Network Rail staff allegedly smoking at Waterloo after a fire near the track

[takno]

Pre social media it would have been dismissed as people exaggerating, now there's photographic evidence. If NR management made a statement explaining what was happening then everyone will know.

What if somebody takes a photo of the management wasting their time finding out what the track workers were up to and making a statement? Where will it all end? Personally I think the entire board of network rail should resign and be replaced by people who know best according to a Twitter poll

 

[CJK64]

I suppose the workers could have insisted that they are taken to the nearest NWR depot with proper messing facilities, which they are entitled to do so.
This can make a 30 min dinner break last 90 mins. Taking a break on the job is beneficial to the company.
Messing vans with microwaves, washing facilities and toilets onboard were bought in for that very reason.

Fair play to those workers who were happy to take their break on the job

 

[bastien]

The question is, has social media turned the British into a nation of petty grasses?

Let's ask someone who remembers a time before social media...

Oh, yes, thanks for asking. The print media has been doing this for as long as I can remember.

 

[Clip]

The internet without social media would be a much better place.

This forum is a form of social media

 

[Bletchleyite]

Pre social media it would have been dismissed as people exaggerating, now there's photographic evidence. If NR management made a statement explaining what was happening then everyone will know.

"They were on their lunch break".

There you go, done. Do you really need an official statement to confirm that a group of workers pictured sitting eating sandwiches are having a lunch (or dinner) break?

 

[Antman]

"They were on their lunch break".

There you go, done. Do you really need an official statement to confirm that a group of workers pictured sitting eating sandwiches are having a lunch (or dinner) break?

I couldn't care less what they were doing but I can understand people who were subjected to delay and cancellations asking questions. Shocking isn't it paying customers asking questions?

 

[Llanigraham]

Clearly some people think otherwise.

If you were without water and there were numerous staff gathered around a burst water main down the road not doing very much you might well be asking similar questions?

What like the people who complain that track workers are doing nothing and leaning on their shovels as their train passes by?
(Yes it does happen!)

 

[Antman]

What like the people who complain that track workers are doing nothing and leaning on their shovels as their train passes by?
(Yes it does happen!)

Very good....... I'm sure it does lol

 

[Dieseldriver]

I couldn't care less what they were doing but I can understand people who were subjected to delay and cancellations asking questions. Shocking isn't it paying customers asking questions?

I would argue that a grown adult with such lack of intelligence that they lack the ability to comprehend that a worker eating a sandwich or smoking a cigarette is on some kind of break really shouldn't be allowed to be out in public unaccompanied by a reasonable, mature adult as the big wide world is clearly going to overwhelm them and be a constant source of confusion and anxiety.
What an absolutely pathetic society we live in.

 

[bastien]

What like the people who complain that track workers are doing nothing and leaning on their shovels as their train passes by?
(Yes it does happen!)

I'm racking my brain trying to remember which comedian used to do that joke! Jimmy Cricket maybe?

 

[Antman]

I would argue that a grown adult with such lack of intelligence that they lack the ability to comprehend that a worker eating a sandwich or smoking a cigarette is on some kind of break really shouldn't be allowed to be out in public unaccompanied by a reasonable, mature adult as the big wide world is clearly going to overwhelm them and be a constant source of confusion and anxiety.
What an absolutely pathetic society we live in.

Honestly what a ridiculous over reaction!

 

[Darandio]

Honestly what a ridiculous over reaction!

The 'ironyometer™' just exploded.

 

[ComUtoR]

Honestly what a ridiculous over reaction!

Which is exactly what I thought of the twitter post.

 

[Bigfoot]

Thoughts?

https://twitter.com/lovepeterlove/status/1151531616679989248?s=19

He commutes from Farnham. The worst kind of commuter.

 

[westv]

Some people just love to moan and they are not happy unless they having to moan about!

 

[Antman]

The 'ironyometer™' just exploded.

Seriously............. commuters who have probably been stuck at Waterloo for ages and finally squeeze onto a packed train and see NR sat around doing not very much.......... what do you think their reaction is going to be?

 

[Antman]

Some people just love to moan and they are not happy unless they having to moan about!

And you're moaning about them moaning?

 

[westv]

And you're moaning about them moaning?

Are you moaning about me moaning about the moaning?

 

[Darandio]

Seriously............. commuters who have probably been stuck at Waterloo for ages and finally squeeze onto a packed train and see NR sat around doing not very much.......... what do you think their reaction is going to be?

A complete overreaction, i'd expect nothing less these days. Doesn't make it right or justified though, nor does it require a statement from upon high to clarify they were eating sandwiches.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

No one suggests it is illegal to be drinking with car keys in your pocket for goodness sake. What is illegal is possessing intent to drive whilst over the limit. If, as you say, you could prove ( not say: prove because everyone denies intent!) you had a cab booked that would go a long way to proving a lack of intent but even that may not be enough on it's own. The totality of your behaviour that evening would be examined.

I know of 2 people charged with this offence.



nothing - but inaccuracies need to be challenged.

Katie Price (Jordan) was charged for being drunk in charge of a vehicle recently after being found in the back of the car absolutely munted! It happens its a lesser offence than actual drink driving but an offence none the less

 

[Llanigraham]

Seriously............. commuters who have probably been stuck at Waterloo for ages and finally squeeze onto a packed train and see NR sat around doing not very much.......... what do you think their reaction is going to be?

How about they find out the FACTS first?
As has been said numerous times here these workers could have been having their break, they could have been waiting for parts, they could have been waiting for a Line Blockage to be granted. You don't know!

 

[Trackman]

He shouldn't have been smoking.
In the third picture there is clearly a sign saying 'Do not a light here'

 

[Bletchleyite]

He shouldn't have been smoking.
In the third picture there is clearly a sign saying 'Do not a light here'

 

[Elecman]

Very good....... I'm sure it does lol

It certainly does and I’ve put them right as to why on many occasions

 

[DarloRich]

Seriously............. commuters who have probably been stuck at Waterloo for ages and finally squeeze onto a packed train and see NR sat around doing not very much.......... what do you think their reaction is going to be?

Seriously...................... Do you work? Could I come into your work place and take a picture of you eating your dinner and tweet your boss, my MP and the Prime Minster complaining about what a terrible slacker you are and how you are a disgrace and should be sacked?

Perhaps then you might see how silly you seem!

BTW - no one is suggesting the commuters were not right to be frustrated. I am sure they were. What people are complaining about is the silly overreaction to a non event. A silly overreaction that you seem very happy to support.

 

[al78]

I couldn't care less what they were doing but I can understand people who were subjected to delay and cancellations asking questions. Shocking isn't it paying customers asking questions?

It is very poor that some people automatically leap to the worst/most cynical conclusion from an observation, rather than using the intelligence that is supposedly a part of the human condition and think through the possibilities. Sadly this is an all too common flaw of humanity, along with assuming a supposed wrong is due to ones character, with no regard to circumstance.

 

[al78]

I would argue that a grown adult with such lack of intelligence that they lack the ability to comprehend that a worker eating a sandwich or smoking a cigarette is on some kind of break really shouldn't be allowed to be out in public unaccompanied by a reasonable, mature adult as the big wide world is clearly going to overwhelm them and be a constant source of confusion and anxiety.
What an absolutely pathetic society we live in.

It is not society that is the problem, it is a small subset of people. I am a subset of society but I wouldn't dream of doing anything similar.

Don't project the worst extremes onto the population and claim those extremes represent that population.

 

[alxndr]

Ridiculous. There’s enough stuff to be thinking about and getting on with without having to be worrying about getting a “please explain” email because some nosy and uninformed member of the public has decided that we’re not working hard enough.

Those people in the photograph may not even be related to the delays. I don’t know what they were doing there and the busybodies certainly don’t either. It might be that their work has been postponed due to the delays/fire. It’s not uncommon to ring up for a line blockage and be told “it’s chaos up here at the moment, ring back in an hour and we’ll see what we can do.” Right-o, we'll sit in the van, take a chance for some grub and a smoke, and do paperwork if there’s anything that can be done or read up/discuss matters. Might look to a passerby that we’re doing nothing, but it won’t be through want of trying.

 

[WrongRoad]

Considering the track and cables are at ground level, it wouldn’t make much sense for them to be working standing up. Whose to say they weren’t doing electrical work sitting down, would be hard to do standing up, pretty obvious really when you think about it!!!

 

[Tomnick]

I couldn't care less what they were doing but I can understand people who were subjected to delay and cancellations asking questions. Shocking isn't it paying customers asking questions?

Reasonable questions are always fair enough in my book. This, in the original tweet, wasn’t presented as a reasonable question!