To be blunt, the guard’s ‘safety critical skills’ are redundant. Arguments about it over the last few years in the face of the history of the DOO system have been unsatisfactory, and the reality that this is all about the RMT protecting guard bargaining power at all costs is gaining wider recognition. No criticism of the RMT intended for the intent - but a dynamic strategy would be to spot the chances to consolidate their power and evolve, and in that they have proven hopeless.
The guard’s ‘customer service skills’ are far more valuable to the future railway. These are also the only skills that could justify a future long-term job role, plus some general emergency training. Observers shouldn’t underestimate how lowly customer service/revenue is respected by numbers of existing guards. One look at the average customer service by guards provided on LNWR services (as mentioned above) shows how far the industry has to go. Step into all number of high street stores, transport providers etc. and staff on considerably less average earnings than guards please their customers far better as an overall comparison. They wouldn’t shut the shop down when it was busy where a guard decides to not bother with ticket checks or announcements at their discretion.
Driving these skills and knowledge levels is a leap that is out of the grasp of the RMT (and much of the TOC thinking). The RMT is too proud to even mention that guards are vital to revenue protection on their strike propaganda, yet they claim - for instance - they are involved with managing electrical isolations.
There’s a future for customer service roles on the railway - far more so, long term, than drivers or signallers in high numbers. For instance, there is no reason Southern’s On Board Supervisor job couldn’t be an industry blueprint, backed up by a reasonable ASLEF staffing agreement. It should be expected that the TOCs following on from that dispute such as GA, SWR etc would learn the pitfalls and do better with their revised guard jobs.
I don't think customer service skills are actually more valuable than safety critical skills. Other industries pay minimum wage for 'customer assistant' jobs. It's probably viewed by many as de-skilling, and is probably frightening for guards who up till now have needed 3 months training in order to be competent. Add to that the fact they feel and know they are really genuinely needed in the job, because they need to physically be there for the train to operate.
Exactly.
Some people on this thread are motivated by a genuine belief that a DOO railway would be better-run and more efficient. I can understand this argument (as i think the RMT have overstated the safety case), though some of those arguing it have I think discredited themselves by bordering on fanatical in their defence of every aspect of DOO and its proponents.
There is however another element here which believes the government's economic fairy stories (despite the evidence to the contrary), or is devoted to 'free market' econonic theory (regardless of how inapplicable it proves to be to the operation of the railways), or actively supports the longer term neoliberal project to undermine the rights and economic power of most of the British workforce (presumably because they think they're the sort of superior beings who'll come out on top in this process, or because their oen employment history has been marked by instability and they resent anyone whose employment history hasn't). This last group is the one keenest to 'stay on topic' because they don't wqnt anyone to consider what is proposed for the guards within the wider economic context, as they realise that many people will still be uncomfortable with supporting this wider process.
When I first commented on this thread, I asked why certain posters seemed to be unable to comprehend why the guards would opppose a process which threatened their future job security. The answer is of course that certain people on here don't like job security, when it applies to other people, and would prefer a total dog-eat-dog society.
More to the point, would any person in authority who wishes to de-skill guards be willing to work as a customer host or on board supervisor themselves? Or, would they be willing to sacrifice many of their historic terms at the will of their employer just because the employer asked for it? Would they not even try to resist?
'Customer service' roles are disappearing across the country at frightening speed. Any job which is not technically vital to enable some physical process to happen is at risk in this country
Agree. Some have suggested the guards safety critical skills are redundant. They are not redundant, because without them today the train won't run. If they don't turn up tomorrow, the train will be cancelled. Don't forget, in a wider basis, other industries won't just fob off safety critical skills when someone applies for a job as an ex senior conductor or train manager. This is likely to be well thought of outside the industry. I've never heard anyone else going 'oh no, he's no good he's got a bad job, as a train conductor'.
As we're going through a technological revolution employers will want employees who are willing to accept changes to their role if they want the role long term, nothing capitalist about that.
But to achieve this they will need to go through the necessary processes .Which involves firm industrial action if members vote for it. The stakeholders know this.
If the industry and or the public really want DOO that much, and have concluded that it is worth it, then this is surely the pain that was inevitable along the way in achieving it. In a highly unionised industry which has been working to these practices since the 70s, it was never going to pass without huge industrial action. Citizens rights in the UK mean that it can't be avoided as it's a right to strike in private industries. If the public truly believe it will lead to a more efficient railway, and want it, why wouldn't they be willing to put up with the inevitable pain along the way?
Or is it that they'd rather the dispute just be resolved asap no matter what the outcome?