National Rail Strike

[chadded]

The Royal Mail must be due a strike soon ...

;)

And the London Underground...

 

[Gremlin]

Though I like the idea of fanny. I'll see if we can't get some down to my picket line in the morning.

Some might say there are enough ****s there already.

 

[osymandus]

I don't like being a smug git, however as the UK has descended into a 70's style malaise of economic meltdown, industrial action and a harsh cold winter it has been comforting to realise just what a great decision it was to make the move out here when I did......;)

Though to be fair living in a culture that is still modeled on the 70's must be just as much fun (or are they in the 80's now and New Zealand in the 70's ?)

 

[Ron Manager]

Though to be fair living in a culture that is still modeled on the 70's must be just as much fun (or are they in the 80's now and New Zealand in the 70's ?)

I can't speak for the whole of Australia mate but going from Brisbane to visit Southend last October was like going back in time, not the other way round.

 

[osymandus]

I can't speak for the whole of Australia mate but going from Brisbane to visit Southend last October was like going back in time, not the other way round.

Truthfully doesn't really surprise me ;) . Though WE tend not to hear much about Brisbane back here so it propably dosnt follow the Oz sterotype that gets portrayed. Whats the other cultural influences there Asian ? Greek ?

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

I don't like being a smug git, however as the UK has descended into a 70's style malaise of economic meltdown, industrial action and a harsh cold winter it has been comforting to realise just what a great decision it was to make the move out here when I did......;)

What he said but we are living in the 50s here.

 

[chadded]

And the London Underground...

I might have spoken too soon. Brilliant.

http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8584128.stm

 

[MK Shrimper]

Seems that NR management are going down the same route as BA management.

On FB, work colleague posted some utterly innocent photos of his work gang taking a nap while they waited for the blockage to begin - to reiterate, you can't work on track (generally) until the lines are blocked from traffic and this is usually after midnight - and he's suddenly hauled in to face the music in front of his manager and got a dressing down though he'd done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG.

Looks like Coucher is up for a battle then.

 

[Lester Bangs]

Will it be a spring of discontent?

I wonder how many workers in other 'Union heavy' jobs are looking at striking? The 15,000 civil servants who are having their jobs moved to outside London can't be happy. What about Teachers and Nurses?

It could all get a bit messy.

 

[ldnfatso]

Yeah, great idea. I'm sure Serbian railways are as safe as the one that takes you to work every day.

Not.

Who said anything about how safe Serbian Railways are? I said employ Serbians as they are grateful to be in jobs and work a lot harder than the Railway workers we have at the moment!

 

[MK Shrimper]

Who said anything about how safe Serbian Railways are? I said employ Serbians as they are grateful to be in jobs and work a lot harder than the Railway workers we have at the moment!

Unskilled Serbians + (heavily skilled jobs - no experience) =

 

[Lester Bangs]

From what MK said I thoroughly advise people to watch Ken Loach's film 'The Navigators'.

The tussle between publicly owned, safety conscious industry and privately owned profit driven organisations are examined wonderfully in this film.

One of the best but most disheartening films I have ever seen.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Strike Not At Easter

4 Days 6th - 9th April.
TSSA Supervisors & RMT Engineers whole 4 days
Signal workers 6am-10am & 6pm-10pm each day.

Will this mean there will no services at all or just at peak times? Is it just national raillines affected not the tube?

In the past I've always had sympathy with unions & striking workers, but I'm losing that in this recession, I understand the why they're striking to protect against job losses but 4 days seems way OTT.

Mrs DS just booked her flight to the UK so she can finally move here permenantly from the USA arrving the 9th, and the next day this strike is called. Now I have to find a way to get up to Heathrow and back with all her stuff. Brilliant.

 

[canveyshrimper]

The tube as far as I am aware is not affected, so you'll be able to get to & from Heathrow by tube.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

The tube as far as I am aware is not affected, so you'll be able to get to & from Heathrow by tube.

Just got to get to london first, guess coach would be my best bet.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Just got to get to london first, guess coach would be my best bet.

Depends where you are coming from I guess. I'm not sure if there's coach / bus services from Southend into London these days.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Must be able to get a coach from Heathrow - Southend.

And this strike isn't about pay, its about NR ripping up our terms & conditions, making 1500 people redundant DESPITE the ORR telling NR we're down to our bare bones.

Ultimately NR want us to work more at nights & weekends to allow more trains to run. Unfortunately this will mean missed or shoddy maintenance compared to what it is now due to track access and it could result in another Greyrigg/Hatfield.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Must be able to get a coach from Heathrow - Southend.

And this strike isn't about pay, its about NR ripping up our terms & conditions, making 1500 people redundant DESPITE the ORR telling NR we're down to our bare bones.

Ultimately NR want us to work more at nights & weekends to allow more trains to run. Unfortunately this will mean missed or shoddy maintenance compared to what it is now due to track access and it could result in another Greyrigg/Hatfield.

It's also about the Millwall supporting dinosaur Crow spoiling for a fight. While I understand the worry about the ripping up of T&C's, surely something that has been in place over 40 years needs to be revised / reviewed and changed with the advent of progress.

I mentioned in another thread the problems caused by the National Dock Labour Board agreement in the 70's. It virtually guaranteed jobs for life, acted as a closed shop, and in the in has killed London as the greatest port in the world because the unions would not accept the changes required by modernisation bought about by containerisation. Insignificant ports such as Felixstowe & Southampton are now amongst the foremost in the world. While I realise the docks aren't the subject in hand, surely modernisation is?

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

And this strike isn't about pay, its about NR ripping up our terms & conditions, making 1500 people redundant DESPITE the ORR telling NR we're down to our bare bones.

Maybe if those employed got on with their work then the work would get done.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Maybe if those employed got on with their work then the work would get done.

There is (as far as I know) only one NR lazy arse who posts on SZ. :p