BR's Free Travel

[Lawman]

Folks,
article in Todays News Of The World,its costing millions in revenue with regards to BR's free travel for retired employees,reduced rates for family and friends and reduced rates for staff,The Government are making noises to change this....................would they be allowed to do this to save money?

 

[Greenback]

How much money would actually be saced? it presumes that those with travel facilities would buy tickets instead, whereas it's perfectly possible they simply wouldn't travel.

It's just another way to bash the (former) public sector.

 

[Darandio]

That would be nice, give 42 years of loyal service for buttons, have to work every Saturday night to actually make ends meet and then get the only remaining privelege taken away.

 

[Greenback]

And not save much money either!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I would say could you link to the article, but of course the NOTW is subscription. Would this affect current staff (i.e. PRIV) or just retired and spouses thereof?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I would say could you link to the article, but of course the NOTW is subscription. Would this affect current staff (i.e. PRIV) or just retired and spouses thereof?

I think this may be a more considered article about McNulty.
Even so they're already rehearsing the possible safety/staff impacts.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...job-of-repairing-their-own-track-2284394.html

 

[Tin Rocket]

That would be nice, give 42 years of loyal service for buttons, have to work every Saturday night to actually make ends meet and then get the only remaining privelege taken away.

don't even get spare saturday nights now round our neck of the woods mate,network rail really puttin the squeeze on.

 

[Darandio]

don't even get spare saturday nights now round our neck of the woods mate,network rail really puttin the squeeze on.

Well, I am not talking about me, it's my dad. Even in the early-mid 90's before retirement, the wage for a normal week was so pitiful he had little choice. Luckily, there was always weekend work available, not necessarily local but they would all pile in the wagon and head to where it was.

 

[DarloRich]

Well we dont get any free travel now! But we do get as much tea and coffee as we can drink - If those Tory barstweards try to take my tea away there will be hell on!

out brothers out!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

The unions will stop this happening. It's a massive deal for the staff and something that the government can take or leave. The whole idea is a non starter I think.

 

[Mojo]

The unions will stop this happening. It's a massive deal for the staff and something that the government can take or leave. The whole idea is a non starter I think.

I wouldn't count on it. The unions made little to no fuss over the transfer of non-safeguarded Toc staff at stations who have transferred over to Network Rail over the past few years and consequently lost all their travel benefits and progression benefits which they would have kept had they stayed at the company.

On the same hand the RMT, Tssa and Unite pay claim for London Underground submitted just a few months ago requested an improvement in travel perk. (ie. Privs) for non-safeguarded LU staff which also seems to have been forgotten about just a few months later.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

ASLEF will certainly have something to say about it.

 

[BestWestern]

The unions will stop this happening. It's a massive deal for the staff and something that the government can take or leave. The whole idea is a non starter I think.

It's tricky to see what the Unions could realistically do regarding retired staff, since they are no longer employed by the railways and current staff are unlikely to be balloted regarding this issue as it doesn't apply to them anyway. As for still employed Safeguarded staff, there could be threats of action there I would think. I don't know the ins and outs, but I would imagine there would be potential implications regarding Terms & Conditions of employment, though I don't know.

This is well below the belt, free staff travel doesn't cost anything in real terms, the trains are running anyway. Attempting to squeeze extra cash out of time-served railway staff by using the twisted concept of lost revenue equalling a "cost", is nothing but a cheap shot; perhaps somebody could suggest the TOC's try a bit harder to squeeze money out of those who frequently and blatantly travel with no ticket.

 

[plannerman]

The unions will stop this happening. It's a massive deal for the staff and something that the government can take or leave. The whole idea is a non starter I think.

I wouldn't bank on this. The Tories love a good fight with the unions - it was the miners in the 80's, but that was just a convenient fight to pick, it could just have easily have been the railway staff. Also public opinion could easily be swayed against the railway unions, Bob Crow almost does that on his own.

Could Bob Crow and the railways be the Scargill and miners of the 2010's? Discuss...

 

[Smudger105e]

We do not get free rail travel, we are taxed on it, so it's not free

 

[Mojo]

We do not get free rail travel, we are taxed on it, so it's not free

Really? After a court case where LT staff took the tax man to court in the 70s or the 80s it was declared that Privs and residential passes should only be taxed if there is an actual cost to the company of providing it. I don't pay any tax on my free travel.

Edit: just found this, but it's quite out of date, which suggests that there may have been a problem with Atoc back when the railways were privatised.

 

[tbtc]

SImilar to the BA dispute about travel perks?

 

[Greenback]

I wouldn't bank on this. The Tories love a good fight with the unions - it was the miners in the 80's, but that was just a convenient fight to pick, it could just have easily have been the railway staff. Also public opinion could easily be swayed against the railway unions, Bob Crow almost does that on his own.

Could Bob Crow and the railways be the Scargill and miners of the 2010's? Discuss...

In terms of Crow being villified by the right wing media then yes! However, I think the government are unlikely to destroy the railway industry in the same as the coal industry. There has been a realisation recently that the railway system is a huge asset; wanting to bring down costs is one thing, getting rid of 80% of the network - suicide, both politically and strategically.

 

[spionkop64]

As 'free' travel (and yes it is taxed) was in place prior to privatisation of the railways it is surely protected by law? The people the NoTW are attacking joined the railways when the pay was poor, but was offset by a pension and free travel.

Rags like NoTW and the Daily Mail enjoy sniping at the public sector and the perceived 'waste' but have little to say about the tax evasion of the rich which costs the country much more than hammering retired railwaymen (and women) who have given decades of service. The depths these right wing newspapers will stoop to is disgusting.

 

[CNX]

SImilar to the BA dispute about travel perks?

No. BA withdrew travel perks from striking cabin crew as a sanction. The two are totally unrelated.

Can anyone cut and paste the News Of The World article on rail staff travel please?

 

[Surreytraveller]

We do not get free rail travel, we are taxed on it, so it's not free

You would have the option of opting out of it if you were taxed on it.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Why can't the railways provide facilities to staff? Plenty of companies give staff interest-free season ticket loans, if you work at Tesco you get a discopunt. Are they saying that no one can have any perks of working anywhere Perhaps the Prime Minister shouldn't be given a house in London?

 

[scotsman]

if you work at Tesco you get a discopunt. Are they saying that no one can have any perks of working anywhere Perhaps the Prime Minister shouldn't be given a house in London?

Erm, when my mum worked in Tesco, I can't remember her getting a discount

 

[Zoe]

Why can't the railways provide facilities to staff? Plenty of companies give staff interest-free season ticket loans, if you work at Tesco you get a discopunt.

It's quite simple, Network Rail do not operate train services so can't offer free travel. Most of the TOCs however do give free travel to staff on services operated by that TOC. If a company other than Tesco owned the store but Tesco operated it, you wouldn't expect discounts if you worked for the building owner.

 

[t o m]

There is a bit about it on here, a few paragraphs down.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/14/philip-hammond-rail-unions-transport

Erm, when my mum worked in Tesco, I can't remember her getting a discount

I work in Sainsbury's and we get 10% discount, not a great deal. I know other supermarkets do discount for their employees too. Obviously doesn't include things like petrol, tobacco, lottery etc.... You also have to have been working there for 6 months, was 3 months when I started. We also used to get extra for working on a late night Saturday and on a Sunday but they stopped doing that for new starters a couple of years ago, luckily it's in my contract and they can't change it.

 

[Oracle]

Tesco employees used to have to have worked for 12 months before they got a 10% Privilegecard which is a combined Discount & Clubcard but about two years ago the company reduced it to a 6-month employment requirement. The discount is limited to £750 per year, up from £500 a few years ago.

 

[driverchris52]

Folks,
article in Todays News Of The World,its costing millions in revenue with regards to BR's free travel for retired employees,reduced rates for family and friends and reduced rates for staff,The Government are making noises to change this....................would they be allowed to do this to save money?

Costing millions? I really don't think so. The country is hardly awash with active and retired railway staff is it. I mean, all of the trains I drive are absolutely choca with rail staff...not. If there is any truth in something like this being printed in a rag like the screws of the world then two things come to my mind. 1.It's a minor issue that has been printed simply to fill a few column inches. 2. If it is a genuine issue then it's another example of ATOC tightwads -you know, the people on huge salaries and big bonus's-attempting to screw the staff who actually run the railway for them.
P.S.'Friends' do not get any sort of reduced rate or free travel. It is strictly an active or retired member of staff,a spouse,and any dependents..and that only means children.

 

[jopsuk]

I've seen it put that there's ~500,000 safeguarded and retired staff plus dependants. There's very few tickets for less than £2. It only takes them each making a journey that would otherwise cost £4 or more on average for the total figure to legitamtely be described as "millions"

 

[DarloRich]

I've seen it put that there's ~500,000 safeguarded and retired staff plus dependants. There's very few tickets for less than £2. It only takes them each making a journey that would otherwise cost £4 or more on average for the total figure to legitamtely be described as "millions"

would love to see what NOTW reporters get in the way of "entertainment" allowances!

 

[The Barlow Boy]

Erm, when my mum worked in Tesco, I can't remember her getting a discount

She should have worked for Sainsburys. When my youngest used to do a Saturday job there when he was at college he got a 10% staff card.

 

[CNX]

The Guardian article states that former BR staff are allowed 'up to 10 occasions of free travel a year.'

Wrong! I get 20.

Mind, as its the Guardian one must make allowances.