What the f*** do the RMT think they are playing at.....

[fuming12]

So, the RMT are striking for a pay increase....during GCSE's. The poor kids who use the train to get to school are going to be left up the creek without a paddle, but no, a £44k average salary is not enough and they have decided to hold the country to ransom for more money.

There are 4 (possibly more) GCSE's being held next week and probably many a-levels too, schools are already warning that if pupils are late the exams will have to start regardless.

They cancelled trains that got kids to school during the pandemic, they are paid above average.

I would actually like to see the RMT fail, and be called out, on this one, AIBU? They are a disgrace.

I am a union supporter generally, but this is greedy in the extreme and smacks of extortion to line their members pockets at the expense of the general public. Higher wages = higher fares.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Other workers are not required to think of 'the greater good' when working - why are nurses, transport workers etc supposed to just take whats given to them in terms of working conditions and pay, so as to not inconvenience or disadvantage society at large? The focus is all wrong here. If what they do is so important, why arent we as a society fighting for their work conditions so they dont have to strike? A really selfish and myopic post from the OP. Its your responsibility as a parent to get your children to their exams, not the transport workers'. If one way is not available, you have to get yourself and your outrage off Mumsnet and find another.

YABU. Have you only read the headlines? Look into it a little more.

Fully in support of the strike.

It’s a shame that most people can’t seem to workout that the service provided is directly related to the conditions they work in and the number of staff provided. It’s usually when things are cut back by greedy bosses, to the extent that workers can’t provide a decent service that worker unrest and strikes happen.

Loads of people WANT to be air traffic controllers too…

@Wickywickyyow

I think most people can't believe the audacity of people asking for a pay rise for providing such a shit service.

That will be the people who know nothing and say everything. The signallers, for example, provide an absolutely outstanding service...

“People shouldn’t strike for better labour and safety conditions if my son has an exam on” is such a classic MN take. Your child is not the centre of the universe. Strikes always impact someone, that’s the bloody point.

The barrier to entry for ATC is far, far higher.

Funnily enough my rail industry husband has unfillable vacancies for training up staff (track signslling upgrade and maintenance). Antisocial hours, lots of (not rail) travel, outdoors, unpleasant lineside work. Huge numbers of people don't want to do that work.

This.

People just travel and if caught just say the machine wasn't working

I don't know about the guards, but if you have revenue inspectors on the trains they won't accept that as an excuse and will check. Although on occasion they've claimed a machine has been working and other passengers have had to step in and confirm it wasn't. But I think the revenue inspectors were given targets to fine a certain number of people.

I studied rail crashes and disasters very recently and after reviewing countless reports, I can confirm that a great many of them are caused by a driver missing or misinterpreting signals. There are plenty of high profile examples should you wish to look for yourself.

And that level of risk is one of the factors which increases the driver salary (rightly). However, to claim that human failure doesn't occur, or would have a lower incidence rate than machine failure is just not true. There are a wealth of examples of driverless train systems around the world. There are examples on the London Underground of semi automated trains on which the driver only operates the doors, or presses start / stop.

Studying it is fine.

Living it is another.

Both have their flaws. Neither human or computers/machines are perfect.

If you ask people who do the job day in day out if they had to choose between the two, I would bet they would want people.

A mixture of the two is of course the best way forward but do not underestimate how many times people prevent or deal with incidents. Highly skilled and trained people.

It is better to have drivers on trains. External factors also cause many train accidents or incidents. They can negotiate them and report what is actually happening on the ground.

Although if you actually were to read what I wrote it wasn't this!

My very point is not about my child , its that there are thousands of kids, who have had their education disrupted, who will be affected by this.

Certainly in this part of the world, railway is a known highly paid job. I have personally had staff leave from administrative jobs to work in the rail industry an it is much more highly paid (and we don't pay minimum wage!)

They are striking about pay and likely redundancies for ticket staff - when frankly ticket staff are on the way out anyway...striking to protect unnecessary jobs really is the height of folly.

A mixture of the two is of course the best way forward but do not underestimate how many times people prevent or deal with incidents. Highly skilled and trained people.

Very much agree, what the reports rarely if ever indicate (certainly in the aviation sector) is the number of time the human(s) at the controls have managed a "save".

As a side issue - what an interesting AIBU! I wasn't expecting a 50:50 split (684 votes at this point)

I fully respect people right to strike (and BTW the NHS is one place that should be striking for example for better pay and working conditions), but when unions become "over powerful" it can have a negative effect. The RMT I suspect is one of these, with power hungry bosses, who will ultimately cause more pain for their workers than they will resolve by striking.

My child is not what this is about - I am thinking about the many kids whose parents will just not care if they get to their exams or not.

If you personally have had people go to join the rail industry go and ask them if they are striking for pay.

Known to be highly paid? Not everyone is and yet the responsibility they have is immense.

They have zero say in when strikes are held.

And if you think maintenance jobs are unnecessary, I would posit the notion that you are very much mistaken.

Fully agree with you OP.

What an obnoxious thought. Wishing others to get fired. Hope it happens to you one day

@Thenamewillchangethefacewillnot totally agree. 100% I would want a person. Knowing what I do about the automated side of it - I personally wouldn't want to travel on a driverless train.

Also, as one example, when I'm on a 2am train journey and the young teenage girl comes and sits right behind the cab, just in case - so she can knock on the door if she feels unsafe in anyway - a computer can't replicate that.

Or someone presses the passenger alarm as someone has collapsed. A computer can't run back an administer first aid etc.

It couldn't have helped the woman my colleague saw having the shit kicked out of her by her boyfriend on one night shift. But he could. And did.

No one should be dealt with P&O style, appalling management.

Well I'm glad you're not in charge - are you the ghost of Thatcher?

You are wrong.

The more the bile and bilge of the cesspit that is Lord Rothermere's tax dodging Daily Mail spews its hate on these threads the more certain I am that supporting worker's rights is the way to go.

It really isn't just ticket staff, or train drivers we're talking about here. It is the WHOLE railway network. Maintenance staff, those people you think so little of, who will go out at a moments notice and fix a life threatening fault.

There hasn't been a strike like this in decades. That should tell you everything you need to know. But well, Daily Mail.