Aslef strikes and OT ban called…

[dk1]

After tomorrow they might not have a RDW agreement with drivers either. Their current offer has been given very short shrift.

So i hear. Ongoing full & part cancellations for the foreseeable then.

 

[Timetraveller]

TPE have tweeted that they're not selling (many) Advances on the 4th, which is the day I wanted to travel. That's BS because there's no strike that day on any TOC, never mind them. Theirs isn't until the 8th, so I could possibly just understand a lack of Advances on the 7th particularly late and the 9th particularly early.

There is an overtime ban from the 1st till the 9th as well as the strike on the 8th for TPE. So less trains will be running, probably same as during the last action short of strike in September/October. Therefore less advances available

 

[12LDA28C]

I understood that in some cases its not that there is an agreement that managers wont drive trains, but there is no agreement that they can. If there’s no agreement, how can it be torn up?

If there is no written agreement (agreed and signed by all relevant parties) detailing under exactly what circumstances a manager can drive trains, a TOC would presumably think it could call on its managers to drive trains whenever it wanted, not only during strike action or ASOS but also during driver shortages or to cover absence, ad-hoc leave or sickness at all times of the day or night as necessary. Doesn't sound much fun being a manager under those conditions, not to mention actual managerial duties such as assessing drivers, maintaining their competence and so on would fall by the wayside which is hardly ideal.

 

[RHolmes]

TPE have tweeted that they're not selling (many) Advances on the 4th, which is the day I wanted to travel. That's BS because there's no strike that day on any TOC, never mind them. Theirs isn't until the 8th, so I could possibly just understand a lack of Advances on the 7th particularly late and the 9th particularly early.

Complete overtime ban by ASLEF drivers.

Expect P-coding and random cancellations across the network

 

[AlastairFraser]

It's okay now. Avanti have said people with tickets dated during the strike days can travel on any day so I'm going to go on Thursday night instead.

Sound

 

[317 forever]

Avanti have confirmed they won't be running any services on strike days and dates amended timetables will be uploaded by

Strike action | Travel Information | Avanti West Coast

Information on train times, strike information and the latest travel updates on our network.

www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk

I am using Avanti on December 6th & 7th.

I think I have seen on here that Avanti don't currently depend on overtime. So maybe these won't be unduly affected.

I guess I should get an email from Avanti if they need to change my train times?

 

[dk1]

I am using Avanti on December 6th & 7th.

I think I have seen on here that Avanti don't currently depend on overtime. So maybe these won't be unduly affected.

I guess I should get an email from Avanti if they need to change my train times?

ASLEFs agreement for drivers to work rest days has now expired. As it’s working to rule nobody will do anything to assist by coming off roster or helping out which tends to lead to short notice cancellations and trains starting/terminating short of origin/destination due to no relief crew available.

 

[class 9]

TPE have tweeted that they're not selling (many) Advances on the 4th, which is the day I wanted to travel. That's BS because there's no strike that day on any TOC, never mind them. Theirs isn't until the 8th, so I could possibly just understand a lack of Advances on the 7th particularly late and the 9th particularly early.

But there's action short of a strike(aka overtime/RDW ban) between the 1st & 9th December and everyone's seen the state of TPE when no RDs are worked.

 

[FManc]

ASLEFs agreement for drivers to work rest days has now expired. As it’s working to rule nobody will do anything to assist by coming off roster or helping out which tends to lead to short notice cancellations and trains starting/terminating short of origin/destination due to no relief crew available.

Already 18 cancellations for tomorrow plus 6 part cancellations.

 

[dk1]

Already 18 cancellations for tomorrow plus 6 part cancellations.

As expected unfortunately. Won’t get any better.

 

[Carlisle]

If there is no written agreement (agreed and signed by all relevant parties) detailing under exactly what circumstances a manager can drive trains, a TOC would presumably think it could call on its managers to drive trains whenever it wanted, not only during strike action or ASOS but also during driver shortages or to cover absence, ad-hoc leave or sickness at all times of the day or night as necessary. Doesn't sound much fun being a manager under those conditions, not to mention actual managerial duties such as assessing drivers, maintaining their competence and so on would fall by the wayside which is hardly ideal.

Rightly or wrongly the above post is probably a realistic appraisal of how much of middle management actually operate in many areas of day to day business.

 

[Goldfish62]

Rightly or wrongly the above post is probably a realistic appraisal of how much of middle management actually operate in many areas of day to day business.

Very much so. You basically sell your soul to the company you work for, have little time properly away from the job and are always the first in the firing line when things go wrong.

 

[43055]

Just looked at the EMR website and it says the Crewe, Liverpool and Skegness routes are closed on Sunday as well as Saturday. Any ideas why just these three out of interest?

 

[PsychoMouse]

Just looked at the EMR website and it says the Crewe, Liverpool and Skegness routes are closed on Sunday as well as Saturday. Any ideas why just these three out of interest?

Sleaford-Skegness is engineering works.

 

[Killingworth]

Just looked at the EMR website and it says the Crewe, Liverpool and Skegness routes are closed on Sunday as well as Saturday. Any ideas why just these three out of interest?

To conserve resources for core routes during overtime ban? Manchester-Sheffield would be overwelmed when Northern and TPE aren't running.

 

[Jamesrob637]

To conserve resources for core routes during overtime ban? Manchester-Sheffield would be overwelmed when Northern and TPE aren't running.

Northern and TPE are running this weekend though

 

[father_jack]

GWR not running long distance on Sunday.

No trains between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and the South West on Sunday as industrial action by drivers’ union looms | GWR News

Great Western Railway is warning travellers that there will be no trains between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and Exeter/Plymouth this coming Sunday 3 December because of industrial action by drivers’ union Aslef.

news.gwr.com

Gives an odd perspective to the "committed" or "expected" Sunday overtime situation often discussed.

No trains between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and the South West on Sunday as industrial action by drivers’ union looms​

Great Western Railway is warning travellers that there will be no trains between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and Exeter/Plymouth this coming Sunday 3 December because of industrial action by drivers’ union Aslef.
As a result, fewer drivers are available to work and this particularly affects longer-distance services on Sunday. Some parts of the GWR network will have no service at all, including no long-distance trains out of London Paddington.
Customers are advised to travel before the weekend or after Sunday. Where GWR can run services, a very limited service will run, they will run less frequently, and are likely to be extremely busy.
Trains will also start later and finish earlier, and customers are advised to check the time of last trains. Bus replacement services are not able to be operated.
Customers travelling from the West towards Bath for the Bath Christmas Market or the crunch Premiership Rugby match between Bath and Exeter Chiefs are warned that services will be extremely busy, and there will be significant queues to board trains home. You are advised to use alternative transport to these events and we would suggest you visit Bath on another day as both Saturday and Sunday will be extremely disrupted by this industrial action.
To help customers, tickets for strike days are valid for travel on alternative days on GWR services, as per below:

• Tickets for Saturday 2 December to Friday 8 December can be used the day before or up to and including Tuesday 12 December.

Other train operators are also affected by this action, so onward travel will also be affected. A limited service on Sunday will run only on the following routes between:

• London Paddington towards Didcot/Oxford
• London Paddington and Swindon
• Oxford and Worcestershire
• London branch lines
• Reading and Basingstoke
• Reading and Newbury/Bedwyn
• Westbury and Swindon
• Cheltenham/Gloucester and Swindon
• Cardiff and Portsmouth
• Cardiff and Exeter St Davids via Weston-Super-Mare
• Bristol and Gloucester/Cheltenham/Worcester
• Bristol and Westbury/Weymouth
• Plymouth and Penzance
• Plymouth and Exeter
• Devon and Cornwall branch lines.

Customers are advised to travel before the weekend or after Sunday. If you intend to travel where trains are running, please check before you travel as they will be busy and are likely to be disrupted.
Due to planned engineering work the Night Riviera Sleeper service is cancelled, and Guildford to Gatwick services are cancelled (buses replace trains between Reading and Guildford).
Customers are advised that South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will be subject to major disruption and diversions. This is due to industrial action and major engineering work between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction. Services are likely to be extremely busy.
The Aslef union announced strike action that will affect GWR and CrossCountry rail services on Thursday 7 December.
In addition, the union announced action short of a strike from Friday 1 to Saturday 9 December which is likely to cause some short-notice alterations and cancellations, especially at weekends or late at night.
A rolling programme of strike action by the union affecting other rail operators is also due to take place between these dates.
On 7 December, a reduced and revised timetable will operate across several train operators, including GWR. Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all and trains that are running will only be operating for a limited period during the day.
On the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations.
Customers who purchased tickets but do not travel can claim a full refund or amend their ticket. Those who travel and are delayed may be entitled to  Delay Repay compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more.
Season-ticket holders can apply for compensation through the Delay Repay scheme. Our Refund policy remains in place. If you hold a return ticket, you can claim a refund of your unused full fare, even if only one leg of your journey is affected.

 

[Three-Nine]

Its going to be worse than that, unfortunately, as there will also be no SWR service in either direction between Exeter and Yeovil and no onward transport between those stations on Sunday 3rd December:

Cheap Train Tickets | No Booking Fees | South Western Railway

Buy cheap train tickets and check train times with South Western Railway. Save up to 50% with Advance tickets, pay no booking fees and get rewarded with SWR Rewards.

www.southwesternrailway.com

West of England services​

On Sunday 3 December, services on the West of England Line will start and terminate at Yeovil Junction, due to industrial action and ongoing engineering work between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction.

Journey planners for West of England services on Sunday 3 December will be up to date on Saturday 2 December.

Customers intending to travel on services towards Yeovil Junction should check before starting their journeys.

Customers who have purchased tickets for travel on Sunday 3 can use their tickets to travel between Friday 1 December and Tuesday 12 December, or claim a fee-free refund.

Customers should also note that industrial action is taking place on the Great Western Railway network, with no trains between London Paddington and Exeter St David’s. More information can be found at gwr.com/strike.

 

[Gathursty]

Quick Q: likelihood of Northern running services from Wigan - Manchester as planned first thing in the morning? Need to get to a hospital appointment.

 

[StarCrossing]

GWR not running long distance on Sunday.

No trains between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and the South West on Sunday as industrial action by drivers’ union looms | GWR News

Great Western Railway is warning travellers that there will be no trains between London Paddington and Bristol, South Wales and Exeter/Plymouth this coming Sunday 3 December because of industrial action by drivers’ union Aslef.

news.gwr.com

Gives an odd perspective to the "committed" or "expected" Sunday overtime situation often discussed.

GWR suggesting people travelling to watch Bath versus Exeter "visit Bath on another day". Not sure they entirely understand how rugby fixtures work.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Quick Q: likelihood of Northern running services from Wigan - Manchester as planned first thing in the morning? Need to get to a hospital appointment.

On Friday 8th, no chance, there'll be nothing, on the other days, I've found past overtime bans to not affect this area that much so you'll probably be ok.

 

[robrymond]

It amazes me that TFW are still running into New St on Sunday considering they will be the only operator alongside Crosscountry. With the German markets on, the volume of passengers between there and Wolverhampton could be dangerous. Normally they curtail at Wolverhampton but no mention this time.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Any reason why on Southern, there is no service to Bognor Regis tomorrow (Saturday)? The Pulborough trains are stopping short at Barnham.

 

[dk1]

Text messages and emails going out to all ASLEF members this morning.



Avanti West Coast

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 483 (94.34%)
NO 29 (5.66%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 493 (96.29%)
NO 19 (3.71%)

Turnout: 82.58%


CrossCountry

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 468 (92.86%)
NO 36 (7.14%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 490 (96.46%)
NO (3.54%)

Turnout: 84.11%


Greater Anglia

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 528 (94.29%)
NO 32 (5.71%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 546 (97.33%)
NO 15 (2.67%)

Turnout: 79.60%


Great Western Railway

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 1010 (88.36%)
NO 133 (11.64%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 1096 (95.97%)
NO 46 (4.03%)

Turnout: 79.68%


GTR Great Northern Thameslink

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 780 (89.66%)
NO 90 (10.34%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 836 (95.98%)
NO 35 (4.02%)

Turnout: 76.31%


Island Line

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 11 (100.00%)
NO 0 (0.00%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 11 (100.00%)
NO 0 (0.00%)

Turnout: 100.00%


LNER (pay/national dispute)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 330 (95.93%)
NO 14 (4.07%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 337 (97.97%)
NO 7 (2.03%)

Turnout: 80.75%


LNER (Agreements dispute)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 306 (90.27%)
NO 33 (9.73%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 323 (95.28%)
NO 16 (4.72%)

Turnout: 79.39%


Southeastern

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 650 (90.15%)
NO 71 (9.85%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 670 (92.93%)
NO 51 (7.07%)

Turnout: 75.63%


Southern/Gatwick Express

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 716 (86.47%)
NO 112 (13.53%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 777 (93.84%)
NO 51 (6.16%)

Turnout: 75%


South Western Railway Depot Drivers

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 34 (94.44%)
NO 2 (5.56%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 35 (97.22%)
NO 1 (2.78%)

Turnout: 63.16%


South Western Railway Mainline Drivers

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 867 (91.17%)
NO 84 (8.83%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 916 (96.32%)
NO 35 (3.68%)

Turnout: 78.07%


West Midlands Trains

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action consisting of a strike?
YES 654 (93.16%)
NO 48 (6.84%)

Would you be prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike?
YES 680 (97.28%)
NO 19 (2.72%)

Turnout: 81.53%

 

[Ashfordian6]

So if you were ASLEF, what tactically would you do to up the most pressure on the Government to make a sensible offer following the latest ballot results?

- Overtime ban from Monday 18th -Friday 22nd December with a National strike on Saturday 23rd December would certainly focus the minds of the Government?
- National strike on Saturday 16th and Saturday 23rd December?

Any better tactical suggestions?

From a tactical point of view, the current strike looks very cleverly put together.

 

[Wolfie]

So if you were ASLEF, what tactically would you do to up the most pressure on the Government to make a sensible offer following the latest ballot results?

- Overtime ban from Monday 18th -Friday 22nd December with a National strike on Saturday 23rd December would certainly focus the minds of the Government?
- National strike on Saturday 16th and Saturday 23rd December?

Any better tactical suggestions?

From a tactical point of view, the current strike looks very cleverly put together.

Strikes on 23-24 Dec, 27 Dec and 31 Dec would seem to be calculated to have most effect. Oh, and hit the first full working week of January too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Strikes on 23-24 Dec, 27 Dec and 31 Dec would seem to be calculated to have most effect.

Striking on 23/24 would lose the public's buy-in though. You can do too much.

 

[Wolfie]

Striking on 23/24 would lose the public's buy-in though. You can do too much.

It's a hard one. Any effective industrial action by definition impacts on the public.

 

[Ashfordian6]

Strikes on 23-24 Dec, 27 Dec and 31 Dec would seem to be calculated to have most effect. Oh, and hit the first full working week of January too.

Is there a need to strike on 24th after striking on 23rd? With the traditional Xmas eve early shutdown and later start following a strike you have disrupted that days service while not losing the members a days pay.

I suspect the effect of a strike on 27th would be lessoned by the usual large amount of engineering works.

31st would cause a lot of disruption but would it be too much and risk losing public support.

Hence I mentioned tactically in the original question.

 

[Kite159]

.

So if you were ASLEF, what tactically would you do to up the most pressure on the Government to make a sensible offer following the latest ballot results?

- Overtime ban from Monday 18th -Friday 22nd December with a National strike on Saturday 23rd December would certainly focus the minds of the Government?
- National strike on Saturday 16th and Saturday 23rd December?

Any better tactical suggestions?

From a tactical point of view, the current strike looks very cleverly put together.

It didn't last year when the RMT went on strike over Christmas time, only will work to the media about "Greedy Drivers Ruining Christmas". Most of the public will go "oh another strike" before jumping into their cars or using the £2 bus fare scheme.