Great Western Coffee Shop

My wife and I have through tickets from Warminster to Waterloo and return on 23 Mar. This is looking, possibly/likely, to be another SWR strike day. I believe on previous strike days the Waterloo/Bristol Temple Meads services were cancelled. There is no information on the SWR website about alternate options on forthcoming strike days.

Does anyone know what SWR have "offered" (if anything) to passengers as alternative routes on this line on previous strike days? There would appear to be two options: (1): GWR to Salisbury - then hope there is something from there to Waterloo - and, perhaps more importantly, back !! (2): GWR from Westbury to Paddington.

My preferred option would be the Westbury way - next question ..... can we travel 1st Class on GWR with Advance 1st Class SWR tickets if this is given as an alternative route ??

On previous strike days the advice has been to use GWR services to Salisbury, to connect into an hourly SWR service from Salisbury to Waterloo.
I don’t know, but I doubt using GWR services via Westbury to Paddington would be permitted.

The planned service & timetables for strike days are usually put on their website just a few days in advance. You'll find that up till that point and even on the strike day itself many journey planners will not be adjusted with the amended service thus producing incorrect results. I have had to rely on the printed strike day SWR timetables and the normal Southern timetables to work out my journeys on these days.

I fear you may be correct. We will probably be thrown to the wolves (Cash and his gang !) and left to try and sort something out on the day. With hindsight I should have booked via Westbury - more expensive - but at least there would have been some trains running .

The announced strike dates are 22th February, 9th & 16th March.
At the time of writing, 23rd March is not a strike day. If there are further strikes, would they wait until after the 16th March before announcing new dates? Do they have to hold a fresh ballot?

More info will be available nearer the time at https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action

That is exactly my point - there is a strike on Feb 22nd - SWR have absolutely nothing on their website to help passengers wishing to travel that day - or indeed any announced strike day.   How much notice will be given for a possible strike on Mar 23 and what will SWR offer in advance ?

From the RMT website
7 February 2019

RMT Press Office:

RMT secures renewed mandate for action in ballot on South Western Railway and announces fresh strike dates.

RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that it has secured yet another rock-solid vote to continue with action in the rail safety dispute on South Western Railway after being forced to renew the mandate under the terms of the latest wave of Tory anti-union laws.

Accordingly the union’s executive has announced a further round of strike action.

Members have voted by an overwhelming 88% to continue with the current action in defence of safety, security and access on SWR despite the legal hurdles erected by the Tories. This is the fourth time that the union has been forced to ballot with the company stringing out the process every six months in the hope that their constant undermining of their own safety-critical workforce will impact on union members morale. Once again their cynical strategy has failed and RMT says that it is time for SWR to stop playing games and to start getting serious in genuine and meaningful talks.

RMT members on South Western Railway working as a Railway Guard, Commercial Guard or Train Driver are instructed to not to book on for any shifts that commence between:-

• 00.01 Hours and 23.59 Hours on Friday 22nd February 2019.

• 00.01 Hours and 23.59 Hours on Saturday 9th March 2019.

• 00.01 Hours and 23.59 Hours on Saturday 16th March 2019.

The ballot result comes a day after RMT secured a guard guarantee in the long running dispute on Northern Rail allowing the union to suspend on-going strike action - piling more pressure on SWR to stop stalling and start talking seriously around safe and accessible services with all trains running with a guard on board.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:

“RMT has been forced under the latest wave of Tory anti-union laws to ballot for a fourth time in the rail safety dispute on South Western Railway under the six month rule and once again our members have stood united and solid and have renewed the mandate to carry on the fight to put public safety before private profit.

“It is a disgrace that South Western Railway have yet again opted to play for time over the past six months rather than acting responsibly and getting round the table with the union to work out a solution to this dispute that puts safety and the guard guarantee centre stage. That is the package we have successfully negotiated in both Wales and Scotland and on a number of English franchises. It defies belief that we are being denied the same positive outcome on the South Western Railway routes.

“This ballot result comes just a day after RMT secured a guard guarantee in the long running dispute on Northern Rail allowing the union to suspend on-going strike action - piling yet more pressure on SWR to stop stalling and start talking seriously around safe and accessible services with all trains running with a guard on board. ‎There is no excuse for them to stall that process any longer.“

88% of how many members that voted?


No doubt deliberately timed with the two 6 Nations matches at Twickenham on 9th & 16th March in mind.


 As this is a civilised forum, I will refrain from giving vent to my true feelings in appropriately industrial language, but I am sure that the sentiments will be shared by at least 88% of the population.

https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/ballot-results/role-of-the-guard-and-extension-of-doo-swr070219/

I make that a turnout of 64%. Comfortably above the 50% required to have a valid mandate. 64% turnout is also the average of the last five General Elections.

Fair enough. So of those entitled to vote, 56% voted for strike action.

Which is comfortably above the 5237% accepted by HMG as a mandate to leave the EU.