Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2015

[whole diary]

[Jason]

Delays to services between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington
Following signalling problems between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington some London bound relief lines have now reopened.
Impact: Train services running to and from these stations are returning to normal. Disruption is expected until 17:30 15/07.

"some" ? How many London bound relief lines are there ?

[Jason]

I had an interesting experience yesterday evening. Due to a signalling problem around Reading West (that was the only details I heard) the Reading to Basingstoke service http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P02788/2015/07/16/advanced came in on P12B rather than P2.
It then went some way eastwards before pausing and then pulling back into Reading I think on P7. It was then able to proceed down towards Basingstoke.

Was the fault on the inbound track towards Reading, causing the service to take a scenic route under the viaduct ?

[Western Pathfinder]

Don't agree - a ';domestic' can occur anywhere - often in pubs/clubs etc. Just means partners arguing

I'm with Chris B on this one - it's certainly not restricted to the house - try watching the Jeremy Kyle show! (......I don't....honest.....someone told me about it!    )

Id rather poke my own eyes out !.

[TaplowGreen]

Lots of short forms/alterations and the odd cancellation this morning due to "members of staff unavailable" ......am I right in thinking that there's an overtime ban following on from the recent strike or is it just sickies/poor rostering etc again?

[sprinterguard]

There is no overtime ban.

Sundays are not within the working week for the majority of (if not all) train crew including drivers and guards. Therefore it's possible to make yourself unavailable to work them. Much of it runs on goodwill, and there isn't much about at the moment!

With it now being the school holidays, it will not get any better.

[TaplowGreen]

There is no overtime ban.

Sundays are not within the working week for the majority of (if not all) train crew including drivers and guards. Therefore it's possible to make yourself unavailable to work them. Much of it runs on goodwill, and there isn't much about at the moment!

With it now being the school holidays, it will not get any better.

I sometimes wonder whether the railways are run for the benefit of customers or staff.

[bobm]

Comes down to economics. Normally there are enough staff wanting the overtime to cover shifts and that is cheaper than employing full time staff members.  More full time staff means more costs which is likely to affect fares - the unregulated ones at least.

So I don't think it is all a case of putting the railway first.

[broadgage]

I do feel though that new staff should be required to work on Sundays, perhaps up to say 12 Sundays a year.
There is nothing unreasonable in this for new staff, if you feel it to be unreasonable then don't take the job.

It would not be reasonable to force this on existing staff who joined when Sunday working was optional.

The problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to new staff being on a different contract of employment to existing staff.

[TaplowGreen]

I do feel though that new staff should be required to work on Sundays, perhaps up to say 12 Sundays a year.
There is nothing unreasonable in this for new staff, if you feel it to be unreasonable then don't take the job.

It would not be reasonable to force this on existing staff who joined when Sunday working was optional.

The problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to new staff being on a different contract of employment to existing staff.

If recent evidence is anything to go by, the problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to any change or progess at all.

[Chris from Nailsea]

If I may offer my own situation (albeit not railway related) purely as an example: I have chosen to work as a delivery driver for my employer every Sunday.

That's because it suits me: in return, I get every Wednesday off - which also suits me. 

[Electric train]

I do feel though that new staff should be required to work on Sundays, perhaps up to say 12 Sundays a year.
There is nothing unreasonable in this for new staff, if you feel it to be unreasonable then don't take the job.

It would not be reasonable to force this on existing staff who joined when Sunday working was optional.

The problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to new staff being on a different contract of employment to existing staff.

If recent evidence is anything to go by, the problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to any change or progess at all.

Its not that Trade Unions are against progress, what they are against in the eroding of hard won rights and conditions of employment.  We all would be in a worse place employment wise without the Trade Union movement whether you are in Union or not there are things we all take for granted to day the Unions gained for use all, 40 hour working week, paid holidays, maternity leave, the list goes on.

Do I believe every strike is justified no, am I in a Union no (have not been since the Railways go Majored, also the Union that covers my role is toothless so not worth the fee, just my opinion of them) but I do believe every employee should have the right to be in a Union and have the right provided it is correctly balloted and negotiations have come to an impass to withdraw labour otherwise 

[TaplowGreen]

I do feel though that new staff should be required to work on Sundays, perhaps up to say 12 Sundays a year.
There is nothing unreasonable in this for new staff, if you feel it to be unreasonable then don't take the job.

It would not be reasonable to force this on existing staff who joined when Sunday working was optional.

The problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to new staff being on a different contract of employment to existing staff.

If recent evidence is anything to go by, the problem is that trades unions are, in general, opposed to any change or progess at all.

Its not that Trade Unions are against progress, what they are against in the eroding of hard won rights and conditions of employment.  We all would be in a worse place employment wise without the Trade Union movement whether you are in Union or not there are things we all take for granted to day the Unions gained for use all, 40 hour working week, paid holidays, maternity leave, the list goes on.

Do I believe every strike is justified no, am I in a Union no (have not been since the Railways go Majored, also the Union that covers my role is toothless so not worth the fee, just my opinion of them) but I do believe every employee should have the right to be in a Union and have the right provided it is correctly balloted and negotiations have come to an impass to withdraw labour otherwise 

There is much to be said for the merits of the  fight to gain the rights you mention, much of which took place in a different world decades ago, however there is also the need to adapt to a changing world and the needs of customers....we no longer live in a 9-5, Mon-Fri world and people need to travel at weekends for work, leisure, to visit families etc and they need a service which they can rely on.

It's all very well waving outdated contracts around which state you don't have to work Sundays, Boxing Day etc but the railways are there to provide a service to their customers as well as their staff, so those contracts, attitudes and working conditions need to change to reflect this, without the constant threat of strikes etc..........the recent strikes on the Underground illustrate this outdated attitude perfectly.

[sprinterguard]

There is no overtime ban.

Sundays are not within the working week for the majority of (if not all) train crew including drivers and guards. Therefore it's possible to make yourself unavailable to work them. Much of it runs on goodwill, and there isn't much about at the moment!

With it now being the school holidays, it will not get any better.

I sometimes wonder whether the railways are run for the benefit of customers or staff.

Christ, I know you hate the railways but don't take it out on us. The majority of railway staff would have started their jobs well after any Sunday agreements were made.

Don't tell me if you were in railway employment and had the opportunity to take all or some the Sundays you could work off because it meant you spent more time with your family or friends or to attend events you wouldn't!

FWIW^▸ (for what it's worth), I work my Sundays. But that's my choice.

Edited to fix quotes - bobm

[TaplowGreen]

Don't be silly, it's not a question of hating anyone or anything, it's just frustrating that whereas most other organisations and their workforces accept the need to meet customer demand and adapt their working practices accordingly, SOME rail staff/Unions(and Underground staff/unions) seem determined to dig their heels in and prioritise their own interests above all else, and there seems to be a very casual attitude to the inconvenience caused to the public.

......and yes, I'd love to have "all or some" of Sundays off to spend more time with friends and family, but when I joined an organisation that serves the public 7 days a week I sort of accepted that I'd have to balance my own interests with those of my customers.

[bobm]

I work 36 Saturdays and Sundays a year and I quite enjoy doing so as it gives me the chance to have time off during the week.  I'm self employed so it is definitely my choice.  Although when I was employed I still worked most Saturdays and a fair few Sundays.

Perhaps because I went to a school which had lessons on a Saturday I have never attached so much importance to weekends.