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New law will enshrine ‘right’ of commuters to minimum service during strikes, says Grant Shapps

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And so it begins...

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tra...uring-strikes-says-grant-shapps-a4314471.html


Laws on strikes will uphold the “basic right” of commuters to get to work each day, a Cabinet minister told the Standard today.

Legislation in the Queen’s Speech on Thursday will be designed to prevent trade union leaders from “holding to ransom” passengers during industrial disputes, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.


A Bill will enshrine minimum service levels on key transport services, including trains and buses, that legally must be maintained during disputes.


“It is a basic right for workers to be able to get to work,” said Mr Shapps. “The ability of a few people to prevent everyone from being able to earn a living has to come to an end.


“The new law will prevent London being brought to a standstill, with all the additional environmental damage done by people reverting to cars.

“There will be a bare-bones service provided, preventing ordinary workers being effectively held to ransom.”

What defines minimum services will be decided during the course of the Bill.

Ministers are also set to defend rail companies seeking to shift to driver-only operated services, an issue that is behind the RMT union disruption and service cuts suffered by passengers on South Western Railway.[/I][/I]
 
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Bletchleyite

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How will they ensure the service is provided? If that's by banning staff striking, how do you pick which staff can't strike?

Mostly that sort of skeleton service is provided anyway.

Publicity stunt I reckon.
 
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How will they ensure the service is provided? If that's by banning staff striking, how do you pick which staff can't strike?

Mostly that sort of skeleton service is provided anyway.

Publicity stunt I reckon.

I’d be interested in seeing what Michael Green and Sebastian Fox think about this first...
 

Whisky Papa

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The original reporting I saw on the BBC suggested "a ban on all-out strikes" in the rail industry, obviously not the same thing as has been suggested above.

Either way, who will the legal sanction fall on? The TOC, the union or the individual staff? If every striking conductor on a Saturday was summarily dismissed, who is going to be working on the following Monday? Just the proportion who were not rostered to work, who no doubt would get sacked the following Saturday when they are.

So nobody will be commuting anywhere until a whole new staff has been trained, or the existing staff re-employed?
 

duffield

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My guess is that the government may be hoping to legally 'break' the RMT by sequestering its funds in court if it refuses to comply with the new law. It's happened before (e.g. NUM, sequestered for contempt of court).

Note I'm just raising this as a possibility, but it doesn't seem that unlikely. If it happens though the government could end up with an indefinite unofficial strike. My understanding is that does not really raise any possibility of individuals being subject to court action; but it would remove any protection for unfair dismissal. However, it would be a 'brave' government (in the 'Yes Minister' sense) that went down the path of allowing all striking RMT members to be summarily dismissed.

Note: For the avoidance of confusion I am not expressing any opinion on the right and wrongs of the situation; I have my opinions but I keep them to myself on contentious matters as I don't like getting into online arguments. I'm merely setting out some possibilities.
 

TheEdge

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Either way, who will the legal sanction fall on? The TOC, the union or the individual staff? If every striking conductor on a Saturday was summarily dismissed, who is going to be working on the following Monday? Just the proportion who were not rostered to work, who no doubt would get sacked the following Saturday when they are.

Assume they'd continue down the "cripple unions financially via the courts method". As you say summarily dismissing staff creates a bigger longer problem.
 

Mojo

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I'm not sure what you mean by "and so it begins;" this was a proposal announced several weeks ago, before the election, and similar laws already allegedly exist in countries such as Spain, France, Italy, and Belgium.
 

Val3ntine

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I'm not sure what you mean by "and so it begins;" this was a proposal announced several weeks ago, before the election, and similar laws already allegedly exist in countries such as Spain, France, Italy, and Belgium.

Seems to be working so extremely really well in France right now lol
 

edwin_m

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I guess it will be similar to the other anti-union laws in that there are draconian penalties on the union if they don't comply. I can't think of any time when a union has seriously tried to defy those laws. And I believe the protection of strikers from dismissal only applies if the strike is legal - unlikely many would want to risk that so there would still be enough staff left to run most of the service.
 

Mojo

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Either way, who will the legal sanction fall on? The TOC, the union or the individual staff? If every striking conductor on a Saturday was summarily dismissed, who is going to be working on the following Monday? Just the proportion who were not rostered to work, who no doubt would get sacked the following Saturday when they are.

My guess is that the government may be hoping to legally 'break' the RMT by sequestering its funds in court if it refuses to comply with the new law. It's happened before (e.g. NUM, sequestered for contempt of court).

From the press release when this proposal was originally announced on the 23rd November (https://vote.conservatives.com/news...ing-rail-strikes-to-end-misery-for-passengers), service providers would legally be obliged to enter into a minimum service agreement, and in the absence of such an agreement, the strike action would not be lawful.
 

option

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So only bus & train users, & only during strikes?

What about when there aren't strikes, but the infrastructure hasn't been maintained, causing problems for trains & buses?
Or a bus operator goes bust?
 

Raul_Duke

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So only bus & train users, & only during strikes?

What about when there aren't strikes, but the infrastructure hasn't been maintained, causing problems for trains & buses?
Or a bus operator goes bust?

It’s almost as though this isn’t really to do with providing a service for passengers and more to do with crushing the last remaining unions with any strength in a cynical attempt to erode terms and conditions for the benefit of wealthy Tories.
 

Mojo

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It’s almost as though this isn’t really to do with providing a service for passengers and more to do with crushing the last remaining unions with any strength in a cynical attempt to erode terms and conditions for the benefit of wealthy Tories.
I very doubt most rail customers will see it that way.
 

Raul_Duke

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I very doubt most rail customers will see it that way.

Of course they won’t. It will be popular. That’s the point. Do you think BJ gives a flying fig if you can’t get to work? Of course he doesn’t.

And without and effective opposition or Europe to reign them in there’ll be no reason for them to not come after you next.
 

Horizon22

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There's various political issues involved here, but I certainly think if there was not an ongoing 27-day strike, this would be less likely...
 

Raul_Duke

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There's various political issues involved here, but I certainly think if there was not an ongoing 27-day strike, this would be less likely...

100% agree. The RMT need to take their share of the blame for this.
There's various political issues involved here, but I certainly think if there was not an ongoing 27-day strike, this would be less likely...
 

the sniper

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Work to rule across the industry in reaction to this could cripple much of the railway, probably as much as any individual TOC's strike would. If the DfT haven't realised by now heavily reliant the industry is on goodwill or greed and overtime, they and the wider state are going to get a rude shock. Their war on the unions (well, RMT, ASLEF ducked out early, but they'll be back for this) hasn't gone too swimmingly so far.

100% agree. The RMT need to take their share of the blame for this.

The doors issue was always going to be the hill to die on for the RMT, one way or the other. It was unavoidable.
 

option

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I very doubt most rail customers will see it that way.

In the West Midlands, it's not strikes that are the issue. I suspect that's the case across most of the UK.

Can we have 'minimum service levels' all the time?
If not, why not?
[those are the sort of questions to throw at the government]
 

Clip

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RMT reply to it

RMT Press Office

RMT pledges to fight Tory plan to ban strikes in the transport sector

TRANSPORT UNION RMT said today that it will fight tooth and nail plans from the incoming Tory Government to effectively outlaw strikes on the rail and tube networks.

It has been reported this morning that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is planning to include provisions in Thursday's Queen's Speech that would force workers to run services during industrial action.

General Secretary Mick Cash said:

"It hasn't taken long for the true colours of this new Tory Government to emerge. Banning strikes and denying workers the basic human right to withdraw their labour has been the hallmark of hard right, authoritarian regimes throughout history.

"Instead of attacking rail workers fighting to defend safety and disabled access any responsible Government would be tackling the scandal of private profiteering on Britain's railways which has reduced services to chaos.

"RMT will fight any plans to deny out members their basic human rights."
 

TheEdge

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Work to rule across the industry in reaction to this could cripple much of the railway, probably as much as any individual TOC's strike would. If the DfT haven't realised by now heavily reliant the industry is on goodwill or greed and overtime, they and the wider state are going to get a rude shock. Their war on the unions (well, RMT, ASLEF ducked out early, but they'll be back for this) hasn't gone too swimmingly so far.

Mass work to rule will be the result of this.

And I'm sure somehow Boris, Grant, The Daily Mail and those particularly bitter commuters will be somehow outraged about staff working their booked contracted hours only
 

exile

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It does look like grandstanding, typical Boris, almost impossible to enforce. But it will no doubt be popular with commuters. The RMT's tactics over DOO (regardless of the merits of the case) have perhaps not been calculated to maximise public support.
 

CaptainHaddock

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Excellent, about time that the paying customer was treated far better.

I agree wholeheartedly, especially after the fiasco regarding DOO on Northern that caused all the Saturday strikes last year and the ongoing DOO issues with other TOCs. The problem with the RMT unfortunately is they see calling a strike as their first action in any dispute rather than as last resort once all other options have been exhausted. I wonder if Mick Cash realises just what a parody of a 1980s far-left throwback he sounds like with his ever more ludicrous press releases??
 

trentside

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I agree wholeheartedly, especially after the fiasco regarding DOO on Northern that caused all the Saturday strikes last year and the ongoing DOO issues with other TOCs. The problem with the RMT unfortunately is they see calling a strike as their first action in any dispute rather than as last resort once all other options have been exhausted. I wonder if Mick Cash realises just what a parody of a 1980s far-left throwback he sounds like with his ever more ludicrous press releases??

While it pains me to do so (as an RMT member) I can’t help but agree with the sentiments here. I was recently involved in a dispute where I believe a work to rule would have been far more effective than the strike action that was called and lead to members losing pay.

The press releases do the union absolutely no favours either.
 

theking

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RMT has only got it's self to blame rather than striking for real winnable issues it's harking back to the 70's
 

exile

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We now live in a country where more working class people vote Tory than Labour. Something for anyone who considers themselves left or centre left, or any trade unionist, to reflect on.
 

edwin_m

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Work to rule across the industry in reaction to this could cripple much of the railway, probably as much as any individual TOC's strike would. If the DfT haven't realised by now heavily reliant the industry is on goodwill or greed and overtime, they and the wider state are going to get a rude shock. Their war on the unions (well, RMT, ASLEF ducked out early, but they'll be back for this) hasn't gone too swimmingly so far.

The doors issue was always going to be the hill to die on for the RMT, one way or the other. It was unavoidable.
With a big majority and wanting something quick and symbolic to show their base they are serious, my prediction is the Tories will push this through quickly behind only Brexit. If there is pre-emptive action against it they will accelerate further and do whatever they can to insert a clause that outlaws whatever that action is. If action continues then it will be portrayed as the will of the people versus the forces of socialism.

The RMT was foolish in the extreme to draw their red line on the doors issue. There is probably public support for having a person on the train looking after passengers, checking tickets and dealing with bad behavior (even if that's sometimes not practical for a lone person). A PR campaign explaining the reasons for having them safety trained could swing opinion behind that too, highlighting some of the recent incidents with evacuation. But insisting on that person working the doors, when there's no real safety justification and anyone who uses trains can see the problems it causes, is just driving that support away. Mick Cash has done more that most people to increase the Tory vote.

Yes, it's an excuse for more union bashing. But the unions have themselves to blame.
 
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