Christmas train strikes

[Darthwazette]

AIBU to wish the train strike situation could just be sorted out?

Theyve just announced strikes right over Christmas. My family were coming to stay with me and now they can’t. I’ve had to cancel so many visits and trips since these strikes began. I wish they’d just reach an agreement already.

Unfortunately most of the rail operators have signed franchises guaranteeing this model for a number of years to come.

If they go ahead with this, I'm likely to lose a trip that has been planned for months, with lost costs of hundreds. It's not changeable, and not covered by insurance because industrial action.

As a family, we've had a spectacularly shit 8 months, with 3 immediately family deaths at no age and two major life changing medical diagnoses. We were hanging on for this as a much needed light at the end of a tunnel.

Neither of us has had any kind of payrise and likely won't next year either. My industry, at least, will be devastated by the min wage hike next year - clients are already giving notice on contracts rather than absorb increased costs they just can't afford. That's jobs gone, no question.

The planned trip was only possible from an inherited gift, given for specifically this for our DD.

Very much like RM choosing 23/24 Dec as dates, targeting Christmas doesn't hurt shareholder's half as much as the ordinary public. It's a bloody good way to lose support, frankly.

Nope they get nothing.
And calling people twunts is really ignorant.

It can’t come soon enough! I’m fed up with this greed and demands for more money when there’s a cost of living crisis and nobody else is getting a pay rise.

Very much like RM choosing 23/24 Dec as dates, targeting Christmas doesn't hurt shareholder's half as much as the ordinary public. It's a bloody good way to lose support, frankly.

A lot of shareholders are the ordinary public

Govt has ideologically chosen a combative path with unions eg RMT, Health
They want to stir up anti union sentiments and deprive workers of fought for rights
Jeremy Hunt did this with the junior doctors and nhs trusts he purposefully went on the attack. Tried to close a number of depts in Lewisham Hospital (Hunt defeated twice) . Decreased staffing numbers. Lied about number of doctors he’d recruit and train. Fast forward to where we are now, no wonder we are in crisis

Everyone on here want banks to close, cash to disappear but the railway ticket offices to be manned

Multiple millions paid out from each company each year.

I travel by train to work. I board at a staffed station with a lift. In order for a wheelchair user to board the train, a staff member has to put out the ramp.
At my destination, the ticket office isn't staffed for most of the day. The guard on the train can put out the ramp for a wheelchair user to get off. But there's no lift so to get back on the train to go back, a wheelchair user has to be escorted across the lines to the platform.
If the TOC get their way, not only will there be noone on the train to act as guard, there will be no one on the station.
It's a terrible idea.

Well my company is also receiving crap pay but the majority of staff will not be striking as there are essential public services to be kept operational. I don’t see why people can’t be upset that they can’t reward their own staff this year, the rail company and royal mail are not the only people struggling with low pay. Sorry I forgot on mumsnet you can’t be disappointed with such things. Sure half of you would be moaning if you actually travelled on trains and had your life’s constantly disrupted. It’s ok to support strikes when they don’t impact you isn’t it?

Quite right! What we actually need to help with this cost of living crisis is for everyone to become worse off, we need fewer jobs, worse working conditions and the lowest possible salaries on the railways

Why cant they just drive?

Are some of you really so superficial that you don’t want any interruptions to office lunch,or travel plans and for unions to not legitimately request fair pay and adequate T&C. God forbid that office lunch is disrupted or travel plans change. How very dare workers express their displeasure.

@Schlaar

It can’t come soon enough! I’m fed up with this greed and demands for more money when there’s a cost of living crisis and nobody else is getting a pay rise.

How do you suppose the people who lose their jobs will fare in this col crisis? Just how?

no we can’t as 75% of our staff rely on the train to get to work, like many people who have things planned that week which can’t happen. In the real world people are allowed to be upset they can’t reward their staff and enjoy a bit of festive cheer as strikes have been put in at times to cause massive disruption and huge detriment to the economy. London Theatre are losing tens of thousands per night with the strikes. It’s hard for local businesses who have been hit hard and now extra Christmas business won’t be happening.

Automation is around the corner I agree. They aren't going to keep staff in ticket offices if there is a decline in people using them. They would be better off moving that person to a different job surely.

I wouldn't support removing staff that would need to assist disabled people for example, but I would be extremely angry if this was the case, and very surprised.

Strikes over Christmas is just selfish, I know disruption is the key but there are a lot of people who rely on getting to their families at Christmas time so these new strikes are unfair and I do not support them.

If they dont strike there wont be a service anymore.

They will get another job? There are plenty of jobs out there.

It’s not about the lunch, but the disappointment our staff can’t get together now after a tough year. Our staff have been great and the lunch was a chance to say thank you. We can put one on in the new year, but not the same. People are allowed to be disappointed, our staff are not happy with their pay either

I think that’s an exaggeration. Trains will continue to operate no matter what.

There are plenty of other jobs for when they get made redundant

They will get another job? There are plenty of jobs out there.

Oh, that's sorted then. I don't know what they are making such a fuss about

They might even get a good redundancy payout. Redundancy is not all doom and gloom. I know plenty of people use it as a way to retrain, or find a new job in a field they hadn't thought of and they love it.

What a pointless comment, you could say exactly the same about the people striking. Obviously everyone cares more about themselves and their own personal circumstances or nobody would be striking at Christmas and causing huge disruption to the public. They're entitled to do it and they have a good reason but of course everyone else cares more about e.g. getting to see their own family at Christmas than whether some random workers get a payrise? That's just common sense.

The striking workers won't have pay on those days. They are fighting for their future jobs. They are people with feelings too.

Your lunch is not the biggest thing in the world.