Do strikes apply to all railway staff across the network, or just specific roles?

[vimmervim]

So this may seem like a really silly question but something I've always wondered and with this months upcoming strikes being announced it's the perfect time to ask it. Whenever I have heard about strikes in the past i have always wondered if it applies to all railway staff across the network or just specific roles? For example would it include station staff, depot staff etc. Or would it only be roles like drivers and onboard staff? Might sound dumb but just always wondered if the whole company shuts up shop for the day or what?

Feel free to delete if I'm being stupid lol

 

[skyhigh]

Depends who is on strike. All other grades will attend as normal and do whatever work is possible.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Depends who is on strike. If it's ASLEF it will only be drivers. If it's RMT some stations may be closed (or unstaffed), but trains running.
Most strikes now relate to only one company at a time, so you may find trains from one operator running but not another.

 

[PupCuff]

Strikes are generally done for specific grades, so for example in the upcoming ASLEF strikes it will typically just be the drivers (and perhaps a small number of other driver-adjacent staff) who will go on strike. Other staff should report for duty as normal, frontline staff may catch up on safety briefs (training days), head office staff will work as normal.

If you have certain grades such as station staff or train conductors on strike, head office staff (or local management) who are trained and qualified to do those particular roles may be taken off their day job to cover the service. For Drivers generally there aren't enough Driver competent managers to be able to run a meaningful service.

 

[dk1]

So this may seem like a really silly question but something I've always wondered and with this months upcoming strikes being announced it's the perfect time to ask it. Whenever I have heard about strikes in the past i have always wondered if it applies to all railway staff across the network or just specific roles? For example would it include station staff, depot staff etc. Or would it only be roles like drivers and onboard staff? Might sound dumb but just always wondered if the whole company shuts up shop for the day or what?

Feel free to delete if I'm being stupid lol

Anybody from a different union who is not on strike will just get paid as normal regardless of the fact they come to work yet have nothing whatsoever to do as all or some trains cancelled. They’ll hang around for a couple of hours then slide off.

 

[6Gman]

Also important to note that some drivers (a very small number) are not members of ASLEF so will work normally. Also that some TOCs and freight operators are not involved.

Freight trains will run normally; in fact in the absence of (many of) those pesky passenger trains they may well run better than usual!

 

[ComUtoR]

Some people may be required to work during the strike and get paid an additional payment for doing so.

 

[glasgowniteowl]

Also important to note that some drivers (a very small number) are not members of ASLEF so will work normally. Also that some TOCs and freight operators are not involved.

Also important to note that it isn't a "will work" but a "may work" as non union members still have the same legal protections when striking at the same time as the aslef members so can choose to join union members by not working etc

 

[185143]

Also important to note that it isn't a "will work" but a "may work" as non union members still have the same legal protections when striking at the same time as the aslef members so can choose to join union members by not working etc

Indeed. No one is legally obliged to disclose which, if any, Union they are a member of.

I'd be surprised for the driver grade if the TOCs don't assume every single driver is a member of ASLEF and plan accordingly.

 

[6Gman]

Also important to note that it isn't a "will work" but a "may work" as non union members still have the same legal protections when striking at the same time as the aslef members so can choose to join union members by not working etc

Good point.

 

[Somewhere]

Anybody from a different union who is not on strike will just get paid as normal regardless of the fact they come to work yet have nothing whatsoever to do as all or some trains cancelled. They’ll hang around for a couple of hours then slide off.

Some people still have work to do. Others may even be busier due to strike action

 

[telstarbox]

Do management grades still get sent to cover striking front line grades?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Depends who is on strike. If it's ASLEF it will only be drivers. If it's RMT some stations may be closed (or unstaffed), but trains running.
Most strikes now relate to only one company at a time, so you may find trains from one operator running but not another.

It will also depend on who the employer is, and the specific nature of the dispute.
There's a multiplicity of employers on the network, even where they are all nominally "nationalised".
Staff at train depots are often employed by train manufacturers (Hitachi, Alstom, Siemens, CAF etc) rather than by the TOC that runs the trains and stations.

 

[12LDA28C]

Do management grades still get sent to cover striking front line grades?

That depends entirely on what agreements are in place and varies TOC by TOC.

 

[kw12]

What happens for railway staff employed by the likes of Carlisle Support Services? Does the TOC pay these third party companies for days when there is no work for them? Are their staff still on zero hours contracts?

 

[dk1]

Some people still have work to do. Others may even be busier due to strike action

And others will just spend a couple of hours in the messroom having a yarn.

What happens for railway staff employed by the likes of Carlisle Support Services? Does the TOC pay these third party companies for days when there is no work for them? Are their staff still on zero hours contracts?

They'd just work as normal passengers or no passengers.

 

[skyhigh]

They'd just work as normal passengers or no passengers.

Not if they're on zero hour contracts and no trains are running, they won't.

 

[dk1]

Not if they're on zero hour contracts and no trains are running, they won't.

Those we have manning ticket gates and cleaning seem to carry on as normal.

 

[Somewhere]

Those we have manning ticket gates and cleaning seem to carry on as normal.

Probably oblivious to the lack of trains!

 

[vimmervim]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it, it's just something I've always wondered. The people I've always wondered about were depot workers.. because if no trains were running i thought what would they do all day lol. But I guess like someone mentioned earlier they probably just have quite a quiet day then slide off early, if their manager is fairly chilled out lol, if they're anything like managers that I've had in the past then they will be made to work every minute of their scheduled day regardless of the actual work load available. I can remember days when we have completely ran out of work to do about 4 or 5 hours before home time but still have been expected to stay and see through our entire shift literally sat twiddling our thumbs counting down the hours debating between ourselves what the point was. All we were able to come up with was that our manager was keeping us there purely because he could! Bless them i can imagine depots filled with some very bored workers next week!

 

[dk1]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it, it's just something I've always wondered. The people I've always wondered about were depot workers.. because if no trains were running i thought what would they do all day lol. But I guess like someone mentioned earlier they probably just have quite a quiet day then slide off early, if their manager is fairly chilled out lol, if they're anything like managers that I've had in the past then they will be made to work every minute of their scheduled day regardless of the actual work load available. I can remember days when we have completely ran out of work to do about 4 or 5 hours before home time but still have been expected to stay and see through our entire shift literally sat twiddling our thumbs counting down the hours debating between ourselves what the point was. All we were able to come up with was that our manager was keeping us there purely because he could! Bless them i can imagine depots filled with some very bored workers next week!

Thankfully that’s not how most of the railway deals with such things. Sounds very vindictive.

 

[Horizon22]

Anybody from a different union who is not on strike will just get paid as normal regardless of the fact they come to work yet have nothing whatsoever to do as all or some trains cancelled. They’ll hang around for a couple of hours then slide off.

Controllers normally come in as normal and have a nice time of it!

 

[dk1]

Controllers normally come in as normal and have a nice time of it!

I bet they do. Anyone volunteering to cook a nice roast

 

[Somewhere]

Controllers normally come in as normal and have a nice time of it!

Unless they have to rebalance all the stock and rewrite the next day's start up
This sort of comment goes to prove staff in one part of the industry have no idea what staff in other parts do!

 

[riceuten]

Anybody from a different union who is not on strike will just get paid as normal regardless of the fact they come to work yet have nothing whatsoever to do as all or some trains cancelled. They’ll hang around for a couple of hours then slide off.

Which is fair enough, as they are not involved in the dispute and have dutifully turned up for work.

Not if they're on zero hour contracts and no trains are running, they won't.

You’d hope there were as few of these as possible, to be honest

 

[dk1]

You’d hope there were as few of these as possible, to be honest

Sadly they do crop up on the railway. Usually though confined to agency employees on jobs such as cleaning & sometimes gate line staff.

 

[riceuten]

Sadly they do crop up on the railway. Usually though confined to agency employees on jobs such as cleaning & sometimes gate line staff.

Shocking in all respects, but particularly with gateline staff.

 

[dk1]

Shocking in all respects, but particularly with gateline staff.

At Norwich they where employed by Carlisle Services for the first few years but then around 2012 GA took them all on full time boosting their pay, pension & offering the full free & priv travel facilities offered to other non-safeguarded TOC employees. They were absolutely made up.

 

[Horizon22]

Unless they have to rebalance all the stock and rewrite the next day's start up
This sort of comment goes to prove staff in one part of the industry have no idea what staff in other parts do!

That’s normally all done by train planning, presuming the strike has been called enough in advance.

 

[Somewhere]

That’s normally all done by train planning, presuming the strike has been called enough in advance.

Not always. They can't always keep up