When Cameron came out with that drivel about 'The whole country needs a pay rise' were we not running up to an election? Now the Tories have a majority government able to push through their sick and disgusting policies unchallenged, I will expect to see a fresh attack on the unions. This is very relevant here. Railway workers as opposed to other employees have benefited from a strong union and a threatened strike does send out a serious warning to the country. Expect Dave and his chums to work tirelessly to erode any power the unions have. To be offered what is affectively a 0% pay rise and a further stripping back of T&C's is quite frankly just insulting. To the ' but your stopping me getting to work' and 'you get paid enough' brigade, you are just pawns in a political game of chess, always have been always will be so get over it. NR want to decimate their workforce and Mark Carne has publicly shown his full support for slashing staff numbers with his digital rail concept.
Each and every year and during every pay negotiation the workers terms and conditions get slowly erased. Very soon the rail companies will have the employees they have tirelessly striven for, workers like robots who are terrified to speak up for their rights for fear of repercussions. I challenge any 'normal' to sit staring at IECC screens for 8-12 hours a day without getting dizzy in the first 5 minutes or attend a failure, chase a complex S&T drawing of a points circuit while having the mobile going off every 30 seconds asking what the hell is going on. The big difference between railway workers and an office worker is quite clear to see. If you make a mistake in an office, you don't potentially kill hundreds of people or bring an economy to a standstill. That's why railway workers are specialists in what they do and should be paid as so. I'm not saying nurses or teachers should be paid any more or any less, that's not the argument here and is like comparing apples and oranges. Everybody should be paid for their particular responsibility they bring to the job and it's up to each and every one of us as workers to stand up for our rights and it IS our right. Rail strikes hit hard and with not much of an alternative, there's no doubt they hit harder than if Asda staff were to strike. You would have sympathy with them but would cross the road and go to Tesco for your shopping. I remember back to the fuel blockades and the truly nasty things that were being banded about by the MSM about the tanker drivers simply because it affected so many people. Expect the same if a national rail strike is to take place.
Union bashing is very easy to the ignorant but tell me this. Are you seriously trying to tell me that if your office manager was to come to you with a bona fide pay offer which you asked for and he offered you 0% and made your job that little bit more fragile, you would be happy with this and your productivity would soar? Probably the opposite and your toilet and coffee breaks would get that little bit longer. As railway, we can't do that. I can't decide that because a manager has ****ed me off that I won't change the worn brake pads on a train or not put fuel in it. I wouldn't and couldn't get away with that. We are professionals and must be professional in what we do 24/7, that's how the railway runs safely in this country with the workers at the coalface and the managers behind, (literally) pushing us on. I will fight for my rights as an employee until my retirement/death (the latter probably being correct due to another Tory policy) and this is the same for anyone else.
NR need to take a step back, as do the union and come to an agreement that will suit everyone.
