Strikes by FGW RMT members 27/3/15 and Easter weekend

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

Rail workers at Penzance train station to strike over Easter weekend

First published 08:53 Tuesday 24 March 2015 in News
RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) union members are to strike over the dismissal over a fellow staff member.

Following a ballot for strike action and action short of a strike, in a bid to make First Great Western management "see sense" over the dismissal over a colleague.


Conductors, guards and train drivers at Penzance are set to strike from 4am on Friday, March 27 until 3.59am on Saturday, March 28 and from 6am on Sunday, April 5 until 5.59am on Tuesday, April 7.

Union members will also refuse to work any overtime from 4am on Friday, March 27 until further notice.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT will not allow this culture to go unchallenged and the union will defend both our individual members and the principle of workplace justice.

"The union remains available for talks."

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/11875215.Rail_workers_at_Penzance_train_station_to_strike_over_Easter_weekend/?ref=mr

Would it be right to assume the dismissed person did something minor if the colleagues are striking over it?

[JayMac]

Overtime ban at Penzance also in place from this Friday.

More detail from the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers):

19 March 2015
RMT Calls Strike Action and Action Short of a Strike

Our Ref: BR2/4/1

19th March 2015

Dear Colleague

DISMISSAL, P. CASPALL, TRAIN MANAGER, PENZANCE ^ FIRST GREAT WESTERN

RMT CALLS STRIKE ACTION AND ACTION SHORT OF A STRIKE

Further to my letter dated the 12th March 2015 where I informed you of the magnificent results in the ballot for strike action and action short of a strike, first and foremost I would like to take this opportunity to applaud our members in their steadfast resolve to reinstate Brother Caspall.

I can now advise you that your union^s Executive Committee has again had the opportunity to consider this matter and believe that in order to achieve justice for our dismissed member industrial action is necessary to force management to see sense and reinstate Brother Caspall.

Therefore, your General Grades Committee has taken the decision to call on all our FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Conductor (Guard), Train Driver HSS^▸ (High Speed Services), Train Driver West and Train Manager (Guard) members at Penzance to take the following strike action:

Not to book on for any turns of duty that commence between 04.00 hours on Friday 27th March 2015 until 03.59 hours on Saturday 28th March 2015
 
Not to book on for any turns of duty that commence between 06.00 hours on Sunday 5th April 2015 until 05.59 hours on Tuesday 7th April 2015
 
Additionally, your General Grades Committee has instructed all our FGW Conductor (Guard), Train Driver HSS, Train Driver West and Train Manager (Guard) members at Penzance to take industrial action short of a strike, as instructed below:

Not to work any overtime from 04.00 hours on Friday 27th March 2015 until further notice

Once again, congratulations to our members at Penzance for your show of strength and solidarity in support of your dismissed colleague, Brother Caspall.

UNITY IS STRENGTH

SUPPORT YOUR UNION ^ SUPPORT THE ACTION

Best wishes.

Mick Cash

General Secretary

There's a further ballot at Exeter St Davids over dismissal of another colleague. That one is, I believe, over said colleague's use of social media.

[signalandtelegraph]

More of the story here

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Great-Western-workers-stage-strike-Friday/story-26220849-detail/story.html



Nice to see the Packet use a picture of a Cross Country HST^▸ (High Speed Train)!  Don't suppose many of their readers would have noticed!

[TaplowGreen]

......so on what grounds are they seeking their "Brother's" reinstatement exactly?

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) website:

Strike in victimisation dispute on First Great Western
24 March 2015
RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that there will be strike action in a victimisation dispute on First Great Western. The announcement comes the day after FGW^▸ (First Great Western) were awarded a contract extension in a move described by RMT as a "grotesque reward for failure by a toxic company which treats it's staff like dirt."

In the dispute, which involved a member of train crew fitted up and victimised by the company, a ballot has already been held and delivered an overwhelming mandate for action.

As a result, the union^s Executive Committee has had the opportunity to consider the matter and believes that in order to achieve justice for our dismissed member industrial action is necessary to force management to see sense and reinstate.

RMT^s General Grades Committee has now taken the decision to call on all our FGW Conductor (Guard), Train Driver HSS^▸ (High Speed Services), Train Driver West and Train Manager (Guard) members at Penzance to take the following strike action:

Not to book on for any turns of duty that commence between 04.00 hours on Friday 27th March 2015 until 03.59 hours on Saturday 28th March 2015

Not to book on for any turns of duty that commence between 06.00 hours on Sunday 5th April 2015 until 05.59 hours on Tuesday 7th April 2015

Additionally, the General Grades Committee has instructed all our FGW Conductor (Guard), Train Driver HSS, Train Driver West and Train Manager (Guard) members at Penzance to take industrial action short of a strike, as instructed below:

Not to work any overtime from 04.00 hours on Friday 27th March 2015 until further notice
 
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: ^It is clear from the current dispute we are engaged in that there is a culture of bullying and intimidation of staff rife within the money-spinning racket which is the First Great Western operation. RMT will not allow this culture to go unchallenged and the union will defend our individual members and the principle of workplace justice. The union remains available for talks in this dispute.^

(My highlighting. CfN.)

[TaplowGreen]

"Fitted up and victimised".......for leaving a train door open?

........reading the rhetoric from the Union it is clear that for some people it will always be 1978......

[ChrisB]

The rail operator said the train manager had been sacked after leaving the doors open while a train was running.

"We can confirm that a member of staff was recently dismissed for allowing the doors of a train to remain open while in passenger service, and failing to report the incident to anyone for over a month,^ added James Davis, media relations manager for First Great Western.

^The member of staff was not an RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) member at the time of the incident, and we are surprised that they have decided to support these actions, which put his safety, and the safety of his colleagues and our passengers at risk.

"The RMT has a track record of taking a strong stance on the safety of its members and passengers, and today's action seems inconsistent with those messages. We do not expect this action to impact services for customers, and continue to talk to the RMT about this issue."

Not a member of RMT at the time....RMT looking for any excuse to agitate. Somewhat surprised at the vote, although they only intimate, rather than state voting figures

[broadgage]

It could be that 2 members voted for a strike and that 1 member voted against. A 2 to 1 vote is an overwhelming majority, but hardly representative of the membership as a whole.

Edit to add, the actual figures are in the following post, I was not aware of the figures when posting

[The Tall Controller]

The results are posted on the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) website. It was a result of 30 in favour, 8 against.

[ChrisB]

without knowing the size of available vote, it's difficult to tell the level of support. If a couple of hundred, as an example, that'd be pretty poor.

[Henry]

  Was not a 'Brother'

[TRAINMAN57]

without knowing the size of available vote, it's difficult to tell the level of support. If a couple of hundred, as an example, that'd be pretty poor.

The members balloted was 38 in number, also the vote for action short of a strike was 37 for 1 against!

[TaplowGreen]

...........interesting isn't it that in none of the Union proclamations there does not appear to be any denial of the accuracy of material fact of what took place........ie the door was left open!

[ChrisB]

Or doors.....

But good to hear that all 38 voted that were qualified to do so.

[IndustryInsider]

...........interesting isn't it that in none of the Union proclamations there does not appear to be any denial of the accuracy of material fact of what took place........ie the door was left open!

Humans do make mistakes of course, as you recently pointed out in another thread.   If a driver or train manager was dismissed every time they made a mistake of some sort you would soon have a shortage to work the trains.  I don't know the facts, but to get such a turnout and positive vote indicates to me that there is something irregular/unfair about the dismissal.  The membership aren't stupid and usually won't vote to strike so overwhelmingly unless that's the case.