Southern Rail STRIKE details

[HH Brighton]

Anyone else struggling to get delay repay payment backs? Must have sent 5 in the last 3 months and have not received anything recently.

 

[Ernest]

Anyone else struggling to get delay repay payment backs? Must have sent 5 in the last 3 months and have not received anything recently.

The Conductor processing it has gone SICK

 

[biddles911]

Anyone else struggling to get delay repay payment backs? Must have sent 5 in the last 3 months and have not received anything recently.

Yes, had two in the last five months. Got one after some chasing but still waiting for the first one despite chasing and increasingly acidic but very sporadic correspondence with Southern.

Get the impression their Customer Service department (clearly an oxymoron?) is imploding under the weight of demand and their appalling system (couldn't even find my ticket on their system despite giving the booking reference!)

 

[biddles911]

Any one of those are sackable offences , gross misconduct

Should be sacking 90% of the guards on my route then?!

 

[Springal]

Yesterday was a joke. No Victoria to Littlehampton trains between 11am and 5pm (at least) and every other Brighton west coast train cancelled meaning a 2hr15min trip home

 

[beorhthelm]

That's if you really believe that there was shortage of crew. Plenty of trains cancelled last week with both crew present but company putting it down to guards.

Their latest is now saying drivers going sick but it's more down to them also stopping working their rest days.

im not sure what you are trying to say here: is it that SASTA are deliberately cancelling trains when they have staff, saying that its because they dont have staff available, to make the staff/unions look bad? its a little far fetched that they'd incur fines and poor public perception (they'll blame the company for not having enough staff) just to make a point.

those of us following understand that guards are essentially working to rule and not doing extra shifts, as is their right to.

 

[smeg]

4 Conductors out of a roster of 116 at Brighton sick at the moment and none can be put down to going sick deliberately, even better last week was Southern cancelling the 1646 to Tattenham Corner for not having a Conductor when there hasn't been one on a train there for 30 years.

They are cancelling trains for no other reason now to piss off the travellers and try to prove the point it is all the Guards fault.

Wow, good post Ernest, have to admit I was duped and figured this was more unofficial action by the conductors to prove a point. Good to know the truth

 

[Ernest]

im not sure what you are trying to say here: is it that SASTA are deliberately cancelling trains when they have staff, saying that its because they dont have staff available, to make the staff/unions look bad? its a little far fetched that they'd incur fines and poor public perception (they'll blame the company for not having enough staff) just to make a point.

those of us following understand that guards are essentially working to rule and not doing extra shifts, as is their right to.

Basically yes, SASTA are cancelling trains when they have crews there to work the trains to make the RMT/Conductors look bad, Conductors can't work any overtime or extra shifts even if they wanted to as SASTA have banned them from doing so.

SASTA with the DfT behind them are just sticking 2 fingers up at all the passengers at the moment in a misguided attempt to win an industrial relations war that wasn't needed or has any point.

 

[beorhthelm]

SASTA with the DfT behind them are just sticking 2 fingers up at all the passengers at the moment in a misguided attempt to win an industrial relations war that wasn't needed or has any point.

thats why i dont believe it, as it serves no ones interest and they (SASTA) cant win. they get fined more, miss their targets further. DfT are going to turn round to public and say its OK? nope, the regions MPs are already moving against the current franchise. the general public wont buy into it either, they've just say "employ more guards" (overlooking the complexity of that). they may make the RMT and guards look a bit bad *if* the story is heavily lead that they are on unofficial strike action, i dont see that happening at this point. SASTA just looking worse themselves for no real objective.

 

[Ernest]

thats why i dont believe it, as it serves no ones interest and they (SASTA) cant win. they get fined more, miss their targets further. DfT are going to turn round to public and say its OK? nope, the regions MPs are already moving against the current franchise. the general public wont buy into it either, they've just say "employ more guards" (overlooking the complexity of that). they may make the RMT and guards look a bit bad *if* the story is heavily lead that they are on unofficial strike action, i dont see that happening at this point. SASTA just looking worse themselves for no real objective.

The dispute is backed by the DfT and the government so no fines or targets are being applied, the ultimate target is ASLEF and the RMT are collateral damage, check the speech made by Peter Wilkinson where he set out the plans

 

[Guinness Boy]

i got an idiotic reply back from SASTA which just confirmed they are blaming the guards.

I also got a good one back form local MP Peter Kyle who said (among other things)

"In relation to the overall performance of Southern, I too agree that the service provided over the last year has been simply unacceptable. I have challenged the Rail Minister in the Commons over this on a number of occasions and will continue to do so. As I said earlier this year, they are very much in the last chance saloon and need to improve the service fast or face the consequences"

(my bolding)

Hope he's right....

 

[AK74]

At the next meeting with ACAS, both sides should be locked into a room until they can reach a mutually acceptable agreement. I have sympathy with the Guards, as Southern have allowed this omni-shambles to develop over an elongated period of time. Their mealy-mouthed words of apology for the delays and cancellations mean absolutely nothing. I'm just grateful that my commuting days are over, as I couldn't face doing the journey on a daily basis. Those who do so have my respect.

 

[CherryInHove]

Unrelated to strikes but as there are lots of people who know about the service, someone may know.

About two years ago, Southern were trialling a flex-week ticket, where basically you buy a weekly ticket for about £100 but then can use it on 5 days that aren't in the same week. Did anything come of that? Is it ever going to be launched?

 

[Simgull]

Well this morning was a new one and I guess we can't blame SASTA this time. 7:06 from Portslade to London Bridge held at Hove and then cancelled from Gatwick due to two first class passengers allegedly fighting over a seat.
Quite why the misdemeanours of two people result in the delay to several hundred on the train is a good question- surely you kick them off the train to be dealt with and let everyone else on their way?

 

[Deadly Danson]

I know for a fact that trains are being cancelled even when there is a driver and guard present to work them. Yeterday evening, for example, a driver and a guard worked their train to Seaford and changed ends only to find their service back to Brighton had been cancelled due to staff shortages when they are both there ready to take the train. And this sort of thing has been happening for the last couple of weeks. Don't underestimate for a second the depths SASTA will sink to blame their own employees for their own inadequacies.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

At the next meeting with ACAS, both sides should be locked into a room until they can reach a mutually acceptable agreement. I have sympathy with the Guards, as Southern have allowed this omni-shambles to develop over an elongated period of time. Their mealy-mouthed words of apology for the delays and cancellations mean absolutely nothing. I'm just grateful that my commuting days are over, as I couldn't face doing the journey on a daily basis. Those who do so have my respect.

But as Ernest has indicated this is not a two party dispute; there is another involved, seemingly with a non-compromise agenda.

 

[beorhthelm]

I know for a fact that trains are being cancelled even when there is a driver and guard present to work them. Yeterday evening, for example, a driver and a guard worked their train to Seaford and changed ends only to find their service back to Brighton had been cancelled due to staff shortages when they are both there ready to take the train.

so what happened next? those two just sat in the train on the platform until the next scheduled departure? or another crew turn up to drive away?

 

[Deadly Danson]

so what happened next? those two just sat in the train on the platform until the next scheduled departure? or another crew turn up to drive away?

I believe they informed Control and worked the train back in service as originally scheduled.

 

[Ernest]

i got an idiotic reply back from SASTA which just confirmed they are blaming the guards.

I also got a good one back form local MP Peter Kyle who said (among other things)

"In relation to the overall performance of Southern, I too agree that the service provided over the last year has been simply unacceptable. I have challenged the Rail Minister in the Commons over this on a number of occasions and will continue to do so. As I said earlier this year, they are very much in the last chance saloon and need to improve the service fast or face the consequences"

(my bolding)

Hope he's right....

Peter Kyle is a prize PLUM, I wrote to him last week and he hasn't a clue and still won't support the Conductors or condemn the way they're being treated

 

[albionite]

Drivers have voted yes for a strike, will have to wait until tomorrow as gtr are taking them to court to try to get it overturned