RMT dispute on XC

[Bletchleyite]

Except Dec24 is likely to be extremely quiet...

I'd predict two days, 23 and 24, so anyone wishing to travel by train for Christmas has to waste a day's annual leave or can't go.

National Express and Megabus meanwhile are no doubt sitting in the wings giggling and watching the bookings roll in.

 

[Smidster]

I'd predict two days, 23 and 24, so anyone wishing to travel by train for Christmas has to waste a day's annual leave or can't go.

National Express and Megabus meanwhile are no doubt sitting in the wings giggling and watching the bookings roll in.

9th / 10th must also be a strong bet...big shopping weekend so maximum disruption without actually stopping public getting home for Christmas which you have to think but do them harm in the long run.

 

[trainophile]

I’m on my revised VTEC 1600 Doncaster train at Edinburgh Waverley, and just looked at RTT, to find they are reporting the 1608 XC to Newcastle is at platform 8! Is this another RTT mess up or was the strike cancelled at the last minute?

 

[PHILIPE]

I’m on my revised VTEC 1600 Doncaster train at Edinburgh Waverley, and just looked at RTT, to find they are reporting the 1608 XC to Newcastle is at platform 8! Is this another RTT mess up or was the strike cancelled at the last minute?

Trains can run up to 1900 so should reach Newcastle by then. It is, in effect, a Glasgow to Bristol terminating short.

 

[trainophile]

Trains can run up to 1900 so should reach Newcastle by then. It is, in effect, a Glasgow to Bristol terminating short.

So I can’t claim back for the unused XC tickets then? I don’t recall seeing that my NCL to EDB and back trains would be running. Where did I miss that in the publicity XC put out?

 

[trainophile]

According to RTT and previous recollection that one was starting at EDB and terminating at NCL. Otherwise why would it be at platform 25 minutes before scheduled departure?

 

[Class 170101]

I’m on my revised VTEC 1600 Doncaster train at Edinburgh Waverley, and just looked at RTT, to find they are reporting the 1608 XC to Newcastle is at platform 8! Is this another RTT mess up or was the strike cancelled at the last minute?

Still happening according to website. I expect the data hasn't been uploaded in RTT.

 

[PHILIPE]

According to RTT and previous recollection that one was starting at EDB and terminating at NCL. Otherwise why would it be at platform 25 minutes before scheduled departure?

Why shouldn't it be ? Depends on where it came from and at what time.

 

[Starmill]

So I can’t claim back for the unused XC tickets then? I don’t recall seeing that my NCL to EDB and back trains would be running. Where did I miss that in the publicity XC put out?

I would apply for a refund anyway (you should have done it immediately, as advised) using the map that XC published as evidence that you were advised the service wasn't running.

 

[gavin]

I’m on my revised VTEC 1600 Doncaster train at Edinburgh Waverley, and just looked at RTT, to find they are reporting the 1608 XC to Newcastle is at platform 8! Is this another RTT mess up or was the strike cancelled at the last minute?

Strike is still on they must have got enough staff to run a few services

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44833/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44823/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44825/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44835/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44836/2017/11/19/advanced

 

[trainophile]

I

I would apply for a refund anyway (you should have done it immediately, as advised) using the map that XC published as evidence that you were advised the service wasn't running.

I did the TPE online chat thing on Friday evening and they emailed me a claim form, but I can’t print it off until I get home on Tuesday. Realistically not everyone would have known about the strike until their day of intended travel, and anyway I thought you had a month to make a claim?

The form says there’s a mandatory £10 charge for refund of tickets except in case of service disruption, but then goes on to say “please note Advance tickets are not refundable” so I will await the next round of negotiations!

 

[trainophile]

Strike is still on they must have got enough staff to run a few services

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44833/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44823/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44825/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44835/2017/11/19/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O44836/2017/11/19/advanced

It’s not really good enough is it, causing confusion resulting in people having to make alternative arrangements, then running some of the services after all.

 

[Starmill]

Realistically not everyone would have known about the strike until their day of intended travel, and anyway I thought you had a month to make a claim?

Yes this is correct, but if your claim had reached TPE before the date of your travel, they would: 1. know for certain that your tickets were unused and 2. they would not know that this additional service was planned on the day after being previously advertised as cancelled. You should still get your refund but it might be more difficult. The refund form is just a standard form, Advance tickets are refundable but only if they weren't be used due to disruption. The strike has definitely gone ahead.

 

[Goldfish62]

I used XC today to travel from Sheffield to Reading. Apart from an annoying 56 min connection at Birmingham NS it was all very smooth, with no overcrowding as both trains were nine coaches. All the services I noticed were doubled up.

Re advance notice of the strike I got an email from XC on Friday to warn me. I had booked my tickets through SWR, but the system obviously detected that I'd be travelling by XC

 

[BantamMenace]

My girlfriend travelled from Leamington to Leeds this afternoon on the 12:12 from Leamington which was single-formed and crush loaded and then the 13:03 from Birmingham which was doubled up and so lightly loaded on arrival at Birmingham she got a seat.

To the lucky walk up traveller who didn't find their service cancelled I doubt this will have appeared different to a normal Sunday. Admittedly a lot of services were still cancelled.

 

[Starmill]

A number of services were cancelled during the day too. The 1722 Birmingham New Street to Peterborough, 1822 Birmingham New Street to Leicester, 1226 and 1627 Manchester Piccadilly to Reading, 1001 Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly and 1311 Reading to Manchester Piccadilly were all cancelled throughout. Some other services were part cancelled. An additional 2152 Birmingham New Street to Leicester and 2104 Birmingham New Street to Reading are running.

 

[ag51ruk]

The 1429 Derby - Gloucester terminated at Birmingham. It was 8 coaches, much quieter than the normal train at that time, and had a full on-board complement of staff including a First Class host

 

[1e10]

A few Bristol to Exeter and vice versa were cancelled too.

 

[181]

I was booked (as mentioned above) from Sheffield to Oxford at 18.24 (the 16.35 Newcastle-Reading). The pdf timetable on XC's website on Thursday evening showed hourly trains from York to Gloucester/Birmingham up until the 18.55 from Sheffield, but nothing from Birmingham to Oxford after 18.04 (and no XC trains south of Reading). I decided to catch the 15.55 from Sheffield* in order to get on the 18.04 from Birmingham, but this was cancelled (the reason given being a train fault rather than lack of crew). My plan B was to catch the 16.54 to Birmingham and travel on Chiltern via Bicester, but then I noticed that the 16.54 was also shown as cancelled, and was just in time to get the 16.18 to London. My ticket was accepted without question on that and at the barrier at Paddington.

However, when changing at Reading to reach my actual destination of Cholsey (I had a separate Oxford-Cholsey ticket) I heard the 20.52 XC train to Bournemouth (19.04 from Birmingham) being announced, and indeed saw it arriving. It appears on RTT as separate Birmingham-Reading and Reading-Bournemouth trains (I haven't checked the Manchester-Birmingham leg), together with a cancelled duplicate 20.52 Reading-Bournemouth and a cancelled 20.52 Reading-Eastleigh empty stock working -- I presume this reflects multiple changes of mind about what was running. The 18.04 ex-Birmingham appears to have been cancelled.

My initial interpretation of RTT was that the 16.54 from Sheffield had also been reinstated as far as Birmingham, but then I realised that the one that did run was empty stock. It appears that the 17.54 Sheffield-Birmingham was also cancelled, but the 18.55 (17.41 from York) did run, presumably with multiple trainloads of very delayed passengers.

It seems from this that although the published timetable for the 'strike' days presumably reflects what they expect to run, what actually runs may be less than that, or occasionally more.

*Not as inconvenient for me as it looks, as my only reason for leaving Sheffield as late as 18.24 was the availability of a cheap first class Advance on that train but not earlier ones.

 

[I13]

Will the HST diagrams be different tomorrow due to today's timetable? If so, does anyone have any idea which services will be HSTs?

 

[221129]

Will the HST diagrams be different tomorrow due to today's timetable? If so, does anyone have any idea which services will be HSTs?

Shouldn't be

 

[D1009]

Shouldn't be

Wouldn't there have been an HST stuck at Laira yesterday off 1V64 Friday?

 

[221129]

Wouldn't there have been an HST stuck at Laira yesterday off 1V64 Friday?

No. It went back on Saturday

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've seen, elsewhere, a letter from the RMT about this and they do, interestingly, seem to use the term "strike" even though it technically is not one. Odd, unless I'm getting mixed up of course.

 

[Spankthemonkey]

I've seen, elsewhere, a letter from the RMT about this and they do, interestingly, seem to use the term "strike" even though it technically is not one. Odd, unless I'm getting mixed up of course.

The Saturday they have asked the staff not to book on is a strike. The Sundays are work to rule. By all accounts XC will challenge the legality of this Saturday strike.

 

[Kite159]

Roughly the same again this Sunday I gather?

(Bit of a shame a Basingstoke - Banbury ticket isn't getting acceptance via London due to no planned service south of Reading)

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Presumably any policy that guaranteed 'regular church goers' a set day off while all other staff have to work a rotation of all 7 days would be religious discrimination.

This is why I won't work on a Sunday regardless of industry, as Sunday's to me are a day of rest.

Genuine question that I think that should be pointed out. What would happen if a company that has employed a Muslim do if they didn't allow them to have the Friday off, as Friday's are seen as a Muslim's holy day?

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Let's face it. RMT at a higher level aren't really interested in getting their members the best deal possible, are they? Either that or they are seriously lacking up there somewhere.

One might be forgiven to think that they are really only interested in maintaining their own stranglehold on things going by their actions recently. The members they claim to represent are simply pawns in their political game. Shame that some of the local reps I have met are actually genuinely nice people who really wanted to do good. The risk of dwindling membership, hence power, should the "modernisation" proposals in the industry be pushed through is probably a bigger concern to them than the risk of their members being maltreated during the process, not that the latter does not happen. That press release mentioned upthread will only reinforce those impressions.

In all honesty, much of their membership only really have one option for effective collective bargaining. While they could opt to join other unions, RMT is often the only realistic option, and the union knows that.

Their leadership need to have a long hard look at themselves. Things will likely end up in a bad way if they continue to behave like that. Unfortunately when that time comes, their members will be the ones suffering, while some of the current leadership will have long gone, enjoying their fat pay cheques whether they left behind a shower or not. One could almost compare them to bank bosses...

From my angle, I see it as the RMT are "stiring the pot" in an attempt to wind up not only the TOC's, the passengers but also those who are being lead along by Mick Cash's one man desire to return to a 1970's Britain. I honestly think that its Mick Cash who is acting somewhat as a despot dictator and without realising it, that these strikes are causing more harm than good.

Its come to the point where I've had enough of the RMT's student type / sixth form common room behaviour and would personally celebrate if the RMT was forced to disband.

 

[pt_mad]

How are the RMT 'stirring the pot' when it is the members who have voted for the action?

They cannot force the result of the ballot.

 

[Goldfish62]

How are the RMT 'stirring the pot' when it is the members who have voted for the action?

They cannot force the result of the ballot.

That's rather naive. Members pay the RMT to get them the best possible deal and therefore put a certain amount of trust in the union. If it comes back and says it can do no more and is therefore asking the members to strike, the chances are they are going to vote accordingly. The real issue is whether the RMT is negotiating in good faith and realistically, or whether it is deliberately adopting a confrontational position to provoke a ballot.

There are plenty of strong unions out there who do not constantly have to resort to losing their members pay through strike action in order to get a deal, but when they do you know they have a strong case. Strike ballots themselves are expensive. It's little wonder the RMT membership rates are so high.