ASLEF strikes February 1st and 3rd

[Trainfan2019]

Looks like more train driver strikes are planned for February according to the BBC...

Quote from the BBC news webpage:

"Train drivers are to strike on 1 and 3 February after union bosses rejected a pay offer from rail companies.
Drivers had been offered a 4% pay rise for two years in a row earlier this month in a bid to end a long-running dispute over pay and conditions."

Wonder how long it will be before more strike action will be announced by other unions?

Train drivers to go on strike in February

Walkouts are planned for 1 and 3 February after the Aslef union calls a pay offer "clearly unacceptable".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Gorlash1886]

It's true they have sent texts and emails to members

 

[Jamesrob637]

Stockport station should still be open even if only for TfW as they're not in the dispute (anymore).

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

So presumably this will not affect the non-DfT TOCs: TfW, Scotrail, London Overground, Elizabeth Line and Merseyrail?
(Though they may have their own separate disputes).
How about Eurostar?

 

[43066]

Stockport station should still be open even if only for TfW as they're not in the dispute (anymore).

I believe the same goes for the Elizabeth Line and Arriva Rail London.

 

[Kite159]

10p on the RMT picking the 2nd & 4th Feb.

I'm sure this time the result will be different, maybe more commuters will decide to buy cars and ditch the railways

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Stockport station should still be open even if only for TfW as they're not in the dispute (anymore).

Probably, and TfW ran to Manchester via both its routes last time.
But Birmingham New St and International were closed during the last Aslef strike, so TfW did not run beyond Wolverhampton.
Chepstow was also the eastern limit of services rather than Gloucester/Cheltenham.

 

[12LDA28C]

10p on the RMT picking the 2nd & 4th Feb.

I'm sure this time the result will be different, maybe more commuters will decide to buy cars and ditch the railways

If they didn't do that during a month of disruption, I don't think 2 more days will tip the balance.

Well let's see what 'improved offer' the TOCs make to staff, having very generously been given 'permission' to do so by the Transport Secretary.

 

[Bungle73]

How much longer are people going to be expected to put up with this? What's the point of a railway that can't do the one basic job it is supposed to be there for?

 

[12LDA28C]

How much longer are people going to be expected to put up with this? What's the point of a railway that can't do the one basic job it is supposed to be there for?

Until a sensible offer is put on the table that the Unions can accept. It's really quite straightforward, just requires the Government to stop meddling in an industry it knows little about and doesn't understand.

 

[Bantamzen]

10p on the RMT picking the 2nd & 4th Feb.

I'm sure this time the result will be different, maybe more commuters will decide to buy cars and ditch the railways

But the unions absolutely won't be organising action between them, it'll just be pure coincidence that any proposed strike days just overlap...

 

[duncanp]

How much longer are people going to be expected to put up with this? What's the point of a railway that can't do the one basic job it is supposed to be there for?

Who cares about the taxpayers passengers?

They're the ones who have to pay for the railway.

Why should their opinions count?

 

[Bungle73]

Until a sensible offer is put on the table that the Unions can accept. It's really quite straightforward, just requires the Government to stop meddling in an industry it knows little about and doesn't understand.

At this point I'm losing interest in the whys and wherefores. The fact is people have been without a reliable rail service for going on 6 months now, with no end in sight. It's completely unacceptable. How long are you prepared to keep this going for? Forever?

 

[LowLevel]

But the unions absolutely won't be organising action between them, it'll just be pure coincidence that any proposed strike days just overlap...

RMT have been very open that whilst they've been talking to other unions about dates, ASLEF have refused to talk to them about it.

 

[duncanp]

Until a sensible offer is put on the table that the Unions can accept. It's really quite straightforward, just requires the Government to stop meddling in an industry it knows little about and doesn't understand.

Do you regard the millions of pounds that the government put in to the rail network to keep it going during the COVID pandemic, as well as before and after COVID, as "meddling"?

 

[350401]

It’s an utter farce. On the days when the railway isn’t on strike, services are more often than not disrupted. It took me 1hr 20 to go 10 miles with Southeastern today. In a private company, pay rises would only be awarded when affordable, and the business is performing well. I get that Drivers aren’t responsible for the constant signal failures in SE land but the average punter doesn’t care. To the average user, it appears that rail staff want above average pay rises when their industry is seriously underperforming</rant>

 

[mcmad]

Do you regard the millions of pounds that the government put in to the rail network to keep it going during the COVID pandemic, as well as before and after COVID, as "meddling"?

Ahh, this old chestnut. As opposed to the billions of pounds put into paying people to sit in their homes doing nothing you mean?

 

[Exscrew]

At this point I'm losing interest in the whys and wherefores. The fact is people have been without a reliable rail service for going on 6 months now, with no end in sight. It's completely unacceptable. How long are you prepared to keep this going for? Forever?

Until it is resolved, focus the blame towards the gov matey

 

[12LDA28C]

Do you regard the millions of pounds that the government put in to the rail network to keep it going during the COVID pandemic, as well as before and after COVID, as "meddling"?

Ah of course, that old chestnut.

Are you choosing to ignore the billions of pounds spent on furlough and dodgy PPE contracts, no doubt that doesn't count?

The railway is an essential part of the nation's transport network and infrastructure, and was doing very well until the Government's response to Covid (telling people not to travel, for example) resulted in the situation we find ourselves in now.

This has been discussed to death on the forum already.

 

[Bantamzen]

Until it is resolved, focus the blame towards the gov matey

I'm afraid for an increasing number of people this dispute is looking like a Mexican standoff, with all parties holding degrees of responsibility.

 

[STKKK46]

At this point I'm losing interest in the whys and wherefores. The fact is people have been without a reliable rail service for going on 6 months now, with no end in sight. It's completely unacceptable. How long are you prepared to keep this going for? Forever?

What do you suggest then? Unions just give up? And accept the thousands of job losses and safety reductions on the railway?

 

[Bungle73]

Until it is resolved, focus the blame towards the gov mat

So I might as well give up on the railway and get a car then, and everyone else should do the same?

What do you suggest then? Unions just give up? And accept the thousands of job losses and safety reductions on the railway?

It won't even matter if everyone gets so fed up they all abandon the railway.

 

[dosxuk]

If they didn't do that during a month of disruption, I don't think 2 more days will tip the balance.

Every single day of disruption, be that for strikes, TOCs deciding not to run the timetable, weather or maintenance issues, will be the tipping point for a number of passengers. As soon as the railway becomes unreliable, passengers re-evaluate whether they need their service after all, some will decide they do, others will not.

I'm firmly in the camp of not trusting the railway to get me where I want any more, through a combination of strike dates matching my plans and the inability for TPE to run a reliable service. With this latest strike happening again on a day I intended to travel (and no choice of date), I just don't understand why I thought there was a chance of actually catching a train. Future trips will be by bus, car or plane, I'm done with the uncertainty of the railway.

 

[sonic2009]

What's the latest day the RMT can call a strike for the weekend of the 4th Feb? I have a trip to Milton Keynes late on the Saturday.

 

[duncanp]

Ah of course, that old chestnut.

Are you choosing to ignore the billions of pounds spent on furlough and dodgy PPE contracts, no doubt that doesn't count?

The railway is an essential part of the nation's transport network and infrastructure, and was doing very well until the Government's response to Covid (telling people not to travel, for example) resulted in the situation we find ourselves in now.

This has been discussed to death on the forum already.

I am not ignoring the billions of pounds spent on furlough (including paying rail workers 100% of their salary whilst few people were travelling and few trains were running) , test & trace... etc.

My point was that the government has spent and is spending large sums of money on keeping the rail network going, and therefore it should have the right to at least have a say in any pay settlement in the rail industry, since it will be the one that is ultimately picking up the bill.

It is just not true to say that the government knows little about and doesn't understand the rail industry.

 

[O L Leigh]

There’s nothing new to discuss. This is just another rehash of all the previous threads on the topic which got locked, which is eventually what will happen to this one too.

 

[Exscrew]

So I might as well give up on the railway and get a car then, and everyone else should do the same?


It won't even matter if everyone gets so fed up they all abandon the rarailway.

Yeah give up on it, and go onto a online forum to vent your frustration at staff not wanting to except there terms and conditions to be ruined. I think we should give up on schools and the NHS too.

 

[Smidster]

Just what I really didn't want to read today - the one thing I have been looking forward to for months ruined.

Absolutely pathetic on all sides.

 

[Efini92]

There’s nothing new to discuss. This is just another rehash of all the previous threads on the topic which got locked, which is eventually what will happen to this one too.

Amen

 

[12LDA28C]

I am not ignoring the billions of pounds spent on furlough (including paying rail workers 100% of their salary whilst few people were travelling and few trains were running) , test & trace... etc.

My point was that the government has spent and is spending large sums of money on keeping the rail network going, and therefore it should have the right to at least have a say in any pay settlement in the rail industry, since it will be the one that is ultimately picking up the bill.

It is just not true to say that the government knows little about and doesn't understand the rail industry.

If the TOCs were left alone to manage their own affairs and take action to grow passenger numbers and revenue (as of course they are best placed to do) instead of being micro-managed by the Government then we would all be a lot better off.

This situation is entirely down to the Government who are fixated on cutting costs (at the expense of providing even a basic service in some cases) instead of growing revenue which is what we should be doing.