Cross Country industrial action - August 2009 (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

To be fair, willc has a point - the GMB can pack quite a hefty punch, too: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing-fighters-join-the-gmb-652015.html

 

[JayMac]

What the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) were doing was representing their members who worked for Vestas.

I have no idea why the RMT represents them, but it does - lots of unions represent all sorts of people you might not expect, for example, the rugby league players' association is part of the GMB - so no flying pickets to be seen in East Cowes.

At the risk of going off topic I feel I have to point out that the RMT does now represent some of the Vestas workforce. However this was not the case prior to the occupation of the site on 20th July.

Those few workers who were in a union before 20 July were in the Unite union. Most had only joined in the preceeding few weeks, hoping for the help of a union in the battle to stop the factory closing. Probably a bit to late for effective action to be organised; with hindsight the workers may have joined a union earlier. Why they were not in a union from the opening of the factory is maybe something that never occured to them.

It would appear that Unite were uninterested in being associated with the occupation, perhaps because it was illegal. The RMT had no such qualms and branch members from Portsmouth, whose usual sphere of influence are the Portsmouth-Ryde ferry workers, travelled to Newport IOW and began recruiting members and organising commitees amongst the Vestas workforce who were protesting outside the factory gates. The RMT supplied lawyers to fight the eviction of the illegal occupiers, who only managed to get a small extension to the possession order on a legal technicality.

Bob Crow's explanation as to why the RMT got involved was that it represented a few divers who put the turbines in the sea, so, by extension, it should represent those who made the turbine blades! Ignoring the fact that Vestas UK^▸ (United Kingdom) was only producing on-shore turbine blades. Perhaps I should've joined the RMT when I worked in the catering trade because it may have represented a few of the merchant seamen responsible for shipping in exotic ingredients!

The sit-in was a major news story and it appears that Commie Bob and his cronies saw an opportunity to get some publicity for the RMT; perhaps the current rail strikes and actions are not high-profile enough for Mr Crow, or, more likely, not getting wider public support.

So, I stand by my 'flying pickets' comment and re-iterate that Bob Crow et al should concentrate on representing RAIL, MARITIME, and TRANSPORT workers.

[willc]

So the GMB should stick to representing municipal workers and boilermakers? Not sure the latter category is a good prospect these days.

Did you demand that the old National Union of Railwaymen should stop representing bus drivers, which it did, before the merger that created the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers)? Thought not.

And who should Unite represent? Footballers at clubs with United in their name?

There seem to be an awful lot of people here who advocate hardy individualism and not being told what to do by other people, yet who are very keen to tell unions and their members what they should and shouldn't do.

[JayMac]

Heard this evening from an AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) train manager that the current industrial action has been suspended. I have looked at rmt.org.uk and there is, as yet, nothing there confirming this. Interestingly the TM^‡(resolve) I spoke to said the dispute was about pay rises linked to RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) rather than issues around whether they should or should not collect litter. This TM told me that litter collecting was already in her contract and had been for some time. Didn't ask her about toilets though!

I still think it is wrong that Sunday trains only run because of the goodwill of the staff. The RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) can use this 'goodwill' no matter what the dispute, holding the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company), and by extension, its passengers to ransom. The TOC doesn't want to run the risk of mass cancellations on a Sunday which affect its Public Performance Measure. The TOC gets all the bad publicity when RMT use such tactics. It's time that management, unions and employees sat down, across all TOCs, and thrashed out a deal to include Sundays in contract terms.

[grahame]

This thread got rather off topic - a somewhat heated discussion - and I have split those posts off and they can be read (with my comments) by regular members here:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5176.0

This thread has been locked overnight, but I will reopen it as soon as I have posted here ... with a request to keep it on topic, please.

Thanks!

[Henry]

 As far as I am aware Sundays are rostered for Railway staff.

 They are obliged to work them and find their own cover if they want the day off.
 I suppose the problem arises when the TM^‡(resolve)/Driver has leave.

 Strange how for years under BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) Sundays was always the 'carrot' railway managers used to bribe you with, mainly because the basic pay was so low.
 
 
 

[mikestone]

In BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days Sundays were rostered outside the standard week.  In my personal experience the roster clerk woud attempt to cover any Sundays "thrown-in" rather than providing your own cover, and if he/she couldn't you were expected to work - I seem to recall this being backed up by either a court case or an employment tribunal when someone got religion.
;
Somewhere along the line at some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) they have become voluntary, presumably the HR^▸ (Human Resources) people employed by the bus bandits failed to see that the substantial increases to basic rates post-privatisation  meant that staff no longer relied on the Sunday pay.

[super tm]

It is still a legal grey area.  EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) took ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) to court when all their drivers decided at the same time not to work a particular sunday in May this year.  It seems the court did not believe that suddenly all the drivers wanted the same day off and it was unofficial action so ASLEF had to write to its members to ask them to go to work !

http://www.aslef.org.uk/information/100012/100039/113020/sunday_working_on_east_midlands_trains/

[johoare]

In BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days Sundays were rostered outside the standard week.  In my personal experience the roster clerk woud attempt to cover any Sundays "thrown-in" rather than providing your own cover, and if he/she couldn't you were expected to work - I seem to recall this being backed up by either a court case or an employment tribunal when someone got religion.
;
Somewhere along the line at some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) they have become voluntary, presumably the HR^▸ (Human Resources) people employed by the bus bandits failed to see that the substantial increases to basic rates post-privatisation  meant that staff no longer relied on the Sunday pay.

Welcome to the forum Mikestone.. And thanks for the info..

[readytostart]

In BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days Sundays were rostered outside the standard week.  In my personal experience the roster clerk woud attempt to cover any Sundays "thrown-in" rather than providing your own cover, and if he/she couldn't you were expected to work - I seem to recall this being backed up by either a court case or an employment tribunal when someone got religion.
;
Somewhere along the line at some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) they have become voluntary, presumably the HR^▸ (Human Resources) people employed by the bus bandits failed to see that the substantial increases to basic rates post-privatisation  meant that staff no longer relied on the Sunday pay.

The way we have it at ScotRail is that you should work your own Sunday if not covered by someone else wishing to work it. However any action taken against someone not wishing to work their Sunday will be minimal as it is outside of the 35 hour week and effectively enforced overtime.

Problem is at any one time there will be several staff on annual leave which will leave some turns uncovered.  Added to this is that if the booked turn is altered significantly in content, or at all in the book on and off times then the driver can refuse to work the altered turn and will book on 'as required' and work trains as directed as long as the are within the original hours and that break times are suitable for the turn length. Given that weekendsare rife with engineering work alterations and diversions along with less staff on duty it can lead to more cancellations and short runnings.

Certain staff based at stations in an area relief role have slightly differently worded contracts, requiring them to work their Sundays

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

35 hour week 

im 48 if im very very very lucky