Cross Country industrial action - August 2009 (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[devon_metro]

RAIL UNION RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) announced today that members working for Arriva Cross Country will take a month of action short of a strike running from 00.01 hrs on Monday 3rd August to 23.59 hours on Wednesday 2nd September 2009 in a dispute over a breakdown in industrial relations around pay and a series of issues relating to working conditions.


Earlier this month Arriva Cross Country RMT members voted by four to one for action on a turnout of 55%.


The action will take the form of:


A total ban on overtime working
A total ban on volunteering for rest day working
A total ban on Sunday working with the exception of booked Sundays
A total ban on litter-picking on trains

Arriva Cross Country runs rail services over a wide geographical area stretching across England and into Wales and Scotland.

[brompton rail]

from Staffordshire News
 [Warning of rail chaos in Midlands as Cross Country train staff strike
Jul 28 2009
Train services through the West Midlands face disruption after workers at Arriva Cross Country decided to stage a month of industrial action in a row over pay and working conditions.

Industrial action on the route, which runs through Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Nuneaton and Stoke-on-Trent, will include a ban on overtime and refusing to pick up litter from trains.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said the action will start next Monday and continue until September 2 following a 4-1 vote in favour of a campaign short of a strike.

The union claimed that industrial relations had broken down at the company, which runs services across England and into Wales and Scotland.

[brompton rail]

Apologies - Devon Metro beat me to it!
See "Across the West"
brompton rail.

[eightf48544]

I find it rather ironic that one of the reasons for privatisation and breaking up the railway was to lessen the power of the unions in particular ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) and the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

However, with the smaller groupings it means that chaos can be caused by a relatively small number of staff working for one organisation taking industrial action.

Thus the unions no longer have to call national strikes but can pick off TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) and other rail companies at will.

But that's the way capitalism is meant to work, the strong exploit the weak, so good luck to them. If I had to work all day on a Vomiter I might well join them.

[JayMac]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract? And isn't the on-train cleaning on AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) contracted out to ISS? I can't see ISS cleaners being members of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

Is the turnout 55% of union members or 55% of the workforce?. If it's the former then, with a vote of 4 to 1 in favour, my elementary maths works that out as less than half the union members in favour of the action. So more than enough staff still available to cover overtime, sickness, Sundays etc.

[devon_metro]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract? And isn't the on-train cleaning on AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) contracted out to ISS? I can't see ISS cleaners being members of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

No, Cross Country stopped the contract with ISS, and Train Managers and Retail Service Managers are not contracted to litter pick. What a sheer outrage. I wholly support the action.

[Btline]

Better avoid XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) at weekends then!

Oh, I forgot, I already do....

As for cleaning. I doubt there'll be any difference, as the trains are always full of litter! Arriva = litter filled trains for some reason...

[IndustryInsider]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract?

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

It all depends how much they rely on staff working rest days and extra Sundays. If it's anything like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) then it would have a significant effect on what service it could offer, especially at weekends. A month worth of, say, 5% of trains being cancelled would have enough of an effect on Arriva's takings (and CrossCountry's reputation) to get those boots quaking!

[JayMac]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract?

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

It all depends how much they rely on staff working rest days and extra Sundays. If it's anything like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) then it would have a significant effect on what service it could offer, especially at weekends. A month worth of, say, 5% of trains being cancelled would have enough of an effect on Arriva's takings (and CrossCountry's reputation) to get those boots quaking!

But it appears to not be a 'one out, all out' bit of industrial action. With only a 55% turnout for the vote for action, will non-voting staff not just pick up all the juicy overtime and Sundays?

[Btline]

And this is right in the holiday period when you get people who don't normally use the trains.

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) may give a bad experience to such people, who'll not use the trains again!

[JayMac]

And this is right in the holiday period when you get people who don't normally use the trains.

XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) may give a bad experience to such people, who'll not use the trains again!

I'm a regular traveller and XC seem to give me a bad experience all too often. If I'm heading south-west from Bristol I try wherever possible to either catch a via BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) or detrain at Taunton and swap to a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST there.

[devon_metro]

I never normally have problems with Cross Country, however, when I travel I try and get an HST^▸ (High Speed Train).

I had a very useful 90 minutes on one from Bristol to Newton Abbot the other week. Window view, table, socket and an empty carriage. Excellent for doing some work on my laptop. (and btline - yes I was in the quiet carriage)

[IndustryInsider]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract?

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

It all depends how much they rely on staff working rest days and extra Sundays. If it's anything like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) then it would have a significant effect on what service it could offer, especially at weekends. A month worth of, say, 5% of trains being cancelled would have enough of an effect on Arriva's takings (and CrossCountry's reputation) to get those boots quaking!

But it appears to not be a 'one out, all out' bit of industrial action. With only a 55% turnout for the vote for action, will non-voting staff not just pick up all the juicy overtime and Sundays?

As it is official action, even those who didn't vote or voted 'no' to action would be expected by the Union to take the action. Like it or not, that's what being a member of a Union is all about. The extent of the collective strength and solidarity of the membership, and the reliance on the company of staff working extra hours, will determine how successful the action is.

[JayMac]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract?

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

It all depends how much they rely on staff working rest days and extra Sundays. If it's anything like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) then it would have a significant effect on what service it could offer, especially at weekends. A month worth of, say, 5% of trains being cancelled would have enough of an effect on Arriva's takings (and CrossCountry's reputation) to get those boots quaking!

But it appears to not be a 'one out, all out' bit of industrial action. With only a 55% turnout for the vote for action, will non-voting staff not just pick up all the juicy overtime and Sundays?

As it is official action, even those who didn't vote or voted 'no' to action would be expected by the Union to take the action. Like it or not, that's what being a member of a Union is all about. The extent of the collective strength and solidarity of the membership, and the reliance on the company of staff working extra hours, will determine how successful the action is.

I thought that might be the case. Thanks for pointing that out. Won't change my opinion of dinosaur unions like the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) though.

[Mookiemoo]

That's industrial action is it? Working as per contract?

Management must be quaking in their boots at such dire action!

It all depends how much they rely on staff working rest days and extra Sundays. If it's anything like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) then it would have a significant effect on what service it could offer, especially at weekends. A month worth of, say, 5% of trains being cancelled would have enough of an effect on Arriva's takings (and CrossCountry's reputation) to get those boots quaking!

But it appears to not be a 'one out, all out' bit of industrial action. With only a 55% turnout for the vote for action, will non-voting staff not just pick up all the juicy overtime and Sundays?

As it is official action, even those who didn't vote or voted 'no' to action would be expected by the Union to take the action. Like it or not, that's what being a member of a Union is all about. The extent of the collective strength and solidarity of the membership, and the reliance on the company of staff working extra hours, will determine how successful the action is.

Yet another reason unions should be banned - especially in a recession when i'm sure there are people out there who could do the job and be willing to pick up litter as well.