SOGAT and NGA represented the interests of their members. It did not do much good for the industry and thus their members long term
At least printers make a change from miners, and are a (slightly) less hackneyed example. How is that relevant, though? No union can prevent jobs ultimately being replaced by technology (albeit they will of course strive to manage job losses/redundancies). The railway is no different: you’ll notice there have been many changes on the railways over the last few decades, all of which have been agreed to by the unions. The key is how that process of negotiation is undertaken - it doesn’t have to be combative.
The title of the thread is Why does the government hate railways so much? So lets use your line of reasoning. The governments job is to run the country - not love the railways.
But running the country doesn’t have to involve provoking an entirely unnecessary industrial dispute, and bankrolling it with public money. That is a conscious political choice.
Perhaps put aside your obvious dislike of trade unions (all too common in the UK sadly) and ask yourself why a stale and unpopular government might want to provoke a headline grabbing dispute and demonise unions. There are some fairly obvious reasons that have little to do with running the country, and more to do with self preservation.
Let’s pose a scenario. You really really really want to decarbonise and deep down you know that modal shift away from planes and cars and lorries to RAILWAYS (especially) will easily achieve that goal so you invest like crazy in the railways and electrify everything and modal shift - you have now given the unions massive power as they can bring everything to a standstill. If you are a Conservative government - why would you do that?
Only if you view unions as being intrinsically bad and adopt a combative approach. There have been plenty of sensible, moderate Conservative governments that have managed not to provoke disputes like the one we are currently seeing.
I am trying to point out that if the unions were not constantly disruptive (or it appears that way for a very long time) - it will do them and the railways better in the long run.
An interesting choice of words. So by trying to protect their members the impudent unions are being “constantly disruptive”. How jolly dare they! We should all doff our caps, tug our forelocks and stop getting in the way.
The thread title could even be "Why do the unions hate the railways so much?"
I don’t particularly agree with the (simplistic) current thread title, albeit this would be even more nonsensical. Unless you’re suggesting that any group which - another reminder -
acts in the interests of its members - must therefore hate the railways?
Do passenger groups also hate the railways? Do TOC senior management? All stakeholders in any industry will act in their own interests to a greater or lesser extent, so you’re really saying the railway hates itself!
Perhaps because their railways are cheaper to run ?
Start by looking at average driver's salaries for example:
Train strikes over pay disputes are common. But what are train drivers actually paid?
www.euronews.com
Oh dear. It’s funny how drivers’ salaries are never far from any conversation in this forum.
Other jobs pay less/more in other countries too, and comparisons are difficult (as you seem quick to argue whenever subsidies are mentioned). Average driver pay is more in Australia and the USA, for example.
They are - just not in a way you approve of.
They aren’t, actually. They’re spending tax payers’ money waging an ideological war. So far, by their own admission, the dispute has cost more than settling it would have done. As a taxpayer I find that grossly offensive and they’ve lost my vote.
Of course, along with the rest of the culture wars, the combative approach is designed to appeal to base instincts of bitter types, who are green with envy about what train drivers earn, who are triggered by the spectacle of workers standing up for themselves in a way they themselves cannot, and perhaps secretly envy.
Indeed, in an incredibly damaging way to the country.
Thankfully we will be rid of them soon.
Or at least on the way to a hung parliament.
Either way it’s hard to see another Tory majority. They really do badly need some time in opposition to get rid of the dead wood/nutcases.
