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Southern Rail STRIKE details







Titanic

Super Moderator
Helpful Moderator
Jul 5, 2003
39,134
West Sussex
I'm off to the football. And you wonder why any vague notions of support for the guards have so rapidly been replaced by anger and contempt?

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Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
59,773
The Fatherland
I'm afraid so. All the time Southern keep ripping up agreements already put in place then no one will believe them unless they can give cast iron assurances.

As I've said before, if Southern treat their own staff with a fraction of the utter contempt they have for their customers then it's no wonder there's a dispute. You have my support.
 
















pastafarian

Well-known member
Sep 4, 2011
11,902
Sussex
And of course, just a reminder that in direct contravention of the Equality Act 2010 any passengers in a wheelchair will no longer be able to turn up and board a train if it doesn't have a guard. They will have to give 24 hours notice. Nice, just so GTR can save a few pennies.

is this correct? will wheelchair passengers no longer be allowed to turn up and board a train if there is no guard?.

Ive taken a wheelchair user a few times on the trains and i know they recommend advance booking of assistance anyway especially if a station is unmanned or there is no guard on the train so assistance can be planned but we were always assisted on and off the train by a member of the station staff and not a guard.

I was fairly sure you could turn up unannounced at manned stations and still receive assistance from a member of staff and someone could be arranged to meet you at the other end with the Passenger Assist system,well thats what the leaflet says anyway.
I thought turning up unannounced just meant you might have to wait a bit longer until someone was able to help as opposed to booking a certain train.
Can you confirm please southern will be forcing us to always book 24 hrs in advance no matter what station you use.
 




Ernest

Stupid IDIOT
Nov 8, 2003
42,739
LOONEY BIN
is this correct? will wheelchair passengers no longer be allowed to turn up and board a train if there is no guard?.

Ive taken a wheelchair user a few times on the trains and i know they recommend advance booking of assistance anyway especially if a station is unmanned or there is no guard on the train so assistance can be planned but we were always assisted on and off the train by a member of the station staff and not a guard.

I was fairly sure you could turn up unannounced at manned stations and still receive assistance from a member of staff and someone could be arranged to meet you at the other end with the Passenger Assist system,well thats what the leaflet says anyway.
I thought turning up unannounced just meant you might have to wait a bit longer until someone was able to help as opposed to booking a certain train.
Can you confirm please southern will be forcing us to always book 24 hrs in advance no matter what station you use.

If you don't book 24 hours in advance they won't guarantee assistance , you could be wishing to board a train that has a booked OBS but is in fact going without one so there is nobody on board able to offer assistance to you
 


pastafarian

Well-known member
Sep 4, 2011
11,902
Sussex
If you don't book 24 hours in advance they won't guarantee assistance , you could be wishing to board a train that has a booked OBS but is in fact going without one so there is nobody on board able to offer assistance to you

ok cheers,I dont know what an OBS is (havnt really read much of the thread,but saw the disabled post which caught my eye).
Does this mean if we turn up at a manned station like worthing and going to brighton the station staff wont assist anymore unless we have pre booked through the helpline?
 


Ernest

Stupid IDIOT
Nov 8, 2003
42,739
LOONEY BIN
ok cheers,I dont know what an OBS is (havnt really read much of the thread,but saw the disabled post which caught my eye).
Does this mean if we turn up at a manned station like worthing and going to brighton the station staff wont assist anymore unless we have pre booked through the helpline?

The OBS (On board supervisor) is the replacement for the Conductor/Guard, the wording is that they will be on every train that has a Conductor but if one is 'unavailable' for whatever reason then there will be nobody on board to offer assistance, of course if someone is on the station (bearing in mind their jobs are going too) then of course you'd get help whether you booked or not. But if say at Worthing there is nobody on the station, no OBS on your train and you haven't pre booked then you aren't getting help.

I know the various disability charities etc are looking at this in terms of the equality act so it may be declared illegal anyway to make someone pre book 24 hours ahead instead of just turn up and board the first train you want.
 




pastafarian

Well-known member
Sep 4, 2011
11,902
Sussex
The OBS (On board supervisor) is the replacement for the Conductor/Guard, the wording is that they will be on every train that has a Conductor but if one is 'unavailable' for whatever reason then there will be nobody on board to offer assistance, of course if someone is on the station (bearing in mind their jobs are going too) then of course you'd get help whether you booked or not. But if say at Worthing there is nobody on the station, no OBS on your train and you haven't pre booked then you aren't getting help.

I know the various disability charities etc are looking at this in terms of the equality act so it may be declared illegal anyway to make someone pre book 24 hours ahead instead of just turn up and board the first train you want.

thanks
i would have thought it was illegal as well. Why on earth would southern even be contemplating forcing people to book 24 hours ahead......seems daft
 






Hamilton

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
12,514
Brighton
Just trying to simplify things here, but if GTR were to just drop the name On Board Supervisors and let Guards be called Guards, and if they placed a Guard on every train and beefed up their On Board responsibilities, then I'm assuming that the RMT would have no problem with this?

Also as driver only operated trains are already in existence, am I to assume that a great many train operating companies are already in direct contravention of the Equality Act 2010? Not sure on that one.

I got on a Thameslink this morning at 5.30am (one of the hideous new trains that I'm sure Charles Horton wants to bring in - less seats, no tables, limited leg room in a window seat) and it had no guard on board. There are driver only trains in operation, so I'm wondering why the RMT didn't take action against these operators.

I think that Southern have shown contempt for passengers and staff. But equally, I feel now that the RMT and staff have little consideration for passengers.

Soon we'll see ticket office staff striking too, and all because Southern would like to get staff out onto the concourses. TfL have done this quite successfully. I'm not sure what objections there are to it. Yes there will always be a need for a ticket office for certain transactions, but these can be minimised.

It seems that too many people are enjoying this battle. Meanwhile, many of us are being made to suffer the consequences of the fight when alternative means of consultation are not being pursued.
 




Doc Lynam

I hate the Daily Mail
Jun 19, 2011
7,208
Chris Grayling spoke up today!

"Its not for me to tell the management of this line and the unions exactly how to do their job! We are funding new trains, we're funding modernisation across the whole rail network, there are new stations opening, there are new lines opening, there are new trains being delivered across the country, i want a modern railway that is good for passengers; i don't want trade unions messing up passengers lives by striking unnecessarily, there are no jobs at risk, there's no money at risk, this is all about unions jockeying for position that should not be happening."

Interesting opening and closing statement!
 


Tony Meolas Loan Spell

Slut Faced Whores
Jul 15, 2004
18,067
Vamanos Pest
Put is this way being booed by guards as people head to Brighton station today to catch a train really isnt the way to win hearts and minds. Really **** them all sack em and start again. Im with the govt now. Safety is a smokescreen.
 


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