Barber On The Warpath Over Train Disruption, Doesn't Pull Any Punches!

[Hastings gull]

7678019]You toe the line. You don't tow it. http://grammarist.com/usage/toe-the-line/ [/B]

You're about the most politically committed person on this board and it's getting boring.

Fair enough -my error and I apologise. And as for your second sentence, I think you need to read rather more. . .

 

[Guinness Boy]

What a stupid post. He only talked about acceptable staff behaviour, without going into any detail at all. Hence my comment that it was hard to know what he meant. Your last sentence really says it all - it is the perennial problem of trying to get the politically committed to get off their high horse, quite apart from the irony of talking about the ignorant guy with "toeing" !

Thanks for that - so much better to have a civilised discussion. When my dad left the army, he got a job as a postie, and was appalled at the working practices, which came as quite a shock, after the rigid discipline of the services. You do acknowledge that working practices had to change, and presumably still have to, or at least attitudes, though the danger is, as you say, that combatting this, may lead to equally extreme solutions. Talking of delivering material through the letter box, with the proliferation of of much junk nowadays, I used to feel sorry for the postie, but somewhere I read that they are more than happy to bring it, as they get paid extra. Is this true?

So you use stupid in a subjective manner and irony in an incorrect manner and you're the civilised one?

 

[Stat Brother]

Thanks for that - so much better to have a civilised discussion. When my dad left the army, he got a job as a postie, and was appalled at the working practices, which came as quite a shock, after the rigid discipline of the services. You do acknowledge that working practices had to change, and presumably still have to, or at least attitudes, though the danger is, as you say, that combatting this, may lead to equally extreme solutions. Talking of delivering material through the letter box, with the proliferation of of much junk nowadays, I used to feel sorry for the postie, but somewhere I read that they are more than happy to bring it, as they get paid extra. Is this true?

Previously we were paid per item, with a cap of only 3 items, but guess what now we get a minimal flat rate, something like £10 a week, and the cap is 7 items per household.
I'll save to the long winded explanation as to how this increase in work has affected our abilities to do the job.


I agree with about 80% of our union's mandate.
Sadly the other 20% is so far removed from my understanding of the word 'work' I feel I just can't have them speak for me.

The problem is currently I don't trust the management as far as I can throw the union.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Previously we were paid per item, with a cap of only 3 items, but guess what now we get a minimal flat rate, something like £10 a week, and the cap is 7 items per household.
I'll save to the long winded explanation as to how this increase in work has affected our abilities to do the job.


I agree with about 80% of our union's mandate.
Sadly the other 20% is so far removed from my understanding of the word 'work' I feel I just can't have them speak for me.

The problem is currently I don't trust the management as far as I can throw the union.

Which is where I am on the railway thing, to get back on topic. A terrible management, supported by a novice, unelected PM trying to dominate an ideological union. It's not going to end well.

 

[Ernest]

Which is where I am on the railway thing, to get back on topic. A terrible management, supported by a novice, unelected PM trying to dominate an ideological union. It's not going to end well.

Despite Wilkinson's rhetoric of a dispute lasting for years I don't think they realised it would last even this long or that the staff would have a large public support despite all the dirty tricks that SASTA have tried. Now you have businesses such as the Albion getting involved and even then SASTA come off second best in the PR stakes it makes you wonder what will be the trigger for SASTA to eventually fall ?

 

[GT49er]

Can the army run trains? If so time to get them in!

100 years ago they certainly could - and did. Does the Royal Engineers still have a Railway Operating Division? Anybody know? - or if not, when was it scrapped?

 

[Yoda]

Genuine question: If the DfT are so intent on smashing this and that, as you put it, why is there no other such alleged battleground with other franchises?

This is because, if you haven't been following, this agreement between GTR & the DfT is different. GTR are not a standard TOC like Virgin or First etc. They are a Subcontractor and being told what to do by the DfT.

 

[Fountainhead]

And f*k the passengers who are obviously incidental.
If this government had any cojones they would sort it out,being largely responsible for the impasse.
What doesn't serve any one is the faux 'outrage' from the unions and the mind numbing indifference from Southern
All because they are safe in the knowledge that it's the government that hold the key and theyre too busy holding the coats while they let the protagonists fight.

What's the answer? I don't know, and those closer to the argument may be able to suggest something- but I'm not going to risk another Friday night game because I didn't get home till 7 on Saturday morning after the last one. And that's nothing, because sooner or later someone will get hurt- probably at the hands of a frustrated northern type and thats when it gets serious and people actually do something about it- does it need to get to that?

 

[dazzer6666]

And f*k the passengers who are obviously incidental.
If this government had any cojones they would sort it out,being largely responsible for the impasse.
What doesn't serve any one is the faux 'outrage' from the unions and the mind numbing indifference from Southern
All because they are safe in the knowledge that it's the government that hold the key and theyre too busy holding the coats while they let the protagonists fight.

What's the answer? I don't know, and those closer to the argument may be able to suggest something- but I'm not going to risk another Friday night game because I didn't get home till 7 on Saturday morning after the last one. And that's nothing, because sooner or later someone will get hurt- probably at the hands of a frustrated northern type and thats when it gets serious and people actually do something about it- does it need to get to that?

It will do, vs Leeds, if there is anything like a repeat of the Villa scenes as we know. I'm avoiding the trains for matches entirely until this shows some signs of improving

 

[GT49er]

Which is where I am on the railway thing, to get back on topic. A terrible management, supported by a novice, unelected PM trying to dominate an ideological union. It's not going to end well.

I think the dispute was going on long before your mantra of 'unelected PM' arrived on the scene.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Without trawling, nothing will change until the Govt. get their way of smashing the RMT. This is about weakening them and stopping them from holding London to ransom on the Underground, that's where the real battle lies. The Govt. can afford to lose 'a few' South Easterners getting into work over the Underground rail network. The next Southern strike coincides with the Piccadilly and Hammersmith lines going on strike, that'll be fun. And just to make it clear, I am no socialist, but this is looking more and more like a Govt. induced row.

 

[Hastings gull]

Despite Wilkinson's rhetoric of a dispute lasting for years I don't think they realised it would last even this long or that the staff would have a large public support despite all the dirty tricks that SASTA have tried. Now you have businesses such as the Albion getting involved and even then SASTA come off second best in the PR stakes it makes you wonder what will be the trigger for SASTA to eventually fall ?

Have they? Reading all the comments on here, I would say that there is a curse on all of them. The last two weeks or so have seen a shift, if you are prepared to see it, whereby the RMT are seen as equally as intransigent as the other lot.

 

[Hastings gull]

So you use stupid in a subjective manner and irony in an incorrect manner and you're the civilised one?

I think you might find that the use of the word "stupid" just as "good" and "bad" are invariably subjective!

 

[Hastings gull]

This is because, if you haven't been following, this agreement between GTR & the DfT is different. GTR are not a standard TOC like Virgin or First etc. They are a Subcontractor and being told what to do by the DfT.

Thanks for this. I have not been able to read everything, as time precludes that, and certainly don't pretend to be an expert, in contrast to others. I have often asked inconvenient questions and always get bluster,/you don't use the service/you tory etc ; what unites these sort of replies, quite apart from the "shout you down "element, is that I never get an answer.

 

[dazzer6666]

Have they? Reading all the comments on here, I would say that there is a curse on all of them. The last two weeks or so have seen a shift, if you are prepared to see it, whereby the RMT are seen as equally as intransigent as the other lot.

Correct

 

[BrianWade4]

Paul Barber. Lucky to have him..

 

[Peter Grummit]

Train problems at HH already today.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Beach Hut]

Some Coastway West cancellations already..........

 

[RandyWanger]

Decided to stay sober and drive down from S.E London instead of trusting SAST to get me to/from the game today.

 

[beorhthelm]

Without trawling, nothing will change until the Govt. get their way of smashing the RMT. This is about weakening them and stopping them from holding London to ransom on the Underground, that's where the real battle lies. The Govt. can afford to lose 'a few' South Easterners getting into work over the Underground rail network. The next Southern strike coincides with the Piccadilly and Hammersmith lines going on strike, that'll be fun. And just to make it clear, I am no socialist, but this is looking more and more like a Govt. induced row.

this is conspriacy theory, and linking southern dispute to TFL just highlights this. the government could "break" the unions through legislation on the grounds of their constant TFL strikes for one reason or another. instead some want to believe they are orchestrating a dispute on a seperate line? doesnt make any sense. and when will the government get on with this smashing the union, they are rightly blamed for being silent, but that cuts both way and i dont see any sustained comment againt the union strikes from the government.