johncrossley
Established Member
How do the TOC use the staff turning up for work when there are few or no trains?
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How are TOC staff utilised if they book on for work and no trains can run?
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Snow1964
Established Member
I was wondering that too,
Presumably all rostered staff should now turn up for work, and customers seeing the headlines might turn up at stations
How can there be a strike timetable for a suspended strike, if can change one way, why can’t reverse back to normal, it was previously planned so doesn’t need any new planning
Nicholas Lewis
Established Member
I would surmise it pays them to sit around all day because it has no incentive to maximise income as DfT are backstopping their costs. Anyhow shouldn't be any excuses for cancellations from lack of train crew.
johncrossley
Established Member
Don't they still have to turn up to the depots? Maybe they can do CPD, online training etc. ? When I worked in consultancy, those are the kinds of things we filled our unproductive time with.
lammergeier
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I understand a lot of XC drivers are being sent on the Birmingham resignalling brief on the now cancelled RMT strike days. Not sure if they will be rescheduled now the strikes are off.
dk1
Veteran Member
Wouldn’t stay all shift. Why would you? If no service is running then it’s usually around 3-5 hours after signing in that we are told to disappear.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Merseyrail has restored a half-hour service on all lines today, although with a late start.
Chester PSB is open, but other operators, even TfW which is also not in dispute, are not operating any services through Chester.
Chester PSB is open, but other operators, even TfW which is also not in dispute, are not operating any services through Chester.
dk1
Veteran Member
As said, being a self contained operation makes things easier for the former to add services where possible.
Revilo
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If they’re not going to be used because of the union’s last minute change, perhaps they could volunteer their services for charity, selling poppies for example.
FatContr0ller
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Im in working my normal shift - we still have a service.
nedchester
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A friend who is a guard for GA messaged me to say he booked on as normal this morning and then got sent home. He thought it was ridiculous.
theageofthetra
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Exactly the sort of pathetic, juvenile behaviour that angers staff and is done purely to show staff who is boss. It's a primary reason along with pay that I voted for and will continue to vote for strike action.
Minilad
Established Member
No they weren't. I did mine this morning. 32 of us booked to do it today
bramling
Veteran Member
Depends.
They will book ok for work, then will be subject to whatever their manager wants to do.
Might sit spare (especially if there’s the possibility units may need to be moved around), might catch up on performance discussions (if due, and there’s a manager present who is free to deliver them), might be sent home but probably not until finish time is within sight. Someone living nearby might be told to leave their mobile number on a piece of paper and listen out just in case we need you.
lammergeier
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32! Well that's one way to utilise drivers on an RMT strike day.
It would have been even more ridiculous to pointlessly sit around in the depot for hours, when known not to be needed.
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Do staff get paid as normal with these late notice strike changes?
If the do, seems like a good 'loophole' would be for the unions to call strike action then cancel it at last minute, ensuring that trains don't run due to planning constraints, but union members get paid as normal.
If the do, seems like a good 'loophole' would be for the unions to call strike action then cancel it at last minute, ensuring that trains don't run due to planning constraints, but union members get paid as normal.
nedchester
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The I'm making is he rightly thought it a farce that GA weren't even attempting to start a service when staff were available. I agree about the point of sitting around the depot
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Ok - we are in agreement there.
I think the issue at many places is simply that the strike was called off with only a few hours’ notice before the first night shifts would have booked on - hence no units prepped and the strike day diagrams already distributed well in advance.
Quite a few TOCs seem to have added extra services where possible.
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Minilad
Established Member
Could have caused problems in fitting everyone in had the strike been called off in time to enable a full service.
Whilst it might seem like a good loophole from the outside , calling strikes off at short notice is not universally popular among the membership especially for no good reason . Remember the eventual aim of a trades dispute is to reach a resolution and actions which seek to unnecessarilly antagonize will only make matters worse .
And of course if this tactic was employed repeatedly theres always the risk of employers responding in kind by "locking" workers out
boiledbeans2
Member
But the cause of this is not due to the TOCs, but the unions calling off the strike at the last minute?
theageofthetra
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No it's dragging staff in, knowing full well they won't have any work, for no business purpose whatsoever.
It's purely because they can, and show who's boss.
Falcon1200
Established Member
It is nothing new. During the BR dispute in 1982 I was living in Oxford and working in Reading. BR initially allowed me to book on at Oxford, from where I was sent home as there was no work for me (or any other booking office staff). Then management decided to get tough and instructed me to report at Reading, which meant getting the bus, sometimes direct but other times changing at Wallingford.
At my TOC they've had us (guards) in for training sessions. Includes stuff like refreshers on Personal Track Safety, reporting, operations briefs, method of working for certain things and so on. They've also had us doing some work from home doing online courses on things like fire safety, suspicious items, accessibility etc.
Today I have been in the training room having a safety brief on a station which we don't currently call at (but will call at soon), aswell as updated methods of working for certain traction.
Today I have been in the training room having a safety brief on a station which we don't currently call at (but will call at soon), aswell as updated methods of working for certain traction.
dk1
Veteran Member
Was quite a nice shift in the end. Bit of banter in the messroom before a return trip to London. Not many where made to bother coming in just for the sake of it & didn’t stay long if they did.
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