sets a marker, if not exactly a going rate.

[grahame]

it's a funny old world ...

14:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 16:07 has run as scheduled.

Additional Information

We're sorry for any changes this brings to your travel plans today.

[ChrisB]

The 1030 was standing in the aisles, as was the connecting RDG^‡(resolve)-OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) from Dicot. Seems as though the strikes aren’t putting people off travelling

[BBM]

I was at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) tonight and I saw the 1732 departure for Bristol TM^‡(resolve) which likewise was rammed full with staff preventing further passengers from attempting to join it.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I cycled past Combe station earlier and the display was apologising that there would be no services from this station today due to strike action.

Those pesky strikers, depriving Combe of its 0tph Saturday service.

[rogerw]

My journeys to and from London today were fairly uneventful. 0730 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) - PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) full and standing from Swindon. The trolley managed to get as far as coach G where I was before running into the jam, thanks to the TM^‡(resolve) moving people down the train. The 1732 Pad - BRI was full but no standing passengers in coach C. Depsite there being no other trains it still managed to lose 17 minutes on its journey, none of it station overtime. My trip on the British Pullman was superb

[grahame]

I was at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) tonight and I saw the 1732 departure for Bristol TM^‡(resolve) which likewise was rammed full with staff preventing further passengers from attempting to join it.

Real Time Trains reported all trains that ran were 9 or 10 carriages; thankful for small mercies!

[Mark A]

Now, when will Bath Spa's train service have been 100% powered by steam as might have been the case yesterday?

Here's an, er... 'technically flawed'... video clip of the return trip of said steam loco, passing that footbridge in Sydney Gardens.

Note to self, if you're simultaneously recording a video, turning 80 degrees and walking back six paces, you're lucky if the second half of the video didn't record only sky and tree branches.

In the early evening gloom, an impressive and alarming amount of light from the firebox, greatly helped by being carried and reflected by the steam and smoke it found in its path. Alarming as the flicker indicates a small light source, but the spread of light helped by the steam made it appear as though something far more sinister was afoot - it was briefly like witnessing an electricity substation transformer short-circult and fire, but yellow light rather than blue.

Mark

https://twitter.com/markannand/status/1596579393479970816

[stuving]

Mark's been writing to his new pen-pal Mick.

                                                                            28 November 2022
Dear Mr Lynch,

Thank you for meeting me last week; it was constructive and positive.

We both agree the industrial dispute on the railways has gone on too long. It’s bad for your members, losing out on pay and overtime, bad for businesses who depend on trains to bring them goods and customers and bad for people across our country who depend on the railways. Worse, disruption pushes more and more people away from using the railways, some of whom will never come back. We both want a long-term sustainable railway that provides both great service and rewarding jobs. Every day’s industrial action makes that harder to deliver.

There is a way forwards to meet everyone’s needs. By modernising working practices, we can deliver the savings that lower post-Covid passenger numbers require, restore financial sustainability and not place an unfair burden on taxpayers. My role is to facilitate and support – not negotiate. Negotiations will continue between trade unions and employers, but I can see scope for agreement.
Let me set out how I think we can help support that. Better information sharing between the Rail Minister, trade unions and those leading the negotiations on behalf of the employers can speed up this process. We will soon convene a further meeting to help advance, with the good faith of all parties, settlement discussions and progress in this dispute.

I want to work with you and employers in good faith to help resolve these long-standing issues, and help the employers and you reach a resolution that is fair to all. I would hope this will lead to progress that will allow you to call off industrial action.

Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Mark Harper MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT

[TaplowGreen]

LBC news reports that The Rail Delivery Group has offered the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) a pay rise of 8% over two years with a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies to April 2024 in a bid to head off fresh strike.

[ChrisB]

Isn't that an 'old' offer - been on the table for weeks. They're looking for this amount over one yaer, with additional for any 'modernisation' I thought