The RMT have remained professional throughout these strikes...
I think that's a bit far fetched.
Both sides have shown faults during this dispute, and this latest thread and Twitter issue show how deep the disputes and faults remain. I don't condone companies trying to "strike" the RMT or other unions on social media, especially via such a public medium, without really showing an understanding of the opinions of those they are broadcasting to.
I know some people who continue to support the RMT's actions because they consider it to be the only viable stance being taken against job security issues, safety issues and so on. Some of these people are rail workers, some are customers. A number of them have felt they've needed to make a very difficult decision which they did not want to make - a distraction from the operation of the passenger service which I think, in hindsight so far, is becoming less relevant in the short and medium term in the minds of those in control of it, the longer this dispute goes on.
However, I am also acutely aware of a number of people who do not think the RMT strategy was well-planned, including timing and use of negotiations, length of strikes, and hysterical press-releases. I know for definite that the RMT have lost members as a direct result of their public actions in this dispute, and for other reasons too, which may come into public knowledge eventually. What I haven't heard for certain is whether or not they've gained any members.
To some degree much of this can be seen in the DOO thread and other places on this forum and the web. The breadth of different feelings amongst GTR frontline employees possibly can't be seen, actually - although in one way or another, the discussions have still been useful.
This latest problem - this morning's Tweet - is a truly sad indicator of the fragmentation of the railway ecosystem. It's always been fragile, but this is the wrong way to go with that fragility.
