Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
WFH, would not bother with travelling where possible.
Twice a week at present but re-locating February to a new, smaller office as yet not known where in London so will only go in once a week when that happens
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Southern Rail STRIKE details
- Thread starter Ernest
- Start date
WFH, would not bother with travelling where possible.
Twice a week at present but re-locating February to a new, smaller office as yet not known where in London so will only go in once a week when that happens
Here you go commuters and rail users:
RMT Press Office:
RMT calls for Parliamentary inquiry as leak shows that Rail Minister's officials are ordering GTR rail cancellations.
New information supplied to the RMT has revealed that Civil Servants at the Department for Transport are authorising train cancellations on GTR. The shocking news comes on the day that guards strike over jobs and safety on Southern and confirms suspicions that the chaos on the GTR franchise is being deliberately orchestrated as part of a policy to blame the staff and bulldoze through cuts to jobs and safety.
The revelations raises important questions as to how many train cancellations Civil Servants are involved in and whether the cancellations are being decided on a political basis.
The leak also raises questions as to how the government can impartially impose penalties for poor performance when it is providing authorisation on the day to day running of rail services and comes days after it was revealed that GTR have only been fined £2million by the government for poor performance since the start of the franchise.
The following is a request for a decision from a senior management level at GTR on two options on what services should be cancelled :
“Following the meeting on Monday 6th June 2016 for SX service reduction in connection of traincrew shortfall, summary as follows without Milton Keynes services and with Clapham Junction - Watford - Clapham Junction shuttle service.
A .WITHOUT MILTON KEYNES SERVICES AND EAST AND WEST COASTWAY SERVICES DRASTICALLY REDUCED
Total of 192 cancelled services
B.WITH CLAPHAM JUNCTION - WATFORD - CLAPHAM JUNCTION SHUTTLE AND EAST AND WEST COASTWAY SERVICES DRASTICALLY REDUCED
Total of 148 cancelled services
The shuttle service to Watford seems to be too costly to run when trying to reduce diagram numbers if possible I need to know ASAP if it is the need to implement the plan A or B .”
The following is the response from another layer GTR of management,
“I had the call with DFT [ Department for Transport] today, this mail is not permission to proceed and implement the plan but we should proceed with working up option A. The department are supportive of the principle but need more information before approving.
I will need a description … to describe the reductions, the customer impact and alternative arrangements eg MK no service - VT and LM for MK services and the arrangements for last trains.
This was followed by
“although this is not a definitive answer that we will put in a planned timetable change, the DfT has asked us to complete the plan for 194 trains to be removed so they can review it. It is sounding positive though and over the next week or so when the plan is complete, we will go back to the DfT to review it.”
The details of this correspondence have been leaked in confidence.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“The Government are up to their necks in the chaos on Southern and not only are they turning a blind eye to the abysmal service being offered to the public, this leaked correspondence shows that they are directly orchestrating it. That can only be because they have a wider agenda to force confrontation and chaos on these routes as part of some scam to blame the staff, bulldoze through cuts to jobs and safety and break the unions. Passengers are caught in the middle of this scandal and there needs to be a full Parliamentary inquiry.
"RMT's dispute is not with the passengers who suffer the daily misery of incompetence, arrogance and racketeering on the Southern rail routes. Our dispute is with the company who, with the connivance of the Government, have declared war on passengers and staff alike.
"RMT knows that when Southern talk about "changing the role of the guard" what they really mean is axing the guards all together as they put their profits above public safety. The company refuse point blank to discuss this fundamental issue and that is why we have no option but to strike again. If we didn't we would be giving Southern a green light to bulldoze through changes that would be catastrophic for safety at the Platform/Train interface.
"RMT regrets the further inconvenience to passengers that the action today will cause on this basket-case franchise that shames Britain's railways. Our message to passengers is that our fight is your fight and that the battle for our jobs today is to protect your safety tomorrow. If we stand together we can defeat this company and its attacks on jobs, services and safety. "
RMT Press Office:
RMT calls for Parliamentary inquiry as leak shows that Rail Minister's officials are ordering GTR rail cancellations.
New information supplied to the RMT has revealed that Civil Servants at the Department for Transport are authorising train cancellations on GTR. The shocking news comes on the day that guards strike over jobs and safety on Southern and confirms suspicions that the chaos on the GTR franchise is being deliberately orchestrated as part of a policy to blame the staff and bulldoze through cuts to jobs and safety.
The revelations raises important questions as to how many train cancellations Civil Servants are involved in and whether the cancellations are being decided on a political basis.
The leak also raises questions as to how the government can impartially impose penalties for poor performance when it is providing authorisation on the day to day running of rail services and comes days after it was revealed that GTR have only been fined £2million by the government for poor performance since the start of the franchise.
The following is a request for a decision from a senior management level at GTR on two options on what services should be cancelled :
“Following the meeting on Monday 6th June 2016 for SX service reduction in connection of traincrew shortfall, summary as follows without Milton Keynes services and with Clapham Junction - Watford - Clapham Junction shuttle service.
A .WITHOUT MILTON KEYNES SERVICES AND EAST AND WEST COASTWAY SERVICES DRASTICALLY REDUCED
Total of 192 cancelled services
B.WITH CLAPHAM JUNCTION - WATFORD - CLAPHAM JUNCTION SHUTTLE AND EAST AND WEST COASTWAY SERVICES DRASTICALLY REDUCED
Total of 148 cancelled services
The shuttle service to Watford seems to be too costly to run when trying to reduce diagram numbers if possible I need to know ASAP if it is the need to implement the plan A or B .”
The following is the response from another layer GTR of management,
“I had the call with DFT [ Department for Transport] today, this mail is not permission to proceed and implement the plan but we should proceed with working up option A. The department are supportive of the principle but need more information before approving.
I will need a description … to describe the reductions, the customer impact and alternative arrangements eg MK no service - VT and LM for MK services and the arrangements for last trains.
This was followed by
“although this is not a definitive answer that we will put in a planned timetable change, the DfT has asked us to complete the plan for 194 trains to be removed so they can review it. It is sounding positive though and over the next week or so when the plan is complete, we will go back to the DfT to review it.”
The details of this correspondence have been leaked in confidence.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“The Government are up to their necks in the chaos on Southern and not only are they turning a blind eye to the abysmal service being offered to the public, this leaked correspondence shows that they are directly orchestrating it. That can only be because they have a wider agenda to force confrontation and chaos on these routes as part of some scam to blame the staff, bulldoze through cuts to jobs and safety and break the unions. Passengers are caught in the middle of this scandal and there needs to be a full Parliamentary inquiry.
"RMT's dispute is not with the passengers who suffer the daily misery of incompetence, arrogance and racketeering on the Southern rail routes. Our dispute is with the company who, with the connivance of the Government, have declared war on passengers and staff alike.
"RMT knows that when Southern talk about "changing the role of the guard" what they really mean is axing the guards all together as they put their profits above public safety. The company refuse point blank to discuss this fundamental issue and that is why we have no option but to strike again. If we didn't we would be giving Southern a green light to bulldoze through changes that would be catastrophic for safety at the Platform/Train interface.
"RMT regrets the further inconvenience to passengers that the action today will cause on this basket-case franchise that shames Britain's railways. Our message to passengers is that our fight is your fight and that the battle for our jobs today is to protect your safety tomorrow. If we stand together we can defeat this company and its attacks on jobs, services and safety. "
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,322
Easy enough to do if the service providers just completely wipe out providing a service to whole areas of their franchise for the day.
pasty
A different kind of pasty
Still pertinent I guess, but when is that from? It mentions "Tory MP Mark Reckless" but he defected to UKIP nearly 2 years ago.
Arthur
Well-known member
How does that compare to the other TOCs?
Taybha
Whalewhine
Am i right in thinking GTR actually pays the Government for the pleasure of running the franchise then if it reaches Government set targets the Franchise then receives a huge wad of dosh for a good old fashion jolly up ?
I did / had to. Wasn't too bad. Wish me luck on the way home
pasty
A different kind of pasty
That seems to be the big issue at the moment. I think only once since all this started has my usual 6.30 GE to Victoria been affected, so getting to London has never been a problem. It is just getting home when the problems start.
Good Article??....Or total one sided rubbish ??
Bermondseygull
New member
Had to go up this afternoon, empty train and no delay! Think it's going to be another story tonight on the way back though
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,322
It really is the politics of the madhouse when trains appear to run better on a strike day than on a non-strike day. Sake! 
You decide. Truth is coming out even if they silenced aslef.
Over the course of the last few days, I have had cause to use Southeastern, Virgin Trains and Northern Rail - of course I appreciate that I have spent very limited time on each compared to my experiences of SASTA, but the one thing which has been notable to me on all three (besides the novelty of trains actually running when they're supposed to) are the standards of customer service.
On all three, I've encountered nothing but polite, friendly, knowledgable staff who seem to actually take a pride in doing their jobs to a good standard. Now, I don't doubt that all the aforesaid companies have their share of miserable git staff as does any company, but the difference between the people I've encountered and the general standards of staff (not, by any means, all staff - there are good ones on SASTA too) on SASTA services is like chalk and cheese.
On all three, I've encountered nothing but polite, friendly, knowledgable staff who seem to actually take a pride in doing their jobs to a good standard. Now, I don't doubt that all the aforesaid companies have their share of miserable git staff as does any company, but the difference between the people I've encountered and the general standards of staff (not, by any means, all staff - there are good ones on SASTA too) on SASTA services is like chalk and cheese.
Hotchilidog
Well-known member
- Jan 24, 2009
- 9,120
It really is the politics of the madhouse when trains appear to run better on a strike day than on a non-strike day. Sake!
Quite, but only for those on the brighton mainline. Breezed into work this morning and just for once I am not expecting chaos at gatwick this evening. It really is surreal.
A bit of rhetoric in there but I can't see anything in there which is factually incorrect which is in complete contrast to the GTR spin I've seen.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 36,014
It really is the politics of the madhouse when trains appear to run better on a strike day than on a non-strike day. Sake!
this would be because they put in place a reduced emergency time table that they have staff to cover. fewer trains means less problem and less congestion at the choke points in the network. and just like the tube strike, fewer people try to use it thinking it will be horrendous to there's seats for the brave.
The Spanish
Well-known member
whats going to be the knock on effect for tomorrow?