'FGW train drivers balloted for strike action', from the London Evening Standard

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the London Evening Standard:

Double dose of rail delays

Up to 100,000 passengers using mainline services to and from Paddington face a "double whammy" of disruption in rows over working conditions for train drivers.

The 900 First Great Western drivers will be balloted for strike action following claims that some were "forced" to work when unwell.

Aslef, the drivers' union, is also ordering its members not to work on their rest days. The result will be declared on 12 November and union officials predict overwhelming support for a strike.

There were more warnings of disruption on rail lines out of London after Aslef ordered drivers to slow to 20mph when passing ungated level crossings.

Aslef reported "numerous incidents" involving crossings without a gate. Union bosses are demanding all such crossings are fitted with barriers.

Keith Norman, Aslef's general secretary, attacked Network Rail for not spending money to gate crossings.

[JayMac]

So ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) are going to enter the foot-shooting competition along with CWU^» (Communication Workers Union - website). Bloody dinosaurs.

[Cornish Traveller]

Probably usual Evening Standard hype : eg. think you will find the 20 mph level crossing issue relates to Highlands of Scotland !!!

[Super Guard]

Probably usual Evening Standard hype : eg. think you will find the 20 mph level crossing issue relates to Highlands of Scotland !!!

Quite, i'd be interested to know how many level crossings on the way out of london have no barriers on 

[super tm]

I've checked the ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) website and there is no mention of strike action there.  They are usually quite quick to issue a press release if a strike ballot is in the offing.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Witney Gazette:

Train drivers set to ballot for strike action

Train drivers operating on key routes through Oxfordshire are set to ballot for strike action.

Union leaders representing about 900 drivers working for First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)), which runs services from Banbury and Bicester to Oxford and London Paddington, have given notice of the move to bosses after a dispute over sick leave escalated.

FGW has introduced a ^managing for attendance^ policy designed to identifty anyone who has had an extended period of sick leave and ask them for an explanation in a bid to weed out shirkers. But drivers fear those who are genuinely ill are being targeted, prompting safety concerns.

Aslef district organiser Stan Moran said: ^Human resources managers have come down on people who have been certified sick by a doctor and brought them in for an interview. But how do you overule a doctor? They are frightening people to get them back into work but train drivers have a responsible job and there is a major safety factor involved. You don^t want someone driving a train if they are ill. But we are in talks and hopefully we can avert this. There is always a way forward.^

The union has also pledged to withdraw an arrangement allowing drivers to work on their rest days by the end of this month.

FGW spokesman Ellie Banks said: "We spoke with ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) on Wednesday and are working closely with them to resolve this matter. Our priority is to prevent any impact on our customers."

She added: "We would never expect a driver to drive one of our trains if they were feeling unwell, and we have relief drivers in place to cover."

[Superwang]

It is clear the public do not understand the enormous changes forced upon the British traincrew staff and others in the new Tory privatised rail system.

We have much more to be concerned about with senseless paperwork to complete daily and silly working practices created by managers and the government alike in order to run this fragmented rail network.

The current FGW^▸ (First Great Western) franchise has ongoing problems with Drivers who are constantly monitored for performance at work also sickness performance. The disipline administered is so harsh and unfair that drivers and others have no choice but to come to work ill, even though their GP doctor has advised them to stay off work. If they choose to go sick the management will initiate a disipline procedure which over a longer period could see the driver dismissed from his job for being ill. Hence an unfit workforce is trying to deliver a safe train service.

Perhaps, the public will try to grasp what this dispute is actually all about and not listen to much to the 'Evening Standard'

Also, the Royal Mail workers, just like us Drivers are not behaving militantly like the thatcher years disputes, but, only trying to preserve a reliable, safe and secure service whilst at the same time preserve working and pension conditions of service

One hopes the public will appreciate the work of others in all weathers to deliver a daily service and not be so self-centred.

[JayMac]

Fully appreciate the work train drivers do. As well as the posties. I actually bothered to find out more information on the intended strike on FGW^▸ (First Great Western); not easy when ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) are not giving their side of the story on their own website. At least that eternal self publicist Bob Crow at the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) puts his side of the story across wherever and whenever he is given a platform.

Why so little information from ASLEF on the FGW drivers dispute over performance? Maybe because they are going to attract little wider support. If drivers are being forced by their employer to work when a doctor has signed them off, then that is a legal dispute that should be taken to an employment tribunal, not a union matter for strike action.

Again, bloody dinosaurs.

[John R]

Also, the Royal Mail workers, just like us Drivers are not behaving militantly like the thatcher years disputes, but, only trying to preserve a reliable, safe and secure service whilst at the same time preserve working and pension conditions of service

Most public sector workers have had their future service pension provision significantly deteriorated in the last few years, so I don't think they will get much sympathy there.

[vacman]

Probably usual Evening Standard hype : eg. think you will find the 20 mph level crossing issue relates to Highlands of Scotland !!!

I'd be interested to see how many un gated level crossings actually have a line speed higher than 20mph!

[The Grecian]

The Salmonpool crossing north of Crediton on the Barny branch is ungated and has a 25mph speed limit. I think there may also be an ungated 30mph crossing at Umberleigh.

[qwerty]

The Salmonpool crossing north of Crediton on the Barny branch is ungated and has a 25mph speed limit. I think there may also be an ungated 30mph crossing at Umberleigh.

Both Salmon Pool and Umberleigh are 25 mph.

[IndustryInsider]

The current FGW^▸ (First Great Western) franchise has ongoing problems with Drivers who are constantly monitored for performance at work also sickness performance. The disipline administered is so harsh and unfair that drivers and others have no choice but to come to work ill, even though their GP doctor has advised them to stay off work. If they choose to go sick the management will initiate a disipline procedure which over a longer period could see the driver dismissed from his job for being ill. Hence an unfit workforce is trying to deliver a safe train service.

The disciplinary procedure they initiate isn't actually a disciplinary procedure as such. It's called MFA (Managing For Attendance) as is a procedure agreed by both management and the unions to manage attendance, or rather the lack of. Unfortunately all the depots I know closely have certain staff who are clearly playing the game with attendance, and it's their colleagues that suffer as a result. Therefore I am pleased that those people are being given a harder time of it - sadly, with the maze of employment laws, it is very hard for a large company to get rid of wasters.

The MFA procedure has been in place for about 15 years now and it appears that FGW are simply applying it more seriously than they have in the past. There are several stages (five I think) which range from stage one, where a driver is informed that he has triggered the procedure which is based on a number of days off in a given period, to the final stage where, theoretically at least, a driver would be dismissed. I can't think of a single instance where a driver has been dismissed under the procedure - certainly none unfairly.

Generally speaking if a driver has time of sick, certified by a doctor, then they will trigger the procedure and have a meeting with their line manager upon return. Therefore they will be on stage one. Assuming the driver is genuinely ill, they will continue to be monitored but no action will be taken. Assuming after their illness they don't go sick again, then they will come off of the procedure after a certain amount of time. If they do go sick again then the same procedure will be gone through again, and if pattern starts emerging and management suspect they are not being genuine then they will go up to the next stage.

I don't know of any occasion in the last 10 years where drivers have been threatened with the sack if they are off sick with a doctors certificate and don't come in to work. I therefore feel this is an over-reaction on the part of the unions, but it might well go through due to the general feeling amongst drivers towards the company. Personally if I was balloted I'd want the union to provide me with proof that drivers who are genuinely off sick have been threatened as they claim before I voted yes. Sadly, they probably won't, yet many drivers will vote YES!

[Super Guard]

Generally speaking if a driver has time of sick, certified by a doctor, then they will trigger the procedure and have a meeting with their line manager upon return. Therefore they will be on stage one. Assuming the driver is genuinely ill, they will continue to be monitored but no action will be taken. Assuming after their illness they don't go sick again, then they will come off of the procedure after a certain amount of time. If they do go sick again then the same procedure will be gone through again, and if pattern starts emerging and management suspect they are not being genuine then they will go up to the next stage.

I thought stage 1 MFA only kicked in if a second sickness occurs within a certain number of weeks, or if one sickness lasts longer than a certain period of days... 

[IndustryInsider]

Generally speaking if a driver has time of sick, certified by a doctor, then they will trigger the procedure and have a meeting with their line manager upon return. Therefore they will be on stage one.

I thought stage 1 MFA only kicked in if a second sickness occurs within a certain number of weeks, or if one sickness lasts longer than a certain period of days... 

That's right, it's based on the number of days off, or the number of instances of sickness. However, I think if you're sick long enough to not be able to self certify yourself and need a doctors certificate, then that's long enough to trigger stage one? You'd also trigger it if you had a few single days off sick in a few months.