ducking out

[cappy]

Well dont know what the majority on this august site think .....but if i was on strike over xmas ......and was going to sit stuffing myself with turkey and all goodies ......AND EXPECT A ARMED FORCES MEMBER TO DO MY JOB i would be disgusted with myself and balls to the strike i would turn to....why should someone else ....probably less paid than myself TRAIN DRIVERS ON 100GRAND A YEAR .....with a wife and children cover for these folk .....at this time of the year......PEACE AND GOODWILL TO MEN ......MY ASS....what is happening in this once proud country ....GREED ..im truly disgusted ...... R683532 CAPPY

[Ivan Cloherty]

It's not about the strikers any more Cappy, it's about Union bosses on large salaries, gold plated pensions, plus other benefits, (who do not suffer in any way) losing face. If any striker thinks that their Union boss gives a sh*te about them then they are being delusional, don't forget the Union bosses salaries also go up pro-rata for any award their members receive. Mick Lynch is currently on £107,000 per year, he is very cagey about what other benefits he receives and he doesn't do shift work, nights or weekends

[vic mcclymont]

Cappy, according to the news the the Rail Companies agree in principal to a 9% pay rise. Eddie Dempsey said it was the best rise they could hope for. He RMT Leadership rejected the agreement.
This is not about a pay rise for Railway staff its about forcing a change of Government.
Vic

[Jim R Christie]

Cappy, according to the news the the Rail Companies agree in principal to a 9% pay rise. Eddie Dempsey said it was the best rise they could hope for. He RMT Leadership rejected the agreement.
This is not about a pay rise for Railway staff its about forcing a change of Government.
Vic

The offer made was 9% over two years, e.g. an average of 4.5% per year. Inflation as of last month is currently running at 11% - so that works out to a 7% pay cut for staff, notwithstanding the money lost due to industrial action.
That offer was put to a vote and the RMT membership rejected it.
As for Mick Lynch's salary, to an RMT member he's absolutely worth every penny as in nearly every workplace where RMT are represented they always get a good deal.
If only NUMAST had even 10% of their bottle we might have got somewhere.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Well we are all entitled to our opinion of Mr Lynch and his tactics, ruining Christmas for many lonely elderly and ordinary working folk on less money than his members who more than likely have saved up for months to see their elderly relatives who have now been denied the pleasure of seeing their grandchildren for nearly three years because of Covid and this rail strike. Mr Lynch has publicly stated that it is not only the strike that he wants but a means to change the government, but of course you will be quite happy with that as if I remember rightly you are alright Jack for the festive season.

What I also fail to understand is all the recent adverts on TV and in the Press extolling the virtues and convenience of travelling by train over Christmas, there are no bloody trains. Many of the elderly who look forward to receiving their Christmas cards will also be disappointed and the Union leaders are convinced they have the public', support somehow I think what support they did have is quickly evaporating

[Jim R Christie]

Well we are all entitled to our opinion of Mr Lynch and his tactics, ruining Christmas for many lonely elderly and ordinary working folk on less money than his members who more than likely have saved up for months to see their elderly relatives who have now been denied the pleasure of seeing their grandchildren for nearly three years because of Covid and this rail strike. Mr Lynch has publicly stated that it is not only the strike that he wants but a means to change the government, but of course you will be quite happy with that as if I remember rightly you are alright Jack for the festive season.

What I also fail to understand is all the recent adverts on TV and in the Press extolling the virtues and convenience of travelling by train over Christmas, there are no bloody trains. Many of the elderly who look forward to receiving their Christmas cards will also be disappointed and the Union leaders are convinced they have the public', support somehow I think what support they did have is quickly evaporating

Quite the flair for the dramatic there.
The last effective strike was yesterday (Saturday 17th), there isn't another due until 3rd January.
Whilst there is industrial action planned from 1800 Christmas Eve until 0700 on the 27th, it should be remembered that the railways always close down early on Christmas Eve, there is always complete closure on Christmas Day regardless and very little if anything runs on Boxing day with things only winding up again from the morning of the 27th. That particular strike will therefore have minimal impact on the travelling public as it's designed to specifically target heavy maintenance and civil engineering works which are planned for those couple of days when the railways are closed on Christmas and Boxing day.
Anyone visiting relatives by rail has had today and still has the entirety of next week to get where they want to go, then a full week of normal services from the 27th to get back again - the regular annual close down on New Year's day excepted. Anyone who was unable to travel due to strike action can claim a full refund on their tickets or use them moved on an alternative date.
This notion that people somehow can't visit relatives or travel for the Christmas period due to industrial action is effectively nonsense.

The Tories have no interest in settling this issue as they seem to think they'll be immortalised as modern day Thatchers by "breaking the unions". The Rail Delivery Group was prepared to make a formal offer to RMT a few weeks ago (one which likely would have been acceptable) but they were prohibited from doing so by the Transport Secretary a mere hour before they were due to meet the RMT leaders, they were then given new instructions to submit the current poorer offer which has of course been rejected.
It's also worth pointing out that the same dispute was resolved in Scotland after the unions came to an agreement with the Scottish Government as those matters are devolved to Edinburgh. Residual disruption on Scotland's railway is now caused by Network Rail staff who come under the jurisdiction of London.

The Tories won't beat the RMT. I'll lay a bet with anyone that Mick Lynch will still be in office when the current PM has gone.
.

[Doc Vernon]

ducking out

Thought it was about Cricket ! cappy!! LOL

[happy daze john in oz]

We have similar here in O)z, not so many strikes but the union bosses keep their jobs by making sure they get what they can for the workers.
Thye do not give a rats about the workers in reality, but to stay on top they must fight for them.

Most are going very well, big houses, fancy cars while the guys they are supposed to care for do all the hard graft.

[cappy]

Quite the flair for the dramatic there.
The last effective strike was yesterday (Saturday 17th), there isn't another due until 3rd January.
Whilst there is industrial action planned from 1800 Christmas Eve until 0700 on the 27th, it should be remembered that the railways always close down early on Christmas Eve, there is always complete closure on Christmas Day regardless and very little if anything runs on Boxing day with things only winding up again from the morning of the 27th. That particular strike will therefore have minimal impact on the travelling public as it's designed to specifically target heavy maintenance and civil engineering works which are planned for those couple of days when the railways are closed on Christmas and Boxing day.
Anyone visiting relatives by rail has had today and still has the entirety of next week to get where they want to go, then a full week of normal services from the 27th to get back again - the regular annual close down on New Year's day excepted. Anyone who was unable to travel due to strike action can claim a full refund on their tickets or use them moved on an alternative date.
This notion that people somehow can't visit relatives or travel for the Christmas period due to industrial action is effectively nonsense.

The Tories have no interest in settling this issue as they seem to think they'll be immortalised as modern day Thatchers by "breaking the unions". The Rail Delivery Group was prepared to make a formal offer to RMT a few weeks ago (one which likely would have been acceptable) but they were prohibited from doing so by the Transport Secretary a mere hour before they were due to meet the RMT leaders, they were then given new instructions to submit the current poorer offer which has of course been rejected.
It's also worth pointing out that the same dispute was resolved in Scotland after the unions came to an agreement with the Scottish Government as those matters are devolved to Edinburgh. Residual disruption on Scotland's railway is now caused by Network Rail staff who come under the jurisdiction of London.

The Tories won't beat the RMT. I'll lay a bet with anyone that Mick Lynch will still be in office when the current PM has gone.
.

Well scargill is still there and there has has been on picket lines ......pity his members and followers couldnt afford the train fare .....R683532

[j.sabourn]

I am as near neutral as regards Unions as one is likely to get. But I have always been a member of one for personal protection of my livelihood . When enterprise bargaining was brought in I thought that would be the end of the tactics of strikes. There are obviously faults on both sides . Maybe the so called secretary’s of the unions see their jobs disappearing and want to make a re-appearance ,and maybe some of the employers want their power of hiring and firing and quoting the lowest wages they say they can afford . Their are always black and white hats in disputes . The average man or woman just wants a quite and affordable lifestyle without all this hassle , and not invited into doing things they normally wouldn’t . Bully boys on both sides are well known to me in the shipping industry . JS