RMT Strike Action Thursday 20th, Saturday 22nd and Saturday 29th July 2023

[DunsBus]

I'm still preparing for another season of bitterness and paranoia.


It just seems to be mean-spirited and spiteful, and then you get people telling us with great smugness that we should support our plans being messed up. I guess the lockdown and restriction lovers never went away.

Indeed, you also only need to look back to last Christmas/New Year. The first "normal' Christmas in three years and the RMT called various strikes for over the festive fortnight. No wonder Mick Lynch was dubbed "Mick Grinch."

 

[weeklycommuter]

Just ab

Just about to mention this!
They didn’t bow in March 84-March 85 & they won’t this time!

This Government allowed train operators to become dependent on staff working overtime and rest days to deliver the timetable. This greatly strengthens the position of the rail unions as they can then take very effective action short of a strike to disrupt train services.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

This Government allowed train operators to become dependent on staff working overtime and rest days to deliver the timetable. This greatly strengthens the position of the rail unions as they can then take very effective action short of a strike to disrupt train services.

The railway has been reliant on overtime well before this current government or indeed privitisation.

Partly the difference now is wages are higher so staff are less inclined to work overtime than under BR when the overtime was almost needed to top up wages.

This documentary from the early 1990s about NSE - “Old, Dirty and Late” shows what a problem driver shortages were back then too.

 

[Bevan Price]

This Government allowed train operators to become dependent on staff working overtime and rest days to deliver the timetable. This greatly strengthens the position of the rail unions as they can then take very effective action short of a strike to disrupt train services.

It has been obvious for the last year that, despite any comments otherwise, the government doesn't really care how much inconvenience is suffered by passengers. In such circumstances, the unions simply do not have any "strength". Even if they continue strikes for years, they will not get any settlement they consider acceptable from this government -- and they would be unwise to think they might get something much better if we get a Labour government in 2024 or 2029 (the national money box is likely to be almost empty for years to come).

 

[JonathanH]

Why are the government and the powers not resolving this, what benefit does it have to them to make this go on and on?

You might as well equally ask why the unions and the workforce are still resisting the settlement.

Both sides have a entrenched position and neither side wants to be the one to budge.

The government and the powers that be still think that they can get T&C changes through which pay for the pay award without having to increase budgets.

The benefit is that this is a one off chance to get those T&C changes sooner rather than later, without having to find money to pay for them.

The workforce recognise that the changes to T&Cs are completely unacceptable.

 

[railfan99]

You just get the impression that Mick Lynch loves wrecking peoples' holiday plans. He is nothing more than a selfish, self-centred oaf.

This is also not doing the UK's international reputation any good.

The striking unionists ought be aware in some other nations, the eventual result of protracted industrial action has been job losses on the railways and closure of branch lines with bustitution (apologies for "that" word).

Going by experience years ago in my country, it's highly likely that the level of public support for this industrial action is decreasing daily.

People especially don't like holiday plans being thwarted, and it's your peak season.

 

[weeklycommuter]

It has been obvious for the last year that, despite any comments otherwise, the government doesn't really care how much inconvenience is suffered by passengers. In such circumstances, the unions simply do not have any "strength". Even if they continue strikes for years, they will not get any settlement they consider acceptable from this government -- and they would be unwise to think they might get something much better if we get a Labour government in 2024 or 2029 (the national money box is likely to be almost empty for years to come).

This may have been the case a year ago but I am not sure that this government still doesn't really care how much inconvenience is suffered by passengers, government ministers will care if they conclude that it is turning voters against them. I suspect government ministers are now concerned that the disruption to people's daily lives caused by train services not running is one of the factors turning voters against them in the run up to the next general election, now no more than 18 months away. Otherwise why did this government terminate the contract of First Transpennine Express?

 

[STKKK46]

5% for this year and backdated and no changes to T&C's and I will sign happily and get on with it.

Why are the government and the powers not resolving this, what benefit does it have to them to make this go on and on?

This.

Hardly asking for the world. Just leave the jobs alone for goodness sake.

 

[Mattydo]

I am puzzled as to why Thameslink and Great Northern cannot run a normal timetable on RMT strike days as the driver is the only member of staff on Thameslink and Great Northern trains and surely almost all drivers are in ASLEF not the RMT.

Shunters are RMT and that's a big one in terms of getting trains off yards, platform staff at stations where they are mandatory, various other staff necessary to getting a train into service. Whilst drivers may think we are the sole member of staff needed to run a railway I'm afraid its not quite true

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I am puzzled as to why Thameslink and Great Northern cannot run a normal timetable on RMT strike days as the driver is the only member of staff on Thameslink and Great Northern trains and surely almost all drivers are in ASLEF not the RMT.

There’s more to running a railway then just the person driving the train….

 

[Snow1964]

Nonsense. It isn't the public that he wants to upset , it's the government.

Are you sure, if they wanted to do that they would time their strikes to coincide with when MPs travel from their constituencies to Commons Monday morning, and back Thursday evening.

Instead has opted to attack the leisure journeys of public, so clearly trying to upset public, not the Government.

 

[Mag_seven]

As we are now going over the same old ground as before we will bring this thread to a close.
For advice as to what to do on strike days and the days immediately before or after then please refer to this thread:

Travel advice during strike action taking place in July 2023

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/rmt-strike-action-thursday-20th-saturday-22nd-and-saturday-29th-july-2023.250486/ Well that's a blow to my Scotland holiday plans. I'll have to spend my only abroad again next year instead. Hopefully I can still do some of my trip...

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