Southern Rail Unions

[rigsby]

Sadiq Khan wants Southern to be run by TFL. All available feedback indicates the public who travel on those lines want the same.


Boris Johnson also wanted train lines to come under TFL and a 3 year old letter to him from Chris Grayling has emerged where Grayling says he agrees with that in principle but he is concerned that at some point in the future there may be a London Mayor and he didn't want Labour to be running train services.


That is an outrageous abuse of power. Thousands of people having their lives blighted by a private company who fail to provide transport - and Grayling allows it to go on so as not to upset his politics.


Tory MP Bob Neill has called for Grayling to quit.

Grayling is used as a Tory 'attack dog' He reduced the prison service by around 5,000 and thousands of Job centre staff were axed under his watch.

We know all about Grayling in the Fire service as he was used to steal more of our pensions after we already agreed to very hash changed in 2006.

Of course Grayling will never have to worry about a cancelled or delayed train he has a second home in central London, which is just 17 miles from his main house. Obviously its far to stressful at the end of the day to get in a chauffer driven bullet prove car and travel 17 miles with your armed security. So he has to have another flat paid for by Fire and Police pensions.

By the way when his wife fancied a change of colour on the walls, Grayling put in a claim for £5,000. Well we can't expect the Minster for Transport to have any cheap eastern Europeans working on his place.

 

[superblue24]

Do you trust a driver with CCTV, checking that everyone is safely aboard/off the train when he's under pressure to stick to the timetable? 4 car trains, yes that's fine, but 12 car? At rush hour?

We've done studies on knock on delays throughout the entire rail network, and even if one train is delayed by as little as a minute, can result in lengthy delays in entirely different route.

But why strike? Someone left a box of paper propping open a fire door yesterday, but I didn't stage a walk out over it!

 

[superblue24]

Let's be clear about this, the union doesn't give a toss about passenger safety. This is about the inevitable redundancies to a number of conductors and nothing more!

 

[MK Shrimper]

But why strike? Someone left a box of paper propping open a fire door yesterday, but I didn't stage a walk out over it!

The drivers are losing 3 days pay, probably bonuses, which is a lot especially at this time of year. This is the very last resort when the company tries to enforce a working practice that is dangerous. Is there £100M profit not enough for the greedy *******s?

Let's be clear about this, the union doesn't give a toss about passenger safety. This is about the inevitable redundancies to a number of conductors and nothing more!

No, and the union has a right to protect their members job security.

 

[Blueronron]

But why strike? Someone left a box of paper propping open a fire door yesterday, but I didn't stage a walk out over it!

Bet though you would have been the first to scream and shout, if a fire had occurred and ripped through the building

UTS

 

[superblue24]

The drivers are losing 3 days pay, probably bonuses, which is a lot especially at this time of year. This is the very last resort when the company tries to enforce a working practice that is dangerous. Is there £100M profit not enough for the greedy *******s?

No, and the union has a right to protect their members job security.

I wonder how much the partners at my firm make......Do I Strike?

 

[superblue24]

Bet though you would have been the first to scream and shout, if a fire had occurred and ripped through the building

UTS

Perhaps, but would I go on strike about it?

 

[superblue24]

Let's be completely clear here, I do not condone industrial action at all.

It should either be a privilege enjoyed by ALL, or none.

How is it fair that these guys get to strike, yet (for example) McDonalds servers do not?

 

[rigsby]

Let's be completely clear here, I do not condone industrial action at all.

It should either be a privilege enjoyed by ALL, or none.

How is it fair that these guys get to strike, yet (for example) McDonalds servers do not?

Then you should campaign for the right to strike for all. If you want fairness.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Let's be completely clear here, I do not condone industrial action at all.

It should either be a privilege enjoyed by ALL, or none.

How is it fair that these guys get to strike, yet (for example) McDonalds servers do not?

People have a choice to be in a union. The days of the closed shop are long gone, which I thought would be something you'd celebrate? I thought that was everything the Tories hated? #confused.

 

[superblue24]

People have a choice to be in a union. The days of the closed shop are long gone, which I thought would be something you'd celebrate? I thought that was everything the Tories hated? #confused.

You don't know anything about me, I'm not the Tory "poster boy" you think I am. I just align more with their policies than any other major party.

Whether it's right or wrong, it shouldn't be allowed as it stinks of inequality across the board. All in or All out. In fact, more so the travel industry shouldn't be allowed since they are threatening the livelihoods of people who are not responsible for the reasons for the strike.

By the way, the guy I mentioned.... Was fired yesterday largely in part of Southern. I hope they feel better about that.

 

[MK Shrimper]

By the way, the guy I mentioned.... Was fired yesterday largely in part of Southern. I hope they feel better about that.

And a Happy Christmas to you too! Blaming Southern is laughable....you know what your company did is probably illegal, right? But you'll get away with it as the poor sod didn't have a union rep letting him know his rights.

 

[superblue24]

And a Happy Christmas to you too! Blaming Southern is laughable....you know what your company did is probably illegal, right? But you'll get away with it as the poor sod didn't have a union rep letting him know his rights.

No, this is about poor attendance by someone who lives in the same area as others who made it to work. That's how it works in the real world, you don't come to work, you get let go. I'm not saying Southern is entirely to blame, but definitely played a big part.

How is it not the fault of the unions? Every firm, everywhere, has people at the top of the chain raking in the profits. If we all went on strike when the bosses made "too much", our country would be pretty unproductive.

What about the bosses who are making losses? Should his or her staff strike because of pay? Would that be fair?

 

[MK Shrimper]

No, this is about poor attendance by someone who lives in the same area as others who made it to work. That's how it works in the real world, you don't come to work, you get let go. I'm not saying Southern is entirely to blame, but definitely played a big part.

If there's other factors, then of course he should have gone. You didn't make that at all clear - I wouldn't defend someone who's continually absent or late.

As for the profits bit - I'm not a communist, I have no problem with people working hard and getting rich - but there seems to be a disconnect between profit and social responsibility. £100M is a LOT of money for a company to turn over, and by sacking 100(?) guards will rake in another £2/3 million? Southern are not going under, they're not in debt. They didn't need to do this.

 

[rigsby]

It would be nice if all trains running at certain times had a guard on them. As someone who travels on late trains into Waterloo at weekends quite regularly for work, even for me it's nice to know they are there so it must be a nice reassurance for any elderly people or lone women out at that time especially with the number of drunk people that get those trains.

I don't know enough about the strike to comment on that, but guards on trains are a good idea in my opinion.

Agreed. Can't see why trains don't run with say 2 security staff who could act as guards when the doors are opening and closing.

 

[superblue24]

If there's other factors, then of course he should have gone. You didn't make that at all clear - I wouldn't defend someone who's continually absent or late.

As for the profits bit - I'm not a communist, I have no problem with people working hard and getting rich - but there seems to be a disconnect between profit and social responsibility. £100M is a LOT of money for a company to turn over, and by sacking 100(?) guards will rake in another £2/3 million? Southern are not going under, they're not in debt. They didn't need to do this.

Right, perhaps so, but how many firms without unions make similar profits in the UK?

As for "social responsibility", ever heard of the term "two wrongs don't make a right"?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Right, perhaps so, but how many firms without unions make similar profits in the UK?

As for "social responsibility", ever heard of the term "two wrongs don't make a right"?

I don't see how striking to defend your livelihood is a wrong. It's an inconvenience for people who use Southern for a few days, but these guards could lose a whole lot more.

 

[superblue24]

I don't see how striking to defend your livelihood is a wrong. It's an inconvenience for people who use Southern for a few days, but these guards could lose a whole lot more.

Do you really not think that the actions of Rail Unions has not led to at least one dismissal over the past, let's say, 30 years? How many dismissals came out of the time you striked over the guy who got fired because he was off sick and found playing tennis.

I'm not saying they are a "direct" cause for dismissal, but in some cases play a large part. You cannot deny that if the trains run, as close to "on time" as possible every day, that people in situations where they have lost their job on account of poor attendance or punctuality due to the trains would still have their jobs. I know of one person now who fits this profile.... Am I the only one?

Again, on the point of livelihood, what makes a Train Guard more entitled than, say, an Accountant?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Just to state, I have never been on strike, though if my Union called for it then I'd be there. Some Unions are far more militant than others - mine (TSSA) was rumoured to be merging with the RMT and I'd have been off like a shot.

In this day and age of Wifi, Skype and laptops how many people could work from home? An accountant surely could, a train guard most definitely not. How many people make a point of battling to get into the office just to sit at a desk all day?

And sacking someone due to a cause that is not their own is illegal, and a case of unfair dismissal could be launched.

 

[Napster]

And sacking someone due to a cause that is not their own is illegal, and a case of unfair dismissal could be launched.

only if they've been there long enough.