If the aim is to keep the dispute in the public eye then ASLEF have failed miserably. It rarely even gets a mention on news programmes or in the press anymore. There'll be a few token articles today announcing the action with the copy-and-paste comments from both sides. It's beyond pointless now. The Government have dug themselves into a hole where they're insisting on changes but doing nothing to implement them. Meanwhile, ASLEF are calling strike dates they know won't achieve a thing just to try and save face.
Wrong. It’s hit all the main news sources this afternoon. It also isn’t pointless as far as the membership is concerned, and they’re the ones filling in the ballot papers!
You appear to have an axe to grind as you pop up and say the same things on every IR thread, always stridently anti union, and barely comment on any other topic. Why do you care? Do you work in the industry yourself? Are you a disrupted passenger?
I think this is the key, I don't think anything will be settled this side of the election, I dont think the current government want a settlement.
Indeed, it’s looking that way. There’s still the chance of settlement before the election, but we’re all aware it may drag on.
Yes, that's the way I see it too. The strikes have been going on so long now that I've come up with a series of alternative days out involving buses and walking for ASLEF's monthly throwing-their-toys-out-of-the-pram day. The fact that once again ASLEF have chosen a Saturday when there's lots of sporting events on instead of a weekday shows how little they care for the travelling public.
An odd comment. As an ASLEF member I’m not sure how wanting my work life balance not to be destroyed is “throwing my toys out of the pram”. Surprise, surprise, it’s kind of important to me…
ASLEF also aren’t paid to represent the travelling public. The government on the other hand are, and it is they who have provoked and then failed to resolve the dispute, so where do you think your anger should be directed?
Overtime on a Sunday is paid at exactly the same rate as other days for us, Sunday working is booked hours, not overtime and is paid at the same rate as any other day. So it's more than a little disingenuous to suggest that "members" wouldn't like to miss their Sundays due to "enhanced Sunday pay".
Same here. So much misinformation from the usual suspects on here, as per usual.
Given experience so far the chance of this Government changing its approach is absolutely zero, so further action will achieve nothing other than lose Drivers pay (are they not able to work overtime regardless of whether there are strike days?), cost the industry money, and inconvenience passengers. There will be an election, hopefully sometime soon, then the campaign can begin again.
Yet we were told that by posters on here for almost a year in relation to the RMT, and the position did change.
True, but I don't think they are interested in that. Indeed it's deemed to be "neither here nor there" what the public think, as mentioned up thread.
Why would anyone who knows what a trade union is, and understands its purpose, be remotely surprised by that?
Do you have evidence they are losing the PR war?
Good question. On the other hand there’s plenty of evidence the government are losing their PR war! Indeed I can recall polling for The Times (so a right leaning paper) where the numbers opposing the strikes were outnumbered by those who didn’t know and those who opposed the government. It’s by no means clear that ongoing industrial unrest on the railway is a vote winner; yet this lot are so ideological that they don’t seem able to read the room.
Of course the covid restrictions weren't the fault of the railway, but the last thing we needed after those 2 years was a further 2 years of uncertainty due to strikes.
They also weren’t the fault of the driving grade, and the last thing myself and many of my colleagues have needed is no pay rise since 2019 - many of us with large mortgages, families to feed etc. and who have suffered exactly the same cost of living pressures as everyone else over the past few years.
There can’t be many workers left in the economy who’ve literally not had a bean of an increase since 2019, entirely due to this government’s crusade against organised labour (amongst other human rights they find inconvenient
).
www.telegraph.co.uk
