Rail Strike Called Off!
- 7 April 2009 19:0719122I have lost touch with whats happening on the rail strike front but had this email in today to remind me. JHG will know more Im sure but in case its useful to anyone here is the info I received.....
"
I'm pleased to tell you that the Rail, Maritime & Transport (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) trades unions have withdrawn their strike ballots. The RMT has also informed us that it is no longer in dispute with us over redundancies, high speed station staffing and the operation of Class 395 trains.
This is very welcome news for our passengers and stakeholders.
With the threat of industrial action behind us, we now need to focus on the future. The coming months will no doubt be challenging but we have the exciting prospect of introducing the UK's first domestic high speed service later this year. And we're aiming to 'preview' a limited high speed service as a trial for passengers in the coming months, in advance of the official launch in December. This is a great opportunity to grow and expand our business as we provide passengers with more choice and journey opportunities and encourage more people to choose to travel by train: be it on high speed, mainline or metro.
Yours sincerely
Mike Gibson
Public Affairs Manager
SouthEastern
"
email: dover7@msn.com - 7 April 2009 20:3319125High speed train was at the priory this evening,the general feeling about the strike is that the Unions didn't have the support,and a lot of the people who were done away with were Managers and backroom staff.It meant we have a new deputy Station Manager who I think is good and I have known him alomg while,and a new Station Manager who is about 8 years of age,but actually seems really nice.
Still after 35 and a half years on the railway never been called out on strike,Barry would call that militant because I am in a Union the TSSA.If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble! - 8 April 2009 07:0619154Well indeed the Trade Unions are a very valuable asset for the ordinary worker...its true they did have their days of excess in the seventies but that was then. But , what is it about the UK, we are a nation of excess...we are the worst binge drinkers, we have the worst young pregnancy rates, we have the worst obesity problem, and for a while we had the worst industrial relations on the planet.
Up stepped Mrs Thatcher to deal with the last problem.The unions were curtailed by Mrs Thatcher but with too much severity as to render them way too weak, certainly much weaker than before. A happy balance was/is needed. We have seen the Unions with virtually no teeth, as in the case of the recent DHB strike action, and perhaps also here with the rail strike situation. The workers just get steamrollered over nowadays.email: dover7@msn.com - 10 April 2009 16:1119294Just to level things up a bit.
Bob Crow the general secretary of the RMT is of the old union school, i have no idea who the T.S.S.A. gen sec is and as john says they are a non striking assoc(not union)
Then you have this up and coming UNITE union large number of members who also seem to be getting a lot of coverage lately.
So the unions are still out there, and I have to say I would rather have someone like Bob Crow representing me(as he has done) than someone who is just going to roll over and let employers poo all over us.
Unions will a;lways be around and long may they continue and hopefully in time an even playing field created between employers/employees.
No one wants to go back to the union days where members were called out over a tea break dispute. where thousands went on strike.
But at the moment(even under this govt) the employers do what they want, and the only losers are the workers.
blimey, was only going to do a couple of lines!!