RMT suspends strike action

[ANorthernGuard]

First Transpennine Express Industrial Action

RMT suspends action by First Transpennine conductors and station staff after improved pay offer

STRIKE ACTION by more than 350 RMT conductors and station staff grades at First Transpennine Express has been suspended after the company tabled a “significantly improved” pay offer on the eve of the first of two scheduled 24-hour strikes.

Action by drivers remains on.

Interesting that the drivers are still striking should be interesting

(I didnt know guards were striking as they were in year 2 of a 2 year deal)


This is the RMT letter to the Drivers

Our ref: BR2/0001/FTX
23
RD
August 2011
Dear colleague,
RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2011
FIRST TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS (DRIVERS)
INDUSTRIAL ACTION STILL ON
I write to advise you that further talks with your employer have ended in a deadlock
for your grade.
Therefore Train Driver members are instructed to take industrial action in
conjunction with our sister union ASLEF and I will keep members fully informed of
further developments.
To reiterate the action is as follows:-
Members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:-
· 00:01 hours to 23:59 hours on Wednesday 24
th
August 2011 and
00:01 hours to 23:59 hours on Friday 26
th
August 2011
Members are also instructed not to work any form of overtime or additional hours
between:-
· 00:01 on Wednesday 24
th
August 2011 until 23:59 hours on Friday
26
th
August 2011
Yours sincerely
Bob Crow
General Secretary


and this is the letter for the guards and other grades

Our ref: BR2/0001/FTX
23
RD
August 2011
Dear colleague,
RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2011
FIRST TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS (STATION STAFF & CONDUCTORS)
INDUSTRIAL ACTION SUSPENDED
I write to advise you that further talks with your employer have resulted in an
improved offer and it has been decided to suspend the current planned industrial
action, pending a meeting with the Company Council.
Therefore Station staff and Conductor members are instructed to work as normal
and I will keep members fully informed of further developments.
Yours sincerely
Bob Crow
General Secretary

enjoy

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Solidarity?

 

[Whistler40145]

So FTPE Guards can turn up for work, but if Drivers are still striking, they won't have any work to do as no trains will run.

Seems a bit illogical to me.

 

[Oswyntail]

It causes the same inconvenience while reducing the numbers who lose out (or claim strike pay. Drivers are well off so can afford it?

 

[ANorthernGuard]

usually its the same offer to both, it won't go down well if the drivers get a higher percentage than the other grades, this could backfire royally not only as far as the publuc are concerned but between drivers and guards as the gap between the 2 grades is enormous now anyway

 

[notadriver]

What is the improved offer?

 

[ANorthernGuard]

What is the improved offer?

nothing on the RMT site or from unions friends of mine so probably be out tomorrow

 

[scotsman]

I'll take a guess that the offer is in the region of 3.5% - roughly the mid ground between the offers, possibly with some backdated or a large increase in the next year?

 

[theblackwatch]

usually its the same offer to both, it won't go down well if the drivers get a higher percentage than the other grades, this could backfire royally not only as far as the publuc are concerned but between drivers and guards as the gap between the 2 grades is enormous now anyway

There's been plenty of the higher percentage increase for drivers previously, judging by how much their wages have shot up in the past 15 years when compared with that of guards.

 

[Greenback]

Didn't much of the increase come from the consolidation of the drivers allowances? Under BR the basic pay for drivers was only a little higher than guards, but the received all sorts of non pensionable allowances which increased the differential in take home pay.

 

[tbtc]

It causes the same inconvenience while reducing the numbers who lose out (or claim strike pay. Drivers are well off so can afford it?

That's it - its free for the Guards to say that they are going on strike, free for them to change their mind, but it obviously costs the company a lot in contingency plans etc.

No improvement as far as passengers are concerned - what's the betting that if Drivers get a higher percentage increase that the Guards will then want to go out on strike in the short/medium term demanding more?

 

[Whistler40145]

Does anyone expect this to cause a lot of friction and bitterness between Guards & Drivers to the point it becomes personal rather than professional?

 

[185]

there is never any real friction, normally fun to annoy them about how overpaid they are for doing 'that easy desk job'.....

.....if anything calling the strike off for the lesser paid half is sensible, as the strike goes ahead, same disruption, less pay lost for those who need it more.

 

[driver9000]

Didn't much of the increase come from the consolidation of the drivers allowances? Under BR the basic pay for drivers was only a little higher than guards, but the received all sorts of non pensionable allowances which increased the differential in take home pay.

T&Cs have changed a lot over the years since BR ended. 'Selling' conditions to increase productivity and flexibility in workings is one of the reasons wages have risen since the end of BR. In the initial period after BR when the new private operators were negotiating changes in T&Cs additional payments such as ending the mileage and DOO allowance and increasing single manning in exchange for an increase in annual salary among changes to other conditions although mileage and DOO seem to be the most common across the railway that were withdrawn from what I can gather from the time. Going back to the introduction of the BR Traincrew agreement in October 1988 a Driver earned £154 p/w (£5 rise) and a Conductor earned £119 p/w (£5 rise) on implementation while a Senior Conductor earned £130 p/w (£15 rise).

 

[OMGitsDAVE]

I think it'll just be a case of Revenue Protection over these coming few days then, the trains that DO run will have two/three guards?

 

[CosherB]

Drivers still striking though. Ludicrous! To paraphrase a certain song:

You get 40K for driving a train
10 for buses, now that's insane.

In the real world (unlike the union created railweay world) I'd pay the bus drivers 40K and the train drivers 10K, based on stress and hellish driving conditions 'on the buses', and the far more pleasant world of the train cab.

 

[exile]

Well, 20 for buses is closer to the average.

I do wonder, however, what First's bus drivers think of the situation.

 

[Whistler40145]

The only times a Train Driver would have a hellish time is after a really bad crash or a suicide attempt whereby it can be mentally disturbing and sometimes could finish their career.

 

[Greenback]

T&Cs have changed a lot over the years since BR ended. 'Selling' conditions to increase productivity and flexibility in workings is one of the reasons wages have risen since the end of BR. In the initial period after BR when the new private operators were negotiating changes in T&Cs additional payments such as ending the mileage and DOO allowance and increasing single manning in exchange for an increase in annual salary among changes to other conditions although mileage and DOO seem to be the most common across the railway that were withdrawn from what I can gather from the time. Going back to the introduction of the BR Traincrew agreement in October 1988 a Driver earned £154 p/w (£5 rise) and a Conductor earned £119 p/w (£5 rise) on implementation while a Senior Conductor earned £130 p/w (£15 rise).

Oh yes, I forgot about the other changes to conditions, it was mileage and DOO I was mostly thinking about!

 

[Aictos]

So bearing in mind the Guards/Station Staff have been told NOT to strike yet the Drivers have been told TO strike, what are the chances of the Drivers being told not to strike on Friday?

Just asking as I've got plans to travel Leeds to Edinburgh and I thought I use TPE for part of it.

 

[scotsman]

So bearing in mind the Guards/Station Staff have been told NOT to strike yet the Drivers have been told TO strike, what are the chances of the Drivers being told not to strike on Friday?

Just asking as I've got plans to travel Leeds to Edinburgh and I thought I use TPE for part of it.

I suggest using your First boxes to TPE territory and then your First Group £5 vouchers (if you've got any) through to Ed - TPE will tell you to get Virgin more than likely. If on boxes, it would surely be more complicated?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

So bearing in mind the Guards/Station Staff have been told NOT to strike yet the Drivers have been told TO strike, what are the chances of the Drivers being told not to strike on Friday?

Just asking as I've got plans to travel Leeds to Edinburgh and I thought I use TPE for part of it.

According to the temporary timetable issued by First TPE for Friday, 26th August, the only First TPE eastbound trains from Leeds are the 10 services that will terminate at York, leaving Leeds at:-

0854/1022/1122/1222/1322/1422/1522/1622/1823/1923

Manchester Airport services operated by them to Edinburgh will leave the airport at:-

0725...arr 1104
1000...arr 1339
1200...arr 1539
1400...arr 1739

 

[Aictos]

I suggest using your First boxes to TPE territory and then your First Group £5 vouchers (if you've got any) through to Ed - TPE will tell you to get Virgin more than likely. If on boxes, it would surely be more complicated?

I was thinking of using Cross Country direct from Leeds or change at York onto a East Coast.

My first plan was to use TPE between Leeds and Newcastle then use East Coast to Edinburgh although I long for the day when TPE/SR run Edinburgh to Newcastle.

 

[trickyvegas]

Got the 7.04 from Stalybridge to Piccadilly this morning and was 6 cars so actually benefited from a better service as a result of the strike. Couldn't be sure if he was the driver, but the fellow stepping out of the driver's cab had "Managing Director" on his name badge.

 

[harz99]

So FTPE Guards can turn up for work, but if Drivers are still striking, they won't have any work to do as no trains will run.

Seems a bit illogical to me.

It's like a lot of things that Bob Crow and his ilk do in the name of "their" membership, politically motivated.

Cause as much disruption as possible at as little cost, it's a shame that the driver members of RMT allow themselves to be used this way - although in reality they have little choice owing to the ongoing repercussions they would suffer as individuals were they to defy Mr Crow.

 

[Flying Snail]

It's like a lot of things that Bob Crow and his ilk do in the name of "their" membership, politically motivated.

Cause as much disruption as possible at as little cost, it's a shame that the driver members of RMT allow themselves to used this way - although in reality they have little choice owing to the ongoing repercussions they would suffer as individuals were they to defy Mr Crow.

Don't let the fact that ASLEF the other union that represents FTPE drivers is also striking and has nothing to do with Bob Crow. Maybe you should consider that the unions are doing their jobs; representing their members.

I would say that I don't think much of Mr Crow in general, his public persona and some of the stuff he comes out with is questionable at best. If I was a member of RMT I would want him gone as spokesman if not GC. Unions need to be very smart in how they put their point across and Crow makes it very easy for the media to paint him as the sort of commie nut they all love to hate.

 

[CosherB]

As somebody who has done both jobs I can confidently say that you are talking out of your backside

I would take a punt that you are now driving a train and used to drive a bus? Don't often find folk going the other way....

For anyone who is in a job as highly paid and relatively undemanding as train driving in these times when most folk are feeling the economic effects of job losses and zero pay rises year on year, this strike is a pi55 take of mega dimensions. The last folk who behaved like this were the newsprint workers - look what happened to them.

 

[notadriver]

I drive coaches and trains Captain Speaking. Do you drive either ?

 

[BlueGrey]

Drivers still striking though. Ludicrous! To paraphrase a certain song:

You get 40K for driving a train
10 for buses, now that's insane.

In the real world (unlike the union created railweay world) I'd pay the bus drivers 40K and the train drivers 10K, based on stress and hellish driving conditions 'on the buses', and the far more pleasant world of the train cab.

It would be interesting to see the kind of people you would find driving trains, if train drivers were paid 10k per annum. I wonder how many people would feel comfortable catching trains then.

 

[harz99]

Don't let the fact that ASLEF the other union that represents FTPE drivers is also striking and has nothing to do with Bob Crow. Maybe you should consider that the unions are doing their jobs; representing their members.

I would say that I don't think much of Mr Crow in general, his public persona and some of the stuff he comes out with is questionable at best. If I was a member of RMT I would want him gone as spokesman if not GC. Unions need to be very smart in how they put their point across and Crow makes it very easy for the media to paint him as the sort of commie nut they all love to hate.

I haven't forgotten ASLEF, hence the "of his ilk" in my post.

Having been a member of both RMT's predecessor the NUR and ASLEF, and for that matter TSSA, over the years before I retired, I have seen the shenanigans that both local and paid officials officials get up to at first hand.

Socialist Worker anyone?

If the unions are representing their members, why is Mr Crow "instructing" his members rather than advising or requesting them?