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.

No doubt we’ll get the usual comments on here, like on previous strikes, saying things like, ‘I don’t care if teachers strike, they can do what they want, but can’t they strike on a Saturday/inset day/school holidays?!’ or, ‘I hope they will be fined for not turning up to school, like I am when I take my child on holiday’.

I support them 100% and will support the nursing and teaching profession later on this year too. Strikes are meant to inconvenience.

You're angry with the wrong people.

The whole point of a strike is to be disruptive. It's to show how much we rely on these services/people, and why we should be paying them better.

My sympathy for them went out the window a long time ago.

There’s a national rail strike on my wedding day which jeopardises guests attending and staff attending venue. I support the strikes, govt and rail companies need to be held to account for the appalling service they offer. Rail network needs nationalised asap.

Probably not, but let's meet that when we come to it. At the moment just about anyone who strikes to protect their conditions and challenge this appalling government has my support.

You just need to remember how angry you are when it comes to voting for the next party, your anger currently should be directed at Grant Shapps for stalling negotiations with the unions by telling railway bosses not to offer anything unconditionally

Totally agree.

YABU, they can strike if they want, any day of the week

I’m old enough to remember British Rail, and to have used it regularly. Be careful what you wish for!

They've moved on to annoying holidaying families because annoying commuters doesn't work very well these days.

Post-covid most commuters can just work remotely no bother. Pre-covid rail strikes were a real drama in the City and everyone was irritated. Now people just shrug and log on remotely.

I feel sorry for the lower paid workers who often can't work remotely, and don't get paid if they don't go in, so become collateral damage whilst the people the strikers are aiming for are mostly unaffected.

Agreed. While I have been inconvenienced and annoyed at strikes when I am due to go on holiday or to a show or concert, or to a sporting event, and many many people get inconvenienced by strikes affecting their commute, it's not the end of the world. To prevent teenagers getting to exams which can affect their whole future was not acceptable.

Be angry. Be really angry. But not with the workers; with the shareholders and management. The strikes were avoidable.

Why would you be angry with people that buy shares in companies, a lot of people do this to supplement their retirement.

@CactusFlowers - I have a lot of anger for people at the top. RMT deputy Eddie Dempsey, for instance, who earns £78,282 yearly (as well as Employers’ NI contributions £9,978 and pension contributions of £20,289), yet who still lives in a tax payer funded council house, thereby denying housing to a desperate family in London.

@arrogantorwhat37 Eagerly awaiting your update re: "perks"

Plenty of people live in council housing when they wouldn't qualify if they applied now.

I bet that the "tax payer funding" amounts to rather less than the cost of Network Rail's boardroom: www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/23/railworkers-and-what-they-earn-who-are-the-real-fat-cats

OP is missing the point of strikes and therefore BU.

and the government - it appears likely this would have been settled already if the government gave the supposedly private rail operators permission to do as they want to settle it.

My sympathy ended ages ago.

Possibly, but that's no reason not to be angry about it. Plenty of people kick cats - it's stil wrong.

Is it not better to strike on Saturdays
People not getting to work is a bigger issue than holidays being disrupted
I am aware some people work Saturdays too but the majority work in the week

There was a time when council estates (particularly the housing estates rather than the tower blocks) had a mix of people. They weren't just somewhere to contain society's problem families, doctors would live next door to miners.