From memory, and not directly involved, so others may have more detail: replacing the standard 8 hour shift (any longer being rostered overtime) for train crew with a flexible shift of 6-10 hours.I remember an industrial dispute in BR days about 'flexible rostering'
Can anyone explain what the dispute was about.
That's my recollection; I also think that in return for the flexibility the total hours over the working week were slightly reduced.From memory, and not directly involved, so others may have more detail: replacing the standard 8 hour shift (any longer being rostered overtime) for train crew with a flexible shift of 6-10 hours.
And what was the resolution?
ISTR 7-9 was eventually agreed and money was involved
Was that not covered as rostered overtime?I reckon it was 1982. I think that 6-10 hours was the board’s initial starting point, but it soon became clear that 7-9 was the aim and they would concede as far as that, but then stick absolutely. I think that the reduction from 40 to 39 hours took a year or two to introduce: it didn’t half muck up signalmen’s rosters.
To be honest, at that time we were working every rest day, so I can’t remember at this distance whether I was working 39 hours plus 9 overtime or 40 and 8 (plus two 12-hour Sundays out of three). I don’t think that, as far as signalmen were concerned, the 39 hour week came in immediately. I do remember that when I moved on redundancy early in 1985 my new area had the shifts arranged so that you got an extra Rest Day every eight weeks.Was that not covered as rostered overtime?
Was this around 1989/90?
I reckon it was 1982.
From the archives of http://www.transdiffusion.org
If you've ever wondered *why* the government would do something as insane as selling off the loss-making railway system in the UK, and have ever wondered why New Labour spent 12 years not bringing it back into state hands, here's the explanation: when British Rail existed, the unions (specifically ASLEF) had the government's balls caught in a drawer whenever they wanted anything.
Here they are in the early 1980s taking exception to the BRB's (insensitively imposed) plans for 'flexible rostering'. ASLEF walked out, the BRB locked them out and... it all frozen for weeks until BR gave way, as it had to. The Conservative government of the time never forgave them and a decade later exacted a terrible revenge on BR that punished everyone involved (BRB members, staff, passengers, their mourning relatives and so forth)... but made senior ASLEF drivers higher-rate taxpayers as they played the new, clueless, private rail operators off against each other.
This video has been subtitled for the deaf and hearing impaired.
Yes 1982 - see this news article
BBC Nine o'clock news on ASLEF strike | Tuesday 16 March 1982 - YouTube
As I recall there was a series of one- and two-day strikes or something like that in January and February of that year, followed by an NUR strike in late June that was meant to be indefinite but was called off after just two days and then a two-week ASLEF strike in July. If you search for rail strikes 1982 on YouTube you will find more footage and news clips from that dispute.Thames TV programme on the flexible rostering dispute
Oh, you can't embed it. Click through for a 23 minute programme
The standard day was 8 hours pre flexible rostering. From BR’s view it made allocating work very inefficient.I remember an industrial dispute in BR days about 'flexible rostering'
Can anyone explain what the dispute was about.
And what was the resolution?
It meant they could change your sign on time + or - 2 hours a day, so from say an original start time of 00:01 which was one of my favourites, by the end of the week you could be starting @ 11am, for night owls like me that was unacceptable and so people like me found new jobs!
This post, if correct, should be circulated forthwith to Nichola Sturgeon & her Transport henchmen currently dealing with RMT.The dispute was long and bitter. It is worth remembering history to see what could happen in similar circumstances in future.
IIRC there were months of strikes, through the first half of 1982, not all of which were due to flexible rostering. The rostering dispute festered on, and the ASLEF strikes built up over a few weeks to something like Tuesday - Thursday for a couple of weeks by June. BR evidently felt it was not making any progress, and announced it would impose the rosters from early July. In response ASLEF then announced an all out, indefinite strike. Directly as a result, BR opened the case to the nuclear button and made preparations to make the entire driving grade (and possibly other grades?) redundant. AIUI redundancy letters were printed and ready to go. Of course, ASLEF were made aware of this, and in response they very quickly suspended action and accepted the BR proposal without conditions.
I vividly remember an interview with a driver in Modern Railways a year or two later, who when asked about flexible rostering said something like “we didn’t want it, but if they tried to take it away from us now we’d go on strike”
I vividly remember an interview with a driver in Modern Railways a year or two later, who when asked about flexible rostering said something like “we didn’t want it, but if they tried to take it away from us now we’d go on strike”
The dispute was long and bitter. It is worth remembering history to see what could happen in similar circumstances in future.
IIRC there were months of strikes, through the first half of 1982, not all of which were due to flexible rostering. The rostering dispute festered on, and the ASLEF strikes built up over a few weeks to something like Tuesday - Thursday for a couple of weeks by June. BR evidently felt it was not making any progress, and announced it would impose the rosters from early July. In response ASLEF then announced an all out, indefinite strike. Directly as a result, BR opened the case to the nuclear button and made preparations to make the entire driving grade (and possibly other grades?) redundant. AIUI redundancy letters were printed and ready to go. Of course, ASLEF were made aware of this, and in response they very quickly suspended action and accepted the BR proposal without conditions.
I vividly remember an interview with a driver in Modern Railways a year or two later, who when asked about flexible rostering said something like “we didn’t want it, but if they tried to take it away from us now we’d go on strike”
I remember that vividly too. He also added many people dont like change iirc. Stopped the Bedpan 317s being introduced as scheduled too again iirc.I vividly remember an interview with a driver in Modern Railways a year or two later, who when asked about flexible rostering said something like “we didn’t want it, but if they tried to take it away from us now we’d go on strike”