To have less sympathy for rail strikers because they've chosen to strike on Saturdays during summer holidays

[InChocolateWeTrust]

It's pretty clear the aim is to disrupt people's summer holidays. I get it, they are trying to cause maximum pain to rail operating companies, but all that happens is people squeeze onto transport the days either side and the people who bear the costs are the customers.

The train taking us on holiday was cancelled. It cost us hundreds to replan, including booking a short notice hotel room for an extra night, to avoid missing our onwards ferry. It would have cost similar to drive & park. We are lucky we could take the hit financially but plenty of others can't.

It just doesn't sit well with me that after years of Covid restrictions fucking up people's holidays the rail strike have prolonged the misery and its largely customers who are hurt.

Arriva buses have been on strike for weeks now as well.

Of course. Strikes should only be held at times when it is convenient for the public. Perhaps instead of balloting members, they should conduct public surveys of when striking will cause the least disruption to peoples lives.

YABU to moan because of your disruption. I commute and have had plenty of days of disruption and cost to me. So don't moan just because it causes just one day for you.

I lost sympathy with them when they held strikes while there were still teenagers trying to get to their GCSE and A Level Exams. That was beyond low in my opinion, and much worse than messing with peoples holidays or work days. Even if the railway workers do have a point, no one came along to give them extra stress on their exam days.

Oooh do tell @arrogantorwhat37 , then we can have a balanced discussion
I'm supportive of the strikes at the moment

It’s been massively disruptive for me and frustrated as I am, I’m please. The trains I used most are ultimately owned by a subsidiary of the Dutch national railways. I use both regularly . By comparison, our trains have a third world service and enormous prices whereas the Dutch trains have wonderful service and rock bottom prices.

We are effectively subsidising the rail services in other European countries. Same with electricity: EDF make huge profits here so the parent company, the nationalised French supplier, can freeze prices without too much increase.

It’s a falsehood to say all nationalised services are inefficient. Yes, they might have been in the 70s but so were European equivalents. They’ve stayed nationalised and benefited from corporate style efficiency drives. Whereas our Tory nationalisation project from the 80s and 90s has led to fragmentation but in such a way that doesn’t seem to drive efficiency, only profit.

So yeah, let’s take back control from Europe while sending their nationalised industries huge chunks of profits from our essential services.

You know what, people deserve decent working conditions.

Save your anger for those at the top.

Save your anger for the government-maybe write to your MP.

There are a lot more strikes coming across other sectors in the autumn-postal workers, teachers, nurses…

You realise that the "roles that don't need performing" (according to the government) include a third of maintenance staff? I don't want to see yet another Clapham Junction/Hatfield/Potter's Bar/Grayrigg accident caused by poor maintenance.

I do support the strikers. I've had a real terms pay cut for a decade! I had to take a pay cut to get a permanent role. Work isn't working right now in the public or private sector. I especially don't support money going to shareholders when workers are facing such huge cost of living rises. Those with assets have already seen massive asset growth while wages have flatlined. It's about fairness for me.

There's no such thing as a good day to strike. Striking on an Saturday in the summer
holidays is no worse than a weekday in September.
I support the strikers. If there's money for shareholders and upper management, then there should be money for low paid workers too. Why are the people at the bottom the only ones who should be sucking it up when they are instrumental in earning profit?

Do "perks" include the opportunity to work night shifts at time and a tenth? To be offered a 2% pay rise but have to work an extra five hours per week so that it results in a cut in your hourly rate?

Tell us

Strikes are only effective when they affect as many people as possible. The point is to inconvenience and annoy people so much they complain - to management, to company owners, to their MP. Complain and get everyone else you know to complain and maybe the strikes can be over sooner.

Definitely something needs to be done about trains in the UK, I was over in the summer and looking to get the train to places but the prices were ridiculous. Meanwhile in my country I can get a train for instance, 100 mile journey between two cities, for 9 or so euros each with seat guaranteed (that I choose myself) and the option of a children's carriage with a play area to keep the children entertained during the journey. There's no reason the UK can't have the same if trains were renationalised and properly invested in to make them pleasant and affordable for all.

This.

The gap between the wealthy and the rest of the population (be that those on an average wage or those struggling on benefits) is just getting wider. The Tories have no clue. The wealth gap needs to be narrowed.

Lolz at the thought of rail companies making excess profits!

There's no such thing as a good day to strike

This.

you're only angry because it has affected you personally. You'd be angry if it affected your work commute too.

surely this is what travel insurance is for?

Spot on.

Can’t imagine everyone falling over themselves to support the rail workers will be quite so enthusiastic about supporting teachers when/if they strike.

Oh dear lord - can you imagine the response to a teachers' strike?!

This. Yabu.

Agree they lost my sympathy when striking when the kids were doing exams. A real low point. I think it mostly affect people who don’t drive or who can’t work from home. Maybe people in lower paid jobs.

I agree with this. Good for them I say. Whatever day they did it, people would say ‘but it’s a work day/bank holiday/Saturday’ etc

Why wouldn't they? Its important for teachers to get decent pay and conditions too. There was strikes in my country earlier this year, schools and daycares in some cities closed entirely for a week, everywhere else there was an overtime and shift swap ban so sometimes I couldn't send my son to nursery as there wasn't enough staff when some would get ill. I supported it. If the teachers go on strike at my daughter's school I'll support that too. That's the point of solidarity, you don't just support when it doesn't bother you, but keep supporting even when it does.

The railways are an essential service for all sorts of people and reasons, and staff are already well-paid, so I have no sympathy with any strikes. Plus, it is very short-sighted to strike - if passengers feel they can't rely on the railways any longer they will stop booking, profits will drop, services will be cut and jobs will be lost. So, all the strikers are doing is killing their own industry..... well done, folks!