Southern Rail STRIKE details

[Thunder Bolt]

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[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Thought about coach and not a bad idea. It's just I'm a tightwad and don't want to pay for coach when I have a London season ticket so train would not cost me anything extra I guess it might be a lot safer if I don't want to risk missing my flight though

Bit of a no-brainer really. If SASTA let you down on the day, you'll have to shell out fifty quid on a cab. Even if if you get on the train and it actually departs at roughly the timetabled time, it's just as likely to stop in the middle of nowhere on account of a broken down train in front of it, or terminate at Haywards Heath or somewhere even more annoying for some idiot reason. Who needs that level of stress in their life to save a tenner when you need to catch a flight?

 

[wellquickwoody]

and don't take it out on the frontline staff.

How else can a commuter get the message through? Many people are unable to use a different method of transport so cannot vote with their feet. Drivers and conductors deserve the shit, and other staff seem to be on the strikers side. Why shouldn't paying customers vent their frustrations?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

How else can a commuter get the message through? Many people are unable to use a different method of transport so cannot vote with their feet. Drivers and conductors deserve the shit, and other staff seem to be on the strikers side. Why shouldn't paying customers vent their frustrations?

The frontline staff are cannon-fodder, same as the customers are. They're only doing their best to get you home. The higher management don't give a shit whether you get home or not.

 

[wellquickwoody]

The frontline staff are cannon-fodder, same as the customers are. They're only doing their best to get you home. The higher management don't give a shit whether you get home or not.

The frontline staff are the imbeciles striking FFS!

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

The frontline staff are cannon-fodder, same as the customers are. They're only trying to get you home. The higher management don't give a shit whether you get home or not.

Exactly. I wouldn't condone abusing frontline staff. In fact this is another angle. Do they consider when the frontline staff when striking? Again serious question.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The frontline staff are the imbeciles striking FFS!

Pointless carrying on this utterly gormless conversation any further

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

The frontline staff are the imbeciles striking FFS!

Not quite. Frontline staff to me are platform staff, ticket office etc they are the frontline staff.

I would happily point out to the guards that the working man their unions are so dearly supporting are actually the people that need to get the train but they don't man the picket line when I get the train at 6.30ish they are all tucked up in bed and have generally buggered off by the time I get home 7pm ish.

 

[Springal]

How else can a commuter get the message through? Many people are unable to use a different method of transport so cannot vote with their feet. Drivers and conductors deserve the shit, and other staff seem to be on the strikers side. Why shouldn't paying customers vent their frustrations?

Agreed, unfortunately I hope the front line staff get some grief over this. That is after all the position their colleagues are putting them in

[tweet]804316078050516993[/tweet]

So they can't even decide when to strike. They really are taking the piss now.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Not quite. Frontline staff to me are platform staff, ticket office etc they are the frontline staff.

I would happily point out to the guards that the working man their unions are so dearly supporting are actually the people that need to get the train but they don't man the picket line when I get the train at 6.30ish they are all tucked up in bed and have generally buggered off by the time I get home 7pm ish.

Whilst I see you point about platform staff etc, they are also being beligerent buggers at the moment. After having bought a daily ticket for two days as the ticket office in Southwick steadfastly refused to open #sniffles, the barrier staff in Worthing suggested I bought a further ticket to West Worthing ticket office as the ticket office at Worthing was closed due to staff shortages #moresniffles? The conversation may have ended in 'off!'

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

So they can't even decide when to strike. They really are taking the piss now.

Because they do not care about the paying public only their cause end of.

You and I and the rest of the paying public are just collateral damage.

 

[Spiros]

Ah the wonderful 'helpful' frontline staff. Would that be like the crew on Hove station? When the sun's out and the trains are running OK there seems to be about 10 of them, all smiling and helping lost children. As soon as the weather goes a bit crap and delays are happening then they're in their little 'castle' on platform 2 with the drawbridge well and truly up.

Or do you mean the wonderful ticket office guy on Durrington station who threw a strop when my daughter had to get some ticket refunds processed (due to an error by Southern office staff I hasten to add). Insisted that 'this will take me half a f??cking hour, I'll have to close the office' - it only took him five minutes and it was on a quiet Saturday morning.

Or do you mean the oh-so-helpful platform staff at Horsham who - when I was stranded there because of a broken-down train - also hid in their little office on the platform. When I asked when the next train to Barnham was I got the answer 'sorry mate, don't have a clue'. Do you ever get information from a control centre I asked? 'Mind your own business' was the response.

Or do you mean like the guy at Brighton station? Once having had to catch a train from Aldrington there was no way to buy a ticket as there didn't appear to be a ticket machine and the 'permit to travel' machine was a melted lump of metal. The guard was firmly in his compartment at the rear of the train and wasn't taking visitors, telling me to get a ticket at Brighton. When I mentioned this to the ticket collector at Brighton he tried to charge me a £10 penalty fare and then told me it was my fault for getting on at Aldrington. He sent me on my way with a cheery 'with any luck they'll shut that shithole soon'

It's memories like that and the chaos currently going on that makes me glad I drive to work. Sadly my daughters still have no choice to deal with the rabble that run the railways. From the top to the bottom - with a few exceptions - they think only of themselves. The 'customer' is the last thing they think about, as this dispute well shows.

 

[Uncle Buck]

The frontline staff are cannon-fodder, same as the customers are. They're only doing their best to get you home. The higher management don't give a shit whether you get home or not.

Totally disagree that they are doing their best to get you home.

Last night at London Bridge there was a signal cluster****. Trains being delayed, cancelled, removed from the boards and then departing without telling anyone.

The staff's attitude was a shrug of the shoulders and arguing back.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Totally disagree that they are doing their best to get you home.

Last night at London Bridge there was a signal cluster****. Trains being delayed, cancelled, removed from the boards and then departing without telling anyone.

The staff's attitude was a shrug of the shoulders and arguing back.

Fair enough. But like I say, frontline staff are cannon-fodder in the same game as the rest of us, and are not being told anything by their company. Convenient targets. At some point, just like the rest of us, they'll bite back at having constant abuse heaped upon them through no fault of their own.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Totally disagree that they are doing their best to get you home.

Last night at London Bridge there was a signal cluster****. Trains being delayed, cancelled, removed from the boards and then departing without telling anyone.

The staff's attitude was a shrug of the shoulders and arguing back.

To be fair they probably didn't know either. Southern as a whole are very very bad at sharing information. The answer you usually get is "look on Twitter".

 

[beorhthelm]

Agreed, unfortunately I hope the front line staff get some grief over this. That is after all the position their colleagues are putting them in



So they can't even decide when to strike. They really are taking the piss now.

bunch of quims. how many people planned to WFH/holiday for the end of the week, coinciding with school holidays? obviously wasnt causing enough discomfort for the public, or just wanting to bounce the ASLEF strike?

 

[Arthur]

Fair enough. But like I say, frontline staff are cannon-fodder in the same game as the rest of us, and are not being told anything by their company. Convenient targets. At some point, just like the rest of us, they'll bite back at having constant abuse heaped upon them through no fault of their own.

Like I've said before on this thread that is same with any service industry and come with the territory I'm afraid. If you got to a restaurant and have a shit steak you'll moan to the waiting staff...they didn't source/cook it. If any of your utilities go off, you'll ring up and berate the mush on the phone.....not their fault your broadband has been off for an hour. Likewise if the trains don't work then you'll moan at whoever is in front of you.....it's not their fault their parent company are a bunch of jokers. Unlike the other two though many of them decide to be a member of the union and they are proud of that fact even though they are also a bunch of jokers!

 

[bhanutz]

The RMT reckon they have overwhelming public backing....How ****ing deluded can they be?

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

The RMT reckon they have overwhelming public backing....How ****ing deluded can they be?

In a way they are right as the public are backing them by ultimately paying their wages.

 

[pasty]

Signalling problems as well now. I feel sorry for anyone who has tried their commute today.

From Southern site

Signalling problems between Three Bridges and Brighton
A fault with the signalling system is causing delays of up to 60 minutes and cancellation to services.
Disruption is expected until 17.00 today.
Gatwick Express services are currently suspended until further notice.