VTWC Facing Industrial Action By On-Board Staff

[Carlisle]

Because the railway workers were prepared to do something about it. MORE people should do that

That’s completely unrealistic, hypothetically if every uk major town or city awarded only 1 brand of grocers/ supermarket to operate within their region then yes as an aside those staff would probably aquire pretty similar bargaining powers to say train managers, until then not a chance.

 

[DarloRich]

That’s completely unrealistic, hypothetically if every uk town or city awarded only 1 brand of grocers/ supermarket to operate within their region then yes those staff would probably going pretty similarl bargaining prowess to say train managers, until then not a chance.

But because people gave those rights away they now have no real power. In retail that leads to Sports Direct like employment practices, Zero hours, casualisation, short term employment, little protection from management etc. USDAW do some good work in this area challenging the obvious abuses but the fluid nature of the employment market in this sector makes it hard to organise. Rock the boat and you are out.

 

[uww11x]

If they aren't happy, I am sure there is others who would love their jobs, me included!

 

[driver_m]

If they aren't happy, I am sure there is others who would love their jobs, me included!

And with that attitude, I'm sure you would find yourself very isolated in the industry as no one would want to speak to you.

 

[driver_m]

I'm not going to compare wages or conditions to elsewhere, but I will say this:

Despite the various hardships (hardships go with almost any job, in almost any industry), generally speaking people who work in the rail industry enjoy great pay, great daily conditions, typically work in a field they enjoy, have great staff protections, have great pensions, get great and valuable perks, and are protected from the sorts of upheavals that most other people face regularly.

And it also appears they strike at the drop of a hat (which they can well afford, due to their pay).

Now, you might argue that these things go hand in hand. Here's my view: Enjoy your perks while you can, because I believe today's railway workers are signing their own long-term redundancy notices. In an era of high-end, artificial intelligence based automation, you couldn't be giving the rail companies, government, and public, any more incentive to start giving the rail industry top billing for efforts to remove all but a token (and non-essential) human-worker presence aboard the trains.

Ok, I'm into double figures in my time on the railway and have never been on strike. So straight away, that's nonsense about striking at the drop of a hat.

Secondly. affording to go on strike. You cut your cloth according to your circumstances, and I've yet to meet anyone who can truly have no stress about dropping money to go on strike. No one.

Thirdly. Yeah, I make use of my perks. My forefathers fought quite hard for them, and I appreciate that, as do my colleagues. A lot of us recognise the threats of the future, automation, etc,. Were not stupid. Especially when the likes of yourself, who seem to pop up regularly on strike threads, come out with the stuff that you do. That gives us more resolve to make sure we have a long term future.

 

[Camden]

OK you're into double-figures and have never been on strike, I appreciate that. However these boards are now littered with threads about strikes being balloted on company x, company y, company z. While employees at one TOC get an unprompted dream offer of retained employment on same terms and pay with no redundancies, and yet they still go out on strike.

Yes it does appear that people on the railways now strike at the drop of a hat, and all this striking doesn't give you a long term future it just provides serious incentive for a real push to automation and the eradication of any public backlash on the subject (some of who could be having their own jobs put at risk from the disruption). Your only hope for a long term future is for passengers to actively and strongly want you to keep your jobs. Despite the propaganda, they're already fairly ambivalent.

 

[Carlisle]

However these boards are now littered with threads about strikes being balloted on company x, company y, company z.

I’d be fairly surprised if the issues at VTWC, VTEC and XC aren’t more or less resolved before any formal strike action actually takes place, leaving just the TOCs involved in DOO disputes to rumble on for now.

 

[Kite159]

I’d be fairly surprised if the issues at VTWC, VTEC and XC aren’t more or less resolved before any formal strike action actually takes place, leaving just the TOCs involved in DOO disputes to rumble on for now.

I would put some money on there being at least one day of strike action before a deal is reached. Of which the passengers will probably pay for by increased fares (which them the unions will moan about saying that the passengers are "being taken for a ride")

 

[whoosh]

Buy back an hour? It reads that they paid the money vice a claim against a 1 hour reduction. On the face of it that claim would appear to have no basis except as something you might have, in olden days, written on a piece of paper and sent up the chimney. Especially as VTWC drivers have some of the best T&Cs in the industry. Note that they are already on a 4-day 35 hour week (although IIRC it's actually rostered as 4 x 5 day weeks on, 1 week off).

So Virgin gave them money for nothing and I don't believe that is the first time. This one may have simply been the final straw for other grades of staff, sick of being treated differently. But drivers hold a big stick on intercity services - other staff not so much.

The 2016 pay deal included, "... formation of a working party to achieve a reduction in the working week down to 34 hours with no reduction in pay with effect from the May 2017 timetable."

Only they didn't want to talk about it when it came to it, which led to a dispute. This has been resolved by "buying back" the one hour.

And it also appears they strike at the drop of a hat (which they can well afford, due to their pay).

I've been on strike twice in nearly 15 years. Both times over pensions. That's hardly at the drop of a hat.

 

[uww11x]

Ok, I'm into double figures in my time on the railway and have never been on strike. So straight away, that's nonsense about striking at the drop of a hat.

Secondly. affording to go on strike. You cut your cloth according to your circumstances, and I've yet to meet anyone who can truly have no stress about dropping money to go on strike. No one.

Thirdly. Yeah, I make use of my perks. My forefathers fought quite hard for them, and I appreciate that, as do my colleagues. A lot of us recognise the threats of the future, automation, etc,. Were not stupid. Especially when the likes of yourself, who seem to pop up regularly on strike threads, come out with the stuff that you do. That gives us more resolve to make sure we have a long term future.

Compared to other Industry's I generally don't think how lucky TOC and FOC staff are. Decent pay and discounted travel!

 

[craigybagel]

Moving away from the boring and predictable arguments about the rights and wrongs of this strike, one thing that's not been discussed as far as I can tell is that as well as TMs and catering staff, a lot of station staff are RMT as well. Not the same high percentage as amongst the other grades as some are members of TSSA (who haven't completed their own ballot yet) but we may well have a situation where strikebreaking temporary guards with no experience are expected to self dispatch trains. That might make things interesting....

 

[Mag_seven]

Compared to other Industry's I generally don't think how lucky TOC and FOC staff are. Decent pay and discounted travel!

Unless safeguarded, my understanding is that FOC staff do not get discounted travel.

 

[BestWestern]

Compared to other Industry's I generally don't think how lucky TOC and FOC staff are. Decent pay and discounted travel!

That post makes no sense?

 

[jonesy3001]

personally i don`t think it`ll make much difference, when i traveled to Birmingham only time i got checked for tickets was after Wolverhampton after a staff change,never got checked when i traveled between Lancaster and Preston only hear the announcements they make while they're sat in their cozy compartment.

 

[BestWestern]

personally i don`t think it`ll make much difference, when i traveled to Birmingham only time i got checked for tickets was after Wolverhampton after a staff change,never got checked when i traveled between Lancaster and Preston only hear the announcements they make while they're sat in their cozy compartment.

I think you'll find it'll make quite a lot of difference, the train won't be going anywhere without a Guard on board.

 

[al78]

For pointing out that the hard work of the little people pays for Mr Branson's island? It is obviously silly but is clearly the political stance taken by RMT. It is a view popular with lots of the population who think the richest are extracting the urine at their expense.

If it weren't for the hard work of Mr Branson setting up his empire and getting to his current position, the "little people" would have to find another job.

I agree generally with the wealthy elite extracting the urine at the expense of those further down the food chain, but that is neo-liberal capitalism, for which people have been voting since the end of WWII.

 

[jonesy3001]

I think you'll find it'll make quite a lot of difference, the train won't be going anywhere without a Guard on board.

Think it`ll be a while till i catch a train in the UK.

 

[HH]

The 2016 pay deal included, "... formation of a working party to achieve a reduction in the working week down to 34 hours with no reduction in pay with effect from the May 2017 timetable."

Only they didn't want to talk about it when it came to it, which led to a dispute. This has been resolved by "buying back" the one hour.

That's worth an awful lot more than £500. But then they didn't promise that they'd give the hour for nothing. My guess is that a not very clever director agreed this and then someone with a bit more brains worked out how much it cost...

 

[6Gman]

Ok, I'm into double figures in my time on the railway and have never been on strike. So straight away, that's nonsense about striking at the drop of a hat.

Secondly. affording to go on strike. You cut your cloth according to your circumstances, and I've yet to meet anyone who can truly have no stress about dropping money to go on strike. No one.

Thirdly. Yeah, I make use of my perks. My forefathers fought quite hard for them, and I appreciate that, as do my colleagues. A lot of us recognise the threats of the future, automation, etc,. Were not stupid. Especially when the likes of yourself, who seem to pop up regularly on strike threads, come out with the stuff that you do. That gives us more resolve to make sure we have a long term future.

I was 20 years on the railway. Never went on strike.

Drop of a hat?

 

[Elecman]

I’ve 41 years and also never been on strike or taken an6 industrial action

 

[6Gman]

If it weren't for the hard work of Mr Branson setting up his empire and getting to his current position, the "little people" would have to find another job.

No, they'd be working for a TOC run by somebody else!

 

[theironroad]

If it weren't for the hard work of Mr Branson setting up his empire and getting to his current position, the "little people" would have to find another job.

U having a laugh?

U think that if it wasnt for Branson there would be no railway and trains running on the west and east coast mainlines?

Yeah, u are having a laugh........

 

[LOL The Irony]

1X01 ran from London Euston to Preston today apparently with managers on board being taught guard duties..

I'm guessing they want Northern & Transpennine to take the strain from there?

 

[LowLevel]

If it weren't for the hard work of Mr Branson setting up his empire and getting to his current position, the "little people" would have to find another job.

I agree generally with the wealthy elite extracting the urine at the expense of those further down the food chain, but that is neo-liberal capitalism, for which people have been voting since the end of WWII.

The thing it's hard to understand from outside the railway is the lack of buy in to the parent company from the frontline staff. Owing to the nature of franchises changing hands etc the vast majority of operational staff etc genuinely wouldn't give a monkeys if GoVia, Virgin or Stagecoach went bust tomorrow. Some other big entity will just appear to take over instead. It only tends to be back office staff who either follow the company or are much easier to cull in hard times who seem particularly fussed about it. Plenty of managers struggle to get that too.

I work hard and do my job to the best of my ability for my own satisfaction and wellbeing. The things that bring about that satisfaction are helping my passengers, running my train safely and to time and so on.

The ongoing performance of the parent company never comes into it and I rarely give them a second thought - I consider myself a franchise asset on hire like the stations and so on rather than anything else.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The ongoing performance of the parent company never comes into it and I rarely give them a second thought - I consider myself a franchise asset on hire like the stations and so on rather than anything else.

How does it work in the freight sector then?
Being wholly owned rather than franchised should make for a different sort of loyalty, I would have thought.
Then there's the train maintenance staff with manufacturers (Alstom/Bombardier/Hitachi etc) whose employment is independent of franchises.
(Going off-topic really...)

 

[LowLevel]

How does it work in the freight sector then?
Being wholly owned rather than franchised should make for a different sort of loyalty, I would have thought.
Then there's the train maintenance staff with manufacturers (Alstom/Bombardier/Hitachi etc) whose employment is independent of franchises.
(Going off-topic really...)

They're not franchised train operating companies. The freight is well known for sign your rights away for a big wedge of cash and do what we tell you style of working and loyalty. Hence things like laying off their own groundstaff and using companies like Victa Westlink Rail who afford their staff far fewer rights and benefits as well as less pay. (Job runs over so your hours are blown by Hidden? No worries, lose tomorrow's shift without pay as rest).

Not sure about the maintenance companies but most seem to be tied into long contracts related to the trains themselves so a change of fleet might put them at risk regardless.

 

[peter166]

Aren't there almost more train companies with strike action currently happening or threatened than not?
Southern, Northern, Merseyrail, Greater Anglia, SWR, XC, VTWC, ATW. Have I missed any?
This is simplty not acceptable. I can't think of another industry currently with so many days lost to strike action & causing so much misery to the public.

 

[craigybagel]

Aren't there almost more train companies with strike action currently happening or threatened than not?
Southern, Northern, Merseyrail, Greater Anglia, SWR, XC, VTWC, ATW. Have I missed any?
This is simplty not acceptable. I can't think of another industry currently with so many days lost to strike action & causing so much misery to the public.

Nothing happening at ATW.

 

[peter166]

Sorry for the error. Bound to be next in the queue & eager to join the bandwagon.

 

[craigybagel]

Sorry for the error. Bound to be next in the queue & eager to join the bandwagon.

If they do it'll be for a for reason - contrary to popular belief they don't just do it for the sake of it.

The Welsh Government have specified that all services in the next franchise will have a safety critical guard at all times. If that promise is kept, the chances are very slim if any action taking place

(From another rail worker who's never even been balloted for, never mind participated in any form of industrial action, in over 6 years on the railway)