Working to rule

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When did this term become in common usage on the railways and was the referred-to rule book based upon one of the large railway companies rule books prior to the post-WW1 amalgamations? Would it be seen as a disciplinary matter if a railway employee was found not to be working to laid-down rules?

 

[John Webb]

The individual railway companies issued their own Rule Books, but many of them were based on a fairly standardised book of rules that had been developed by the railways through the Railway Clearing House (RCH). the RCH, besides sorting out the necessary money transfers between companies, also acted as a means of encouraging standardisation. This process started back in the 1840s, soon after the RCH was established. But it was the later Victorian period, 1876 onwards, that the RCH published various editions of a standardised Rule Book.
I've no idea about 'working to rule' - Trade unions for railway staff did not get much of a foot-hold until the end of the 19th century or even up until the Grouping in 1923 in some cases.

 

[theking]

Working to rule means no favours in my books no staying on no doing any extras just the bare minimum as specified by your contract and company rules.

I don't think working to rule has anything to do with the rule book.

 

[Ianigsy]

It’s a fairly widespread turn of phrase and as per the post above, I’ve always taken it to mean doing the letter of your job description, no more and no less. No staying late or working into your lunch to get files done.

I have a vague memory that about 30 years ago customs and immigration officers had a work to rule and enforced it by pulling every arriving passenger over for a full customs inspection and asking every possible question at passport control. Caused far more disruption than an all-out strike which would just have closed the airport for a day.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Working to rule means no favours in my books no staying on no doing any extras just the bare minimum as specified by your contract and company rules.

I don't think working to rule has anything to do with the rule book.

So why make mention of the word "rule"?

 

[Efini92]

Is it not working to rules of contract?

 

[Snow1964]

In its strict sense working to rule means doing all tasks fully, as per policy, no more, no less.

The term is historical when most organisations had a book of rules, rather than the modern terminology of policies.

The Unions like the old term because it helps reinforce image that they are more 20th century than upto date. Really these days it should be working exactly per company policy.

Of course it doesn’t work very well on the railways, as things like despatching trains late, or guards not patrolling train fully at specified intervals would mean they are not strictly working to rule.

 

[AM9]

So why make mention of the word "rule"?

Would you be comfortable if they were allowed to work outside 'rules' or company policies at any time, i.e. not just when it is convenient to you?

 

[simonw]

When did this term become in common usage on the railways and was the referred-to rule book based upon one of the large railway companies rule books prior to the post-WW1 amalgamations? Would it be seen as a disciplinary matter if a railway employee was found not to be working to laid-down rules?

work-to-rule

1. a form of protest in which employees do exactly what is stated in their…

dictionary.cambridge.org

 

[Gloster]

Working to rule is not the same as working to the rules and regulations, although there may be some common areas: there are all sorts of situations where following the regulations exactly is just not practicable unless you want the job to stop. Experienced staff in the critical positions know just how far to bend, or occasionally break, the regulations and when to play safe and do it by the book.

To give an example of working to rule dating from my days on the railway. Signalmen were supposed to have a twenty-minute PNB break during their shift. We never took it, just fitted our meals in between trains and, if your tea got cold because of a problem, that was life. The only occasion I can think of when signalmen insisted on a break was during a dispute at Bethnal Green(?) in the late 1970s. The railway can only function if there is goodwill on both sides that allows it to react and adjust to unexpected problems.