Reply With QuoteWhat's yours?Originally Posted by xsnaggle
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I'm amazed. I've been waiting for a thread about the train strikes for some time now but there is absolutely nothing.
We have threads on here about just about everything from partygate to immigration to curry gate, Scottish independence, anything, even football occasionally, but regarding the train strikes...nothing!
The silence is almost deafening!
why is that? Shirly someone must have an opinion on it!
What's yours?
It doesn't affect me really, but I do love the arguments!
I thought the same! Thought I was going mad at the lack of alignment between CCMB and the six o clock news..
The UK usage is terrible with only 10% using the train to commute, in Wales it's only 3% of the population comute on by train. I have been one of those 3% in the past and it wasn't too bad for me as a way of getting into the City Centre, it was certainly cheaper than parking.
By gong on strike those 3% will get another chance to work from home, they or there employers might think actually this works meaning it could reduce to 2.something.
I have been a union member in every job, but striking should be a last resort, I dont think they will win the public over with this and I think this strike was a mistake.
I take it that when the Government were talking about a high wage economy a few months back, they meant for the bankers and finance companies MDs whose wages cap they’re proposing lifting today?
Ha ha, nail on head!
Next you'll say that levelling up is a nothing slogan at best, and a lie at worst, as well
Johnson says we shouldn't ask for a wage rise, as it'll rise prices. So the high wage economy isn't for the working man.
The average rail workers wage is £33k, the average train drivers wage is £50k+.
This strike doesn't include train drivers so the average earnings of those striking is considerably less than £33k.
Train drivers have good wages due to strong union representation. Rather than criticising those that strike, why not support workers in their efforts for better pay. Their win is our win surely?
If the unions want to get the public on side, do what the Japanese bus drivers did. When they went on strike they carried on working but refused to take fares, ensuring the public were not affected but the employers were.
Although I do have some sympathy with Grant Schapps and the idea that working practices need to modernise, this invariably means jobs losses. The government appear to use this excuse to refuse any kind of eaningful negotiation, whereas if the employer could agree to a reduction in staff numbers over years through natural wastage, the unions and its members would be onside.
With the uncertainty of what services will be running tomorrow and Friday, it's effectively a week long strike. People would have made plans for the whole week so can't see too much extra demand tomorrow. Can see the roads being busier though as people would have seen them quiet today, so will take a chance.
Me I'm just a lowly civil servant working (occasionally) at home all day, so hasn't really affected me.
Up the unions🙂
Good on them
First thing I'd say is they obviously have a right to strike and that also it is very noteworthy that this ballot had a very high turnout and a very high level of support for striking. That is pretty rare and what undermines most strikes and dooms them to fail.
That said, whilst it may be good for the workers in question (or it may not long term, if it leads to higher fares or reduced services) but I don't think it's what the country needs for two reasons.
Firstly, after decades of rising passenger numbers, they absolutely collapsed during Covid. All the workers were kept in work not because they worked in a viable industry but through government support, paid for by us (or more accurately, our children). I think that makes a difference here.
Secondly, this won't solve inflation, if anything it will make it worse. If everyone tries to get a 10% wage rise to combat inflation, then the cost of what they are selling will quite likely also rise by 10%, unless there is a miraculous increase in productivity of course, which is unlikely.
It feels a little bit 'on the wrong side of history' really. With so many working from home, demand for rail transport will very likely never again reach the peak we saw about three years ago, and this will only exacerbate that. The disruption caused has been nothing what it would have been and it does feel like a battle they will not win.
On balance, i support their right to strike, but despite having a very clear mandate I think they've made the wrong call for themselves and the country. Inflation is shit, my pay rise will be well below the level of inflation but if we want inflation to pass I think this is a pain we are going to have to ride out without expecting huge pay rises.
encase the strikers in concrete and use them as railway sleepers
Solidarity to the workers.
Mick Lynch is superb. He’s knocking the media out of the park. I wish the industry I worked in had someone like that fighting for us.
As I gave up driving a few years ago the trains were vitally important to me.
However, with the WFH revolution now less so.
As such I am somewhat detached from the argument but I can see why the Union has concerns but it is highly unlikely that the train operating companies are going to offer anywhere near what is being demanded.
It will probably rumble on for a few months with a settlement that satisfies no one in the end.
Meanwhile services will be cut, prices will rise and what does run will be unreliable at best.
My glass is officially half empty today.
He is a formidable speaker as was Bob Crow.
If the Japanese bus drivers kept working, then they weren’t on strike ?
Their action was to work, but not collect fares.
How would that help them get a pay rise?
More likely to get them sacked.
The Tories are scum
Not when every single driver did it.
https://www.ccmb.co.uk/showthread.ph...16#post5303916
I Feel for the passenger's this week, huge levels of disruption. The government have orchestrated this in my opinion. Refused to speak to the unions about pay for 3 years, so I don't see what other choice the unions had. Was a bit worried to see an Rmt official suggesting that these strikes could go til Christmas though. Not sure I can afford to lose 3 days pay a month for that long. Personally I'm hoping a rise of around 4% can be negotiated and we can get back to normal.
It wouldn’t be an issue if companies decided to absorb the difference. But no in the shareholder first world we live in it never will.
Someone’s got to pay and it’ll always be the easiest targets I.e the individuals
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