Southern Rail STRIKE details

[Arthur]

This, in a nutshell, is spot on.

But there is no motivation for anyone to do so. The unions and the company consider us collateral damage in their petty seemingly endless squabbles, and the government when confronted with a total mess that they introduced with their appalling privatisation plan, are simpering and gutless as they'd rather maintain the status quo than take the task in hand properly. It really is an absolutely disgraceful mess.

I cannot disagree with any of that.

This pleased me yesterday though http://www.cityam.com/243277/go-ahead-shares-price-slumps-after-thameslink-profit

 

[albionite]

Thanks.

Still doesn't answer the question why it works perfectly well on Thameslink and also the tube and many other lines I expect.

What are these many examples of incidents on DOO trains?

I don't think it does, but you will have to ask thameslink drivers that.
Fair few of them are on incident charges and are off track working 12 cars. Been told they are not happy but nothing they can do because it's in their contact.

 

[Simster]

Not even close, rmt have tried to compromise but gtr are having none of it and walked out of meeting again the other day.
As for Arthur that is what Tories/daft are hoping for. This will go on all summer they have even planned for it to last 3 years.

It's not that I don't agree, but why should I even have to give a toss? If the threat of you losing your jobs was real (as it would be in any proper functioning industry such as the airline industry, this would be largely transparent (except the very occasional strike day) and it would have been resolved YEARS ago.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

As I mentioned how do disabled people deal with changing platforms at rural stations currently? My station has two platforms and a bridge, there is no exit on platform 2 and that is the same for 6 other stations on the line. So is that really an issue other than the one that already exists?

I imagine they just cannot use them, shocking in our day and age, especially when 40 million a year gos out to shareholders and millions on CE bonus. Without staff on the train, which could be easily funded by the high costs of train travel just a tad smaller dividends for the prviate sector investors. Staff that customers would like to have on the trains.

Imagine an old friend ringing you up and saying Hey I,m working in London for the day pop up to Victoria this evening we will have a spot of lunch, you say yeah sounds great, ill get the 17.50 train meet you at...

Under the new proposals anyone requiring assistance, Oh sorry mate, I would have to book assistance in advance.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I'm taking a half day tomorrow to take my daughter to the Festival Theatre.

Play starts at 7.

Sums it up

I'm supposed to be meeting up with my daughter in Chi mid-afternoon tomorrow for a late lunch . She finishes work at half three. As has been normal for the last couple of such recent meetings, I've had to tell her that if either of the 14:33 or the 15:03 is running, I'll be there, else we'll have to save it for another day. How did it ever come to this? Have to say, touch wood, the 14:33 seems to have been fine last couple of times we've arranged to meet, but as tomorrow overlaps with the England-Wales game, it's hardly going to improve the odds on the service running.

 

[Ernest]

It's not that I don't agree, but why should I even have to give a toss? If the threat of you losing your jobs was real (as it would be in any proper functioning industry such as the airline industry, this would be largely transparent (except the very occasional strike day) and it would have been resolved YEARS ago.

What you don't seem to understand that the McNulty report back in 2011 came up with the conclusion that rail workers were over paid and had decent working conditions so as Tories do they knew that these had to go, Southern is just the beginning, this is where the war is starting which will spread across the country.

Just imagine if GTR said tomorrow, if there are to be 2 people on the train we might as well stay as we are and value the guards and what they do instead of demonising them and using the passengers as collateral damage ?

People are fighting for their livelihoods and working conditions they worked hard for over the years and just because some toss pot came along and said we will make money for the share holders by destroying these then people will fight and the war will spread and get worse unless the Transport Minister steps in and says maybe this is not going like we thought it would.

 

[albionite]

It's not that I don't agree, but why should I even have to give a toss? If the threat of you losing your jobs was real (as it would be in any proper functioning industry such as the airline industry, this would be largely transparent (except the very occasional strike day) and it would have been resolved YEARS ago.

Not that I'm trying to get you to agree just trying to cut past the lies that are being told.
The railway is a shambles and has been for years.
Maybe the staff do need better training on how to deal with passengers but that will not happen with this company they only care about guards collecting more money from ticket sales.

Most staff know the time would come when better tech would come out and they wasn't needed, but southern doesn't have that yet and will not have it for a few years.

 

[Simster]

What you don't seem to understand that the McNulty report back in 2011 came up with the conclusion that rail workers were over paid and had decent working conditions so as Tories do they knew that these had to go, Southern is just the beginning, this is where the war is starting which will spread across the country.

Just imagine if GTR said tomorrow, if there are to be 2 people on the train we might as well stay as we are and value the guards and what they do instead of demonising them and using the passengers as collateral damage ?

People are fighting for their livelihoods and working conditions they worked hard for over the years and just because some toss pot came along and said we will make money for the share holders by destroying these then people will fight and the war will spread and get worse unless the Transport Minister steps in and says maybe this is not going like we thought it would.

Not that I'm trying to get you to agree just trying to cut past the lies that are being told.
The railway is a shambles and has been for years.
Maybe the staff do need better training on how to deal with passengers but that will not happen with this company they only care about guards collecting more money from ticket sales.

Most staff know the time would come when better tech would come out and they wasn't needed, but southern doesn't have that yet and will not have it for a few years.

I'm quite happy to believe and accept what you both say, but what you don't appreciate is that this is your fight and yet the collateral damage (the commuter) has never seemed to matter in your eyes. As Arthur says, I don't care whose fault it is, just f**king fix it.

 

[albionite]

I'm quite happy to believe and accept what you both say, but what you don't appreciate is that this is your fight and yet the collateral damage (the commuter) has never seemed to matter in your eyes. As Arthur says, I don't care whose fault it is, just f**king fix it.

Is there another way?

 

[Simster]

Is there another way?

Yes, it's called compromise. In other industries that is what people have to do because otherwise the whole company goes bust.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Is there another way?

How about having a guard AND an onboard customer services rep to sell Southern scratchcards or whatever? Problem solved. Oh, hang on, that would mean actually employing EXTRA people for each of the two distinct roles. Shareholders would rebel. Bonuses would be lost. Share price would suffer. End of the world.

 

[albionite]

Yes, it's called compromise. In other industries that is what people have to do because otherwise the whole company goes bust.

I agree, but what do you do when they will not compromise it's their way or no way and the tories want this to happen as they want to destroy a couple of the last few remaining strong unions.

Daft want the passengers to be pissed off. They were expecting more to blame the unions for this mess.
I would imagine this will drag out as long as they can so more will turn from supporting staff to against.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Not that I want to stir the pot but it is a genuine question. Why can some trains have a guard and some not? I appreciate the role of the guard but at the same time not all trains have them so

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Thank you southern ***** for spoiling my wife and daughters trip to ascot today by having no trains back to east sussex from london. Hope the poor sick soles sitting watching the footie while supping their beers choke on it. Now off for a nice 60 mile round trip to Brighton to pick them up.

There may have been a thameslink? Iroinically owned by the same company and generally running ok. Ok by Southern *******s standards.

 

[albionite]

Not that I want to stir the pot but it is a genuine question. Why can some trains have a guard and some not? I appreciate the role of the guard but at the same time not all trains have them so

Straighter platforms, staff on platforms, better lighting at stations, better cameras, shorter trains. Mirrors

the main line from Brighton to Victoria could go all trains doo from above reasons but the rest of southern network doesn't have these things in place.

 

[Arthur]

I imagine they just cannot use them, shocking in our day and age, especially when 40 million a year gos out to shareholders and millions on CE bonus. Without staff on the train, which could be easily funded by the high costs of train travel just a tad smaller dividends for the prviate sector investors. Staff that customers would like to have on the trains.

Imagine an old friend ringing you up and saying Hey I,m working in London for the day pop up to Victoria this evening we will have a spot of lunch, you say yeah sounds great, ill get the 17.50 train meet you at...

Under the new proposals anyone requiring assistance, Oh sorry mate, I would have to book assistance in advance.

I agree however I still don't see it's any different to what it is now. You could have all the staff in the world helping the wheelchair bound person off the train but then what if the only exit out of the station is on another platform which can only be reached by stairs. The only way I could think is if you rode the train to the bottom of the line and ride it back up. That falls down two fold on my line in that it would add an hour to the journey in some cases and secondly if you wanted to get the last train home it terminates at the bottom of the line and runs back to the depot empty (why it does that I do not know!?! I assume said depot is Sellhurst so why it cannot stop at all stations to East Croydon is a puzzling one a would have saved me a taxi fare home on a few occasions when I've fallen asleep).

 

[Lower West Stander]

First Light? I'm going to that but can't leave early as I have to wait for Mrs G to get home to take over childcare. I'm hoping that Southern has its act together but I'm not holding my breath

Yep - See you there (hopefully).......

 

[The Albion Roar]

Have to smile.

The SASTA website states there is currently 'minor disruption' on the Gatwick Express route, a route which has had 45% of its services cancelled today.

 

[Ernest]

I'm quite happy to believe and accept what you both say, but what you don't appreciate is that this is your fight and yet the collateral damage (the commuter) has never seemed to matter in your eyes. As Arthur says, I don't care whose fault it is, just f**king fix it.

It's not my fight as in I don't work for the railways but I support my former colleagues and indeed any other worker fighting to save their job and working conditions. If DfT and GTR hadn't marched in with Size 12's and their we are doing exactly as we want then maybe this wouldn't have happened, the RMT workers did not start this dispute so please remember that

 

[Hotchilidog]

Let's get this straight. SASTA do not have enough staff to fulfill their published timetable, they and they alone are responsible for this. GTR cannot moan about inheriting poor staffing levels when Govia and Southern were the previous franchisees. All that aside, with overtime and rest day working the company can run a just about passable service. They are choosing not to do so, they and they alone are playing around with the passengers. The staff are powerless, I have seen in person train crew who have turned up to run a service and be denied as well as hear the anecdotal stories.

GTR and their government bosses could sort this in an instant but they choose not in the hope that commuters will turn on the staff, well they are in for a long wait. We know the truth and we (well me at least) are not buying their lies for one lousy minute. The interview with Perry in the Argus was an utter disgrace, basically her 'let them eat cake' moment. She clearly doens't give a sh*t as her hatchet men in GTR continue to hack away at one of the last set of unions that actually stand up for their workers and customers.