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Southern Rail STRIKE details
- Thread starter Ernest
- Start date
PMQs today:
Horsham MP Jeremy Quin asked:
“While media attention seems to be focused elsewhere all of us in this House have constituents who have problems that need to be addressed.
“For weeks and weeks my constituents have been struggling with the impact of unofficial industrial action on our railways, not over jobs, not over wages, but who gets to press a button.
“Will my right honourable friend condemn this in the strongest possible terms and help to resolve these issues?”
Mr Cameron replied:
“Our transport infrastructure is a crucial part of our economy, I condemn any industrial action that disrupts the travelling public and rail passengers will not thank the RMT and ASLEF for this recent unnecessary disruption.
“Frankly the performance of Southern has been unacceptable and passengers deserve better, and I can tell the House we will be providing more generous compensation for passengers affected by the latest strike and the transport secretary will be announcing further details soon.”
Horsham MP Jeremy Quin asked:
“While media attention seems to be focused elsewhere all of us in this House have constituents who have problems that need to be addressed.
“For weeks and weeks my constituents have been struggling with the impact of unofficial industrial action on our railways, not over jobs, not over wages, but who gets to press a button.
“Will my right honourable friend condemn this in the strongest possible terms and help to resolve these issues?”
Mr Cameron replied:
“Our transport infrastructure is a crucial part of our economy, I condemn any industrial action that disrupts the travelling public and rail passengers will not thank the RMT and ASLEF for this recent unnecessary disruption.
I'm sure they will both be QUAKING in their boots... with their slender majorities of 25,155 in Witney and 24,658 in Horsham
#cometherevolution
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Does this mean I may actually get to Portsmouth Harbour for 10.30am next week? I've been thinking of driving as the west coast line service has been so poor.
Deadly Danson
Well-known member
"who gets to press a button" - it's this sort of narrow minded, thick headed, dumb assed comment that just shows what a contemptible MP he is. By simplifying the dispute down to this one ridiculous soundbite it just shows what he thinks of his constituents and their safety on the railway. Makes my blood boil. Even the most anti-guard posters on here understand the complexities of this situation.
by UKIP (who came 2nd in GE2015)? #delusional
driller
my life my word
I cannot believe all the disruption over pressing a button.
Maybe we could pop down to toys r us and buy them one
Maybe we could pop down to toys r us and buy them one
Deadly Danson
Well-known member
RMT Press Office:
Train company funded report exposes dangers of Driver Only Operation but recommends ploughing on regardless.
A report funded by the Train Operating Companies own safety body has warned that introducing Driver Only Operation, and sacking guards on train services, will increase risks to passengers, RMT can reveal today.
Incredibly, despite that admission, the report dismisses those risks and recommends that every guard should be sacked in order to cream off another £350 million in profits.
“Evaluating technological solutions to support driver only operation train dispatch” by the Train Operating Company (TOC’s) funded Railway Safety Standards Board (RSSB) warns that,
“DOO does not create additional undesired events but may increase the likelihood of an event occurring or increase the severity of its consequence.”
It goes on to say that “The risk level of each undesired event will vary according to platform features, rolling stock, driver behaviour and passenger behaviour and passenger flows.”
Yet despite the risk to passengers the report says the TOCs should sack guards on every train company. This will rake in £350 million over five years (see timetable below).
It concludes that “Analysis of the business case indicates that the expected payback time for national rollout under the same assumptions would be three years, and that the best estimate for return over 5 years would be £350m.”
Savings are to come directly from employing less staff to help passengers and by downgrading safety protections for passengers .
The report argues that “This can arise from employing fewer staff, and from replacing guards with cheaper non-safety critical on-train staff (NSCOS)” and that “Safety critical training for guards would no longer be required, which would reduce the training requirement from 12 weeks to 4 weeks for the second staff member on board”.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“It is extraordinary that the rail industry's own risk assessment body, funded by the train companies, can find on the one hand that Driver Only Operation is downright dangerous and on the other recommend ploughing on regardless in the name of profit. This is a classic case of ‘who pays the piper calls the tune’.
“It is appalling that the RSSB can adopt this cavalier attitude and allow themselves to be wheeled out by a company like Govia Thameslink as cheerleaders for DOO. They are destroying their own credibility and making a mockery of their claim to be independent."
So even the train companies admit that Driver only operation is less safe - but it saves a few quid for the shareholders so that's OK.
Train company funded report exposes dangers of Driver Only Operation but recommends ploughing on regardless.
A report funded by the Train Operating Companies own safety body has warned that introducing Driver Only Operation, and sacking guards on train services, will increase risks to passengers, RMT can reveal today.
Incredibly, despite that admission, the report dismisses those risks and recommends that every guard should be sacked in order to cream off another £350 million in profits.
“Evaluating technological solutions to support driver only operation train dispatch” by the Train Operating Company (TOC’s) funded Railway Safety Standards Board (RSSB) warns that,
“DOO does not create additional undesired events but may increase the likelihood of an event occurring or increase the severity of its consequence.”
It goes on to say that “The risk level of each undesired event will vary according to platform features, rolling stock, driver behaviour and passenger behaviour and passenger flows.”
Yet despite the risk to passengers the report says the TOCs should sack guards on every train company. This will rake in £350 million over five years (see timetable below).
It concludes that “Analysis of the business case indicates that the expected payback time for national rollout under the same assumptions would be three years, and that the best estimate for return over 5 years would be £350m.”
Savings are to come directly from employing less staff to help passengers and by downgrading safety protections for passengers .
The report argues that “This can arise from employing fewer staff, and from replacing guards with cheaper non-safety critical on-train staff (NSCOS)” and that “Safety critical training for guards would no longer be required, which would reduce the training requirement from 12 weeks to 4 weeks for the second staff member on board”.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“It is extraordinary that the rail industry's own risk assessment body, funded by the train companies, can find on the one hand that Driver Only Operation is downright dangerous and on the other recommend ploughing on regardless in the name of profit. This is a classic case of ‘who pays the piper calls the tune’.
“It is appalling that the RSSB can adopt this cavalier attitude and allow themselves to be wheeled out by a company like Govia Thameslink as cheerleaders for DOO. They are destroying their own credibility and making a mockery of their claim to be independent."
So even the train companies admit that Driver only operation is less safe - but it saves a few quid for the shareholders so that's OK.
Doc Lynam
I hate the Daily Mail
- Jun 19, 2011
- 7,213
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/de382e81-d76d-47bf-86b3-829bcdd3e573
Our MPs questioning Claire Perry this morning.
10:15:57 Peter Kyle
10:18:07 Caroline Lucas
Our MPs questioning Claire Perry this morning.
10:15:57 Peter Kyle
10:18:07 Caroline Lucas
10.18 : 07 is cancelled due to a shortage of available microphones !
Yoda
English & European
Twice this week it has taken me 3 times as long to get the shortish distance home than it should take.
pasty
A different kind of pasty
I would have thought the microphone was available, but there was nobody to plug it in? Mr Speaker allegedly wanted a sound engineer to plug it in, but the Conservative whips office demanded it was an electrical engineer and nobody could agree who should do it.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,551
Really wouldn't take the chance. If you live in Newhaven, you'd have to not only trust SASTA to first get you into Brighton, but also to then get you out the other side to Portsmouth. I wouldn't trust them with either at the moment, especially if you have to be there by 10.30am. Even if you took the first train running out of Newhaven in the morning, it would be touch and go. Just say no to SASTA if you have other options available would be my wise advice.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Yes, I've already made the decision to drive, which I didn't want to do. I really enjoy the journey via train, but SASTA, have made it impossible.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 70,551
The Albion Roar
97.2FM
Peter Kyle: The shambles that we've seen is turning into a crisis. I've got people writing to me who are late every day, and their bosses are giving them written warnings now. The government seems to expect people to turn to their bosses and tell them not to worry that by 2018 it will all be fine. Can the minister tell us when this shambles and crisis will end, and they can tell their bosses that things will get better?
Claire Perry: The honourable gentleman and I talk about this a lot, and he knows that there was disruption as a result of this record investment, that things were getting better. I point again to the fact in April we were getting up to an 84% - an 83.8% PPM. If his constituents want to write to bosses, may I suggest they write to the union bosses involved who I think are doing their members a grave disservice by bringing them out on completely unjustified grounds. This is a dispute about who presses the buttons that operates the doors, and the change in the role of the second staff member. There are no job losses, there are no changes in terms and conditions.
Caroline Lucas: It's no good having more rolling stock if they're not actually moving. And it's not good enough for her to simply blame the unions on this issue. Her department has got to get a grip. My constituents are furious. They are paying through the nose for an appalling service, which threatens their jobs, it robs them of time with their families, while the CEO of Go Ahead is on a pay deal which rose to over £2m last year. So will she get a grip? Stop the defending the failing private sector, remove the franchise, put the service in transparent and accountable public hands now?
Claire Perry: I have to tell the honourable lady that my focus is on completely on the passengers. The honourable lady accpted a very large donation from the RMT before the last election, and ASLEF union have awarded themselves a 16% pay increase. They need to stop objecting to the introduction of the new technology which benfefits her constituents and the constituents across the UK.
In short, Claire Perry says this is all the fault of the unions.
Claire Perry: The honourable gentleman and I talk about this a lot, and he knows that there was disruption as a result of this record investment, that things were getting better. I point again to the fact in April we were getting up to an 84% - an 83.8% PPM. If his constituents want to write to bosses, may I suggest they write to the union bosses involved who I think are doing their members a grave disservice by bringing them out on completely unjustified grounds. This is a dispute about who presses the buttons that operates the doors, and the change in the role of the second staff member. There are no job losses, there are no changes in terms and conditions.
Caroline Lucas: It's no good having more rolling stock if they're not actually moving. And it's not good enough for her to simply blame the unions on this issue. Her department has got to get a grip. My constituents are furious. They are paying through the nose for an appalling service, which threatens their jobs, it robs them of time with their families, while the CEO of Go Ahead is on a pay deal which rose to over £2m last year. So will she get a grip? Stop the defending the failing private sector, remove the franchise, put the service in transparent and accountable public hands now?
Claire Perry: I have to tell the honourable lady that my focus is on completely on the passengers. The honourable lady accpted a very large donation from the RMT before the last election, and ASLEF union have awarded themselves a 16% pay increase. They need to stop objecting to the introduction of the new technology which benfefits her constituents and the constituents across the UK.
In short, Claire Perry says this is all the fault of the unions.