and the clock is ticking for the new trains. ASLEF have indicated they will not discuss implementation of new stock until guard dispute is sorted out. GA is not taking as much revenue as expected and stabling of new stock both short and long term is still up in the air. Abellio and their partner must be getting worried how this franchise is turning out to be several cans of worms ?
Lesson: how to ensure that unions are seen as outdated by the public 101:
Step one, keep using the same tactics regardless of the situation
Step two, don't be willing to allow new trains to be used so that you can prove a point
Step three, wait for the bad press following the fact that said trains are sat unused and the old stock is unable to provide extra capacity elsewhere.
Step four, find out that the government has brought in new rules stopping your old tactics following the political fallout of the above.
Step five, realise that you may have won that battle but you have now have lost the ability to use your old tactics and the public are clearly not on your side. As all they want is to go about their business and don't understand what all the fuss is about given that they see both dispatch methods being used without either apearing to cause problems. Even if they want to believe that guard dispatch is safer all they see is the unions repeating that it is safer as if they repeat it enough times it will make it true. Yet not pushing for other things that would potentially save more lives, such as all guards being first aid trained.
Step six, also realise that actually the number of rail staff has been increasing across the board and that trying to be protectionist wasn't really needed anyway.
Step seven, repeat until your union is a lame duck and automation comes in unopposed.