The Albion and Southern Trains

[maltaseagull]

On another note:

Southern Railway shortlisted for Association Of Community Rail Awards including the 'Passengers Matter' category

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1474...s_including_the__Passengers_Matter__category/

I use the trains when I go back to the UK and haven't experienced the awful disruption i read about here but this has to be a joke.

 

[amexer]

2 people on a train and both in different unions. What a farce. How on earth is management supposed to get an agreement

 

[Thunder Bolt]

See it was only conductors that were balloted not drivers. Surprise surprise no one likes change. In all my years of commuting during day and late night have only seen handfull of of drink related disturbances and have just moved carriage. Although conductor on train no sign of. I would prefer when we get bus back from town late at night there was a conductor. But things change

Source?


The lack of Seaford trains, which haven't run for three months, is nothing to do with the strike.

 

[ROSM]

The drivers were not balloted as they belong to ASLEF and are not bothered about opening the doors as their jobs are not under any future threat, until all trains become automatic.

Only 72% of the 300 or so local guards voted - a minuscule portion of the union membership who do not appear to have made any comment or provided support in their dispute.

Its not correct to say the drivers don't have an issue with it. They do - especially as some of their number are now faced with legal action due to precious driver only train issues whereby members of the public are getting trapped in doors and being pulled under trains

 

[Lord Bracknell]

On another note:

Southern Railway shortlisted for Association Of Community Rail Awards including the 'Passengers Matter' category

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1474...s_including_the__Passengers_Matter__category/

I use the trains when I go back to the UK and haven't experienced the awful disruption i read about here but this has to be a joke.

One example of SASTA's failings in the "passengers matter" area is the provision of wheelchair access at Glynde station. A couple of years ago, they spent a fortune providing a ramp to the Lewes-bound platform. This is totally useless, because any passenger using a wheelchair to return to Glynde from the Lewes direction is faced with two flights of steps and no alternative, if they want to escape from the platform.

There are a couple of obvious solutions available, but nobody at SASTA seems to be giving any thought to this.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The drivers were not balloted as they belong to ASLEF and are not bothered about opening the doors as their jobs are not under any future threat, until all trains become automatic.

Only 72% of the 300 or so local guards voted - a minuscule portion of the union membership who do not appear to have made any comment or provided support in their dispute.

It has been mentioned on here before by our resident train driver, but there are a lot of curved platforms where the driver cannot see all the carriages, let alone the doors. Lewes is a good example.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

On another note:

Southern Railway shortlisted for Association Of Community Rail Awards including the 'Passengers Matter' category

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1474...s_including_the__Passengers_Matter__category/

I use the trains when I go back to the UK and haven't experienced the awful disruption i read about here but this has to be a joke.

Nevermind, only a couple of months to go until we can all have our say in the Money Mail’s annual Wooden Spoon award for lousy customer service. There can only be one winner...

 

[amexer]

Source Dont know how to cut and paste so can only quote from article from RMT. 393 papers sent out. On anyone day there are 300/325 conductors. With these numbers drvers cannot be included.
On question of curved platforms thats why they use video cameras.

 

[Rugrat]

Southern are not planning to remove the second person from the train. The unions don't seem to believe them.

I'd have thought that could be written into a legal agreement that was binding. Attempt to usurp it and get it into the legal process .... or is that too simplistic?

For me the only valid reason I've heard for not going DOO is the issue about disabled getting on/off at stations where there is disabled access but no platform staff. I've not heard a SASTA response to that, but if they have a good one then I can't see why 'progress' isn't being made

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I'd have thought that could be written into a legal agreement that was binding. Attempt to usurp it and get it into the legal process .... or is that too simplistic?

For me the only valid reason I've heard for not going DOO is the issue about disabled getting on/off at stations where there is disabled access but no platform staff. I've not heard a SASTA response to that, but if they have a good one then I can't see why 'progress' isn't being made

I believe the SASTA position, if you are disabled, is to give them 24 hours notice of your intention to travel and the trains that you will be using and they will ensure they are appropriately trained staff at the station to assist you. Apart from whether such a position complies with the Equality Act either in law or in spirit, I really can't see these goons arranging for such staff to be reliably available at stations like Littlehaven, Billingshurst, Christs Hospital etc, particularly late at night. When you do contact them they'll even, much like BHA, try to define disabled as having a Blue Badge.
Now if you use SWT to say Farncombe (also unmanned like the above) then there's a train guard to assist you on and off, and they run later trains from London.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Southern are not planning to remove the second person from the train. The unions don't seem to believe them.

And in the event of being ****** over due to guard sickness (sorry I mean staff shortages) and train is ready to go, driver there, passengers on board southern want the train to go anyway.

Will the unions have that? Not on your nelly. *******s.

Safety my arse its all about job security. Guess what chum no job is safe these days. Live in the real world.

 

[ROSM]

I'd have thought that could be written into a legal agreement that was binding. Attempt to usurp it and get it into the legal process .... or is that too simplistic?

For me the only valid reason I've heard for not going DOO is the issue about disabled getting on/off at stations where there is disabled access but no platform staff. I've not heard a SASTA response to that, but if they have a good one then I can't see why 'progress' isn't being made

There's currently a legal agreement in place about how.many services and staff southern should be having at the moment. They haven't complied with either with no penalty being passed on to them for non performance

 

[ROSM]

And in the event of being ****** over due to guard sickness (sorry I mean staff shortages) and train is ready to go, driver there, passengers on board southern want the train to go anyway.

Will the unions have that? Not on your nelly. *******s.

Safety my arse its all about job security. Guess what chum no job is safe these days. Live in the real world.

I usually agree with you on train matters. However in this instance I don't. Even southern are no longer peddling the staff sickness line. The cancellations and delays are largely caused by them no employing enough staff.

 

[Rugrat]

I believe the SASTA position, if you are disabled, is to give them 24 hours notice of your intention to travel and the trains that you will be using and they will ensure they are appropriately trained staff at the station to assist you

Unreasonable and unworkable. It would be nice to see a list of agreed "sticking" points the position of each on each and efforts to compromise (Yes, I know that neither are prepared to, but clearly in the public domain might bring pressure to bear)

There's currently a legal agreement in place about how.many services and staff southern should be having at the moment. They haven't complied with either with no penalty being passed on to them for non performance

If it's a legal agreement then surely there's a legal process that can be pursued? That would bring some of this to a head I'd have thought

 

[Ernest]

I usually agree with you on train matters. However in this instance I don't. Even southern are no longer peddling the staff sickness line. The cancellations and delays are largely caused by them no employing enough staff.

I'm not sure how long it will take for people to realise that the staff they are most short of is drivers, those drivers they have are massively behind in their training due to not having enough drivers and that isn't going to change for a long time until the back log of training is sorted.

So those hysterically screaming for DOO on all trains may like to think how a train can run when the guard is there, the platform staff is there to give the tip, the ticket office staff is there to sell the ticket but unfortunately there is no driver so the train won't be moving any time soon.

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

I understand and appreciate your point of view but it can't be right and democratic that one person's right to withdraw one's labour causes another person to lose their job because they are unable to fulfil their responsibilities to their employer due to the actions of a striker.

How would that be undemocratic? A right royal pain and rather unfair perhaps...

 

[pearl]

2 people on a train and both in different unions. What a farce. How on earth is management supposed to get an agreement

how many different unions do you think there are in a hospital (for instance)?

 

[GooGull]

Touche. We must both be in urgent need of hearing aids then.

I already have hearing aids and have never heard any of the announcements since the Amex opened, the PA is indeed terrible

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'd have thought that could be written into a legal agreement that was binding. Attempt to usurp it and get it into the legal process .... or is that too simplistic?

For me the only valid reason I've heard for not going DOO is the issue about disabled getting on/off at stations where there is disabled access but no platform staff. I've not heard a SASTA response to that, but if they have a good one then I can't see why 'progress' isn't being made

SASTA couldn't respond when taking off the trains on the Seaford line, a young disabled chap was told his wheelchair was too big for the replacement bus service.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36772492

He was told he could order a taxi, but when struggling the next time, the phone call went through to some office miles away, who hadn't got a clue what he was talking about.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

SASTA couldn't respond when taking off the trains on the Seaford line, a young disabled chap was told his wheelchair was too big for the replacement bus service.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36772492

He was told he could order a taxi, but when struggling the next time, the phone call went through to some office miles away, who hadn't got a clue what he was talking about.

There is a standard set in regulations that requires buses to be capable of carrying wheelchairs of a particular dimension. The same standard and dimensions apply to taxis.
I can't see how calling a wheelchair accessible taxi would solve the problem.