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Guards during strikes

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stuartbaggs

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During the RMT strike, who are SWR using as guards on their trains?

They're all very smartly dressed, are they temporary people brought in just for the strike?
 
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TheManBehind

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They're normal managers in office clothes (probably not their nicest as train working comes with a risk of damage!)
 

[.n]

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They were using SWR managers, with high-vis, and also apparently GWR managers as well.

The biggest piss-take I encountered during the strike, was the "guard" stating throughout the journey, sorry I can't sell you tickets, only for the train to be boarded (near the very end of the late, delayed journey) by an RPI. He seemed very unimpressed that I suggested he feedback to management, that perhaps it wasn't the best PR that SWR could have had on the day!
 

Bletchleyite

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Well it is plainly obvious to anyone why the person 'acting' as a Guard couldn't sell tickets, no doubt training for that part of the many competences a Guard does was left off. I would of gone and asked him why he couldnt sell tickets, but then i wouldnt of been travelling on a train during a period of industrial action.

Given that secondary action i.e. action by people who are not in the ballot is illegal, how do you propose people get to work if they don't travel on trains during periods of industrial action?

Don't say drive. Driving to London is impractical.
 

dk1

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First and foremost they are not Guards, they are something else but guards they are not.




Well it is plainly obvious to anyone why the person 'acting' as a Guard couldn't sell tickets, no doubt training for that part of the many competences a Guard does was left off. I would of gone and asked him why he couldnt sell tickets, but then i wouldnt of been travelling on a train during a period of industrial action.

Known on GA as PUGs & even though I have to work with them I have no idea what it stands for. No revenue duties carried out but there has been a higher presence of revenue protection staff at main stations. The local intermediate traffic has a 'have it on us day' & no doubt this is in some way underwritten by the DfT.
 

GB

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Known on GA as PUGs & even though I have to work with them I have no idea what it stands for. No revenue duties carried out but there has been a higher presence of revenue protection staff at main stations. The local intermediate traffic has a 'have it on us day' & no doubt this is in some way underwritten by the DfT.

I believe its Person Utilised as Guard or something similar.
 

Bletchleyite

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I was given two legs and during the signal workers dispute of 1994 i walked from Camden Town where i lived to Willesden Junction where i worked and used them as my means to get to work, exactly the same mode i did when going to the picket line when i was strike in 2013.

Fair enough, though that's rather more of an option than for someone from further out.
 

pemma

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They were using SWR managers, with high-vis, and also apparently GWR managers as well.

The biggest ****-take I encountered during the strike, was the "guard" stating throughout the journey, sorry I can't sell you tickets, only for the train to be boarded (near the very end of the late, delayed journey) by an RPI. He seemed very unimpressed that I suggested he feedback to management, that perhaps it wasn't the best PR that SWR could have had on the day!

If he said 'I' can't sell you tickets then he wasn't incorrect if someone else got on and started selling tickets. On a train I was on earlier in the week a guard announced twice that passengers should have tickets ready for inspection but then remained in the cab.
 

greatkingrat

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First and foremost they are not Guards, they are something else but guards they are not.

Well it is plainly obvious to anyone why the person 'acting' as a Guard couldn't sell tickets, no doubt training for that part of the many competences a Guard does was left off. I would of gone and asked him why he couldnt sell tickets, but then i wouldnt of been travelling on a train during a period of industrial action.

A large number of SWR guards are non-commercial anyway. Does that mean they are not proper guards in your opinion?
 

Robertj21a

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They were using SWR managers, with high-vis, and also apparently GWR managers as well.

The biggest ****-take I encountered during the strike, was the "guard" stating throughout the journey, sorry I can't sell you tickets, only for the train to be boarded (near the very end of the late, delayed journey) by an RPI. He seemed very unimpressed that I suggested he feedback to management, that perhaps it wasn't the best PR that SWR could have had on the day!

You'll have to explain your concerns to me as I don't understand (I'm not even sure if the trains I go on have a guard). Do all guards on all services normally sell tickets ? What was this RPI supposed to be feeding back to management ?
 

BML247

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I was given two legs and during the signal workers dispute of 1994 i walked from Camden Town where i lived to Willesden Junction where i worked and used them as my means to get to work, exactly the same mode i did when going to the picket line when i was strike in 2013.


How do I walk from Brighton to work in London on a strike day?
 

BML247

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Something else i never picked up on is the smartness of the people from the OPs original comment, is he/she saying that on a normal day when normal guards are working trains that they are unkempt and scruffy? sadly staff can only wear what is issued to them, a lot of uniform is often ill fitted and you have to wear it no matter what.

It wasn't about the smartness nor that they thought guards in uniform are scruffy just that the managers playing at being a guard won't be in their finest work suits
 

pemma

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Which raises another question If all these people can be guards on strike days who is doing there job on that day? If no one is doing begs the question as to their own importance in keeping the railway running on a day to day basis. Lets get rid of them as well.

While I don't work on the railways when other people have been sick or on holiday I've covered part of their roles. Sometimes this has meant delaying any non time critical work e.g. something required by the end of the month doesn't need to be done 3 days in advance of the end of the month even though it's best not to leave everything until the last minute. Other times I've worked though lunch, worked late, worked 6 days in a week or a combination of these to cover the extra work. Unless you know every task those people do and whether or not they've worked extra hours you're not in a position to say whether there roles are redundant, anymore than someone can say if there are TVMs and barriers at every station then guards are automatically surplus to requirements.
 
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embers25

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As i have said the reason why revenue duties are not carried out is because it has been left off the "training" programme, they have been taught the one thing the companies want rid off opening and closing the doors forget all the other competencies they are out of the window.

You've just identified a clear solution to the strikes, train the drivers to open and close the doors and then no need for a guard or a PUG at all, problem solved and strike even more ineffective than it already was! You should recommend that to the RMT immediately! On the staff issue, the staff replacing the usual guards were certainly very well presented and a friendly bunch in my experience and certainly more friendly and knowledgeable than all todays 4 guards I've had so far on SWR and GWR.

As for what they do normally clearly being not needed if they can take 1 or 2 days off, does that mean anyone taking leave from their job should be fired too given they clearly weren't needed whilst they were away and everything ran smoothly without them? I for one commend them for not just helping to keep the trains running but also for doing it whilst creating a good impression for the company. Not being able to do revenue is hardly the end of the world with penalty fares and many stations barriered. They may have lost some revenue but easily offset by the revenue gained and positive PR achieved through running the trains on strike days in the first place.
 

JetStream

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A few years back, when ATW guards went on strike, am I right in thinking they used (at least some were) Guard Managers/Trainers as interim guards, who had retained their competency etc?
 

Goldfish62

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Which raises another question If all these people can be guards on strike days who is doing there job on that day? If no one is doing begs the question as to their own importance in keeping the railway running on a day to day basis. Lets get rid of them as well.

My workload is time-critical in two-week cycles (excluding unscheduled emergencies). Therefore, when I was on strike for 3 days a few years ago I had a backlog of 3 days work that I had to catch up on in my own time. I expect it's a similar situation for these "guards" - they'll simply have to catch up on their workload, no doubt with no overtime as managers in most organisations are generally "required to work the hours that a job takes".
 

MartinB1

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There are some idiotic comments in this thread:

1) people still need to use the trains irrespective of whether or not there are strikes. Do you expect people who have jobs, flights, hospital appointments to keep to effectively put their lives on hold during a strike?

2) regarding uniform what has been given to staff isn't great, particularly the baggy, cheap trousers . Having said this it is noticable that some staff don't know what an iron or shoe polish are! Let alone actually tucking in their shirts. Hopefully the new uniform will be an improvement, if it actually gets rolled out at some point over the next 6 years and 9 months.

3) regarding managers I am sure that a backlog of work will have built up over the 2 strike days i.e. competency assessments and whatever else it is they do. Saying that they should be got rid of because they weren't needed for their day job during the strikes is ridiculous. I'm sure if you call in sick one day your employer somehow manages, may be they should just get rid of you as they got by without you that day?
 

MartinB1

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My workload is time-critical in two-week cycles (excluding unscheduled emergencies). Therefore, when I was on strike for 3 days a few years ago I had a backlog of 3 days work that I had to catch up on in my own time. I expect it's a similar situation for these "guards" - they'll simply have to catch up on their workload, no doubt with no overtime as managers in most organisations are generally "required to work the hours that a job takes".
Exactly!!!!
 

bramling

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My opinion has nothing to do with it, and we are talking about wannabe guards breaking strikes, not a guard on a normal day doing his/her normal daily work.

Which raises another question If all these people can be guards on strike days who is doing there job on that day? If no one is doing begs the question as to their own importance in keeping the railway running on a day to day basis. Lets get rid of them as well.

Whilst I identify with your general theme as regards managers covering striking staff, please can we remember that many of these staff probably won't be given much choice as to whether they do the task or not, and probably hate having to do it just as much as many regular staff hate seeing them do it. As to what happens with their normal workload, many will doubtlessly come back to their normal role after the strike and simply have a backlog which the company will expect them to work through as if nothing has happened, and without even a word of thanks from on high for getting the company out of the brown stuff.

I don't doubt there are a few who may play the hero in an attempt to make their names known, however this is very much the exception IME.
 

MartinB1

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Is National Express not running ?
Do you think that passengers should also strike on strike days?!? Surely if using the railway is the most convenient option they should still use it? What planet are you on ?!? Seriously!!!!!!
 
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