Rail fares to go up by 3.1%

Meole said:

A guard works alone with individual responsibility, a nurse does longer in training but at that stage would rarely have sole responsibility.

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I was in hospital recently. It was a 4 bay area. bloke opposite me started to get ill during the evening. went a horrid colour. A nurse was tending to him at 3am and he went into a fit (which people do when their body functions become degraded). She hit the panic button and got the crash team there in seconds flat. She made no fuss about it. Probably saved the blokes life as his airway was constricted.
I'm sorry, but guards dont do that on a regular basis. Soon after she was still on the ward looking after the other patients. The one next to me had only come back from prostate surgery at 1900 the evening before so was still on 15 minute obs, and needed his catheter bottle contents logging and emptying.

Astonishing how this thread has been hijacked by irrelevant posts about guards' salaries and the relative value of guards and nurses.

The attempt to justify fare increases by reference to staff salaries was never more than a distraction tactic on the part of Chris Grayling, once it was realised that passengers would no longer fall for the false claim that there was a linkage between fare increases and improvements.

nr758123 said:

Astonishing how this thread has been hijacked by irrelevant posts about guards' salaries and the relative value of guards and nurses.

The attempt to justify fare increases by reference to staff salaries was never more than a distraction tactic on the part of Chris Grayling, once it was realised that passengers would no longer fall for the false claim that there was a linkage between fare increases and improvements.

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It was only a matter of time Surprised nobody has mentioned footballers.

winks said:

I’m not saying cut their money but I’m sure they can cope with a couple of years of 0 or 1% pay rises.

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With respect, would you like to try doing this? I’m a civil servant & despite government rhetoric, my pay has been capped at around 1% for the best part of 10 years now! Why, because the government can get away with it as our union has effectively been neutered over the years.

Polarbear said:

With respect, would you like to try doing this? I’m a civil servant & despite government rhetoric, my pay has been capped at around 1% for the best part of 10 years now! Why, because the government can get away with it as our union has effectively been neutered over the years.

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sorry. but that the reality in the private sector too. and the private sector has cr@p pensions and none of the salary increments that public sector does.

Polarbear said:

With respect, would you like to try doing this? I’m a civil servant & despite government rhetoric, my pay has been capped at around 1% for the best part of 10 years now! Why, because the government can get away with it as our union has effectively been neutered over the years.

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I think you have hit the nail on the head with the final sentence. If you do not have a strong union & solidarity & of course if the last resort is industrial action & it makes little difference then you stand little chance. On the railway particularly with signallers, traincrew & others that cannot be replaced easily then they do stand together & the outcome is often severe for the travelling public & the company alike.

Ken H said:

sorry. but that the reality in the private sector too. and the private sector has cr@p pensions and none of the salary increments that public sector does.

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I do appreciate that many in the private sector are affected by continuing pay restraint-its not just the public sector.

The pension is good; not as good as it was, but definitely better than many have available in the private sector.

As for pay increments, not all public sector workers get those. I certainly don’t & haven’t done for around 15 years.

Is it that time of the year/month again?

I will reopen this on 2nd January for another bout of rants/expert opinions.