Rail unions industrial and strike action 2024

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

The words "passenger" and "customer" do not appear in the column ...

The words “passenger” and “customer” do not appear in the column because he is talking to “colleagues”.

The foremost concern of all colleagues is the wholly unacceptable decimation of our terms and conditions, something that the government is totally aware of. The government believe that the cost of operating the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) railway network, some £30bn, is a total waste of money.  Their hate of rail is clearly evident.  The likes of Mark Hopwood fully understand to increase revenue they need to increase services on existing routes and bring in new routes.  The government continually blocks this and firmly believes to balance the books requires cuts to services. This frustrates not only a lot of TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) but also suppliers who are losing confidence in the rail industry and are turning their backs on it. The security isn’t there.  That sort of position leads to spiralling costs.
We need to shift from the current total anti-rail government to something that is more favourable and actually listens to the industry as a whole. The longer we stay as we are, the greater the damage being caused to the industry and the longer it will take to recover.

a-driver I would go a step further this Government is anti public services full stop

[TaplowGreen]

I wonder if the membership were consulted on this decision?

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News - RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) leader Mick Lynch gives Jeremy Corbyn general election backing
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68393822

[GBM]

I wonder if the membership were consulted on this decision?

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News - RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) leader Mick Lynch gives Jeremy Corbyn general election backing
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68393822

Not sure how that will go down with the 'rank and file' membership.
They will probably be more concerned with pay rises and less strike action.
I left the RMT for Unite (even tho' it was/is more expensive).
That was more of a local issue rather than a national level one.

[a-driver]

I wonder if the membership were consulted on this decision?

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News - RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) leader Mick Lynch gives Jeremy Corbyn general election backing
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68393822

Not sure how that will go down with the 'rank and file' membership.
They will probably be more concerned with pay rises and less strike action.
I left the RMT for Unite (even tho' it was/is more expensive).
That was more of a local issue rather than a national level one.

I doubt many of the members will be that bothered. The vast majority are only union members for job protection etc and aren’t particularly bothered by national politics. Indeed there are union members who openly voted Tory at the last election.

[TaplowGreen]

I wonder if the membership were consulted on this decision?

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News - RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) leader Mick Lynch gives Jeremy Corbyn general election backing
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68393822

Not sure how that will go down with the 'rank and file' membership.
They will probably be more concerned with pay rises and less strike action.
I left the RMT for Unite (even tho' it was/is more expensive).
That was more of a local issue rather than a national level one.

I doubt many of the members will be that bothered. The vast majority are only union members for job protection etc and aren’t particularly bothered by national politics. Indeed there are union members who openly voted Tory at the last election.

I suspect like much of the wider population they voted Tory because of Corbyn (as Labour's post election research discovered!)

Bizarre that the RMT now decide to "openly" back him.

[ChrisB]

....to stand as an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)....

[TaplowGreen]

Here we go again, another volley of  bullets in the foot.

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-03-20/train-drivers-at-16-rail-companies-to-stage-a-fresh-wave-of-strikes

[IndustryInsider]

Nice to see Easter not being targeted. 

The action is just rumbling along at a very low level waiting for the Tories to either be replaced (hoping that Labour are prepared to talk and compromise) or decide the good PR^▸ (Public Relations) of a settlement to all the disputes close to the election is a good strategy.

The union has no other cards to play.

[a-driver]

Yet MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)’s will be enjoying an inflation-busting 5.5% rise next month with no changes to their terms & conditions against what the IPSA call an ‘extremely difficult backdrop’

What’s good enough for one should, and would, be more than acceptable to all.

[Electric train]

Nice to see Easter not being targeted. 

Although it is during the school Easter holidays

[TaplowGreen]

Nice to see Easter not being targeted. 

Although it is during the school Easter holidays

Presumably more lucrative not to strike over the Easter weekend given premiums for working Bank Holidays/Easter Sunday?

[a-driver]

Nice to see Easter not being targeted. 

Although it is during the school Easter holidays

Presumably more lucrative not to strike over the Easter weekend given premiums for working Bank Holidays/Easter Sunday?

No premiums for working bank holidays, it’s normal rate. Sundays are time plus 0.25.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drivers used to get an enhancement of 0.25 for bank holidays but that was removed several years ago as part of a pay deal.  So, Good Friday and Easter Monday are flat rate pay and Easter Sunday is just a ‘normal’ Sunday with a 0.25 enhancement.

Avanti are the same, but I guess some other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)’s may still have some form of an enhancement, but even then I doubt it’s a particularly lucrative one.

[TaplowGreen]

Yes, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drivers used to get an enhancement of 0.25 for bank holidays but that was removed several years ago as part of a pay deal.  So, Good Friday and Easter Monday are flat rate pay and Easter Sunday is just a ‘normal’ Sunday with a 0.25 enhancement.

Avanti are the same, but I guess some other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)’s may still have some form of an enhancement, but even then I doubt it’s a particularly lucrative one.

That does seem somewhat mean doesn't it?

Bit of an anomaly as the drivers salaries, pensions etc are comparatively generous - although as you imply if it was part of a bigger deal that was more advantageous overall it may explain it.

I take it that they at least get a day off in lieu for working a Bank Holiday?

[Electric train]

Yes, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drivers used to get an enhancement of 0.25 for bank holidays but that was removed several years ago as part of a pay deal.  So, Good Friday and Easter Monday are flat rate pay and Easter Sunday is just a ‘normal’ Sunday with a 0.25 enhancement.

Avanti are the same, but I guess some other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)’s may still have some form of an enhancement, but even then I doubt it’s a particularly lucrative one.

I take it that they at least get a day off in lieu for working a Bank Holiday?

A railway contract I was under a few years ago, and I know is still in use, I got 6 days holiday to compensate for bank holidays being rostered as normal work days the only ones treated as bank holidays are Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.  Saturdays and Sundays also rostered the only enhanced overtime payments was for working a rest day 0.25.

Railways staff are restricted in we must have 12 hours rest between shifts, and can only work 13 days out of 14 ie every 13 days we must have a day off.