to believe Southern trains should hire healthier conductors

[longfingernails]

Or even better, sack the lot?

Going back to the sickness

Translation: ignoring all the pertinent points raised by other posters that I'm not willing/able to respond to ...

Other than official and unofficial strike action, OP, what can employees do? They are the weaker party in disputes unless there is a union involved which makes it more equal.

It is absolutely not a coincidence that we a fall in wages for all except those at the top, at the same time as unions are slowly dismantled.