New Year Rail Conflict - No change there!

The Southern Rail dispute which I've been writing about since April 2016 continues, despite the drivers union Aslef accepting a 28.5% pay increase over 5 years. Indeed, the conductors union RMT, continues to campaign for safety on railways, even though the drivers' belief in safety suddenly dissolved when offered the above what most of us will get pay rise! Anyway, there is a strike this Monday the 8th of January 2018, but on the company website, it appears to show that Hastings services will run as per the rewritten time-table, though people living in Brighton may have problems. As usual, take the advice carefully, I won't be using Southern this Monday, South Eastern if necessary. In addition, there is industrial action by RMT throughout the country!

By the way, money given to Govia Thamelink, who own the Southern franchise, and the South Eastern franchise by the way, is going to France as they are 35% owned by the French company Keolis; which means that taxpayers' money pumped into Southern by the Government to beat British trade unions into accepting driver-only trains, is going to help fund rail services in France, just saying...

Oh yes, and when the Govia Thameslink franchise comes up for renewal in 2021, the franchise is to be broken up, that'll help Southern, no doubt!

Southern Rail, and the Farce Goes on!

Well, the last 2 days strike by RMT union conductors is over, don't hold your breath, and you've probably already seen the drivers (Aslef union) have accepted a 28.5% pay deal, to be paid over 5 years (BBC website), that appears to include the aim of having a second 'safety-trained' person on board all trains, 'except in exceptional circumstances' - as in, when one is not available! However, trains will still be able to run with only a driver on board, except no-one else will be on board to supervise safety, eg evacuation procedures, indeed, the train will have no facility to assist disabled or older people requiring assistance, so they may well be left stranded on station platforms...

I think we haven't seen the last of this incompetent shower as we return to the inefficient rail service that Southern has provided over recent years, which, in reality, has continued even on non-strike days, and who hasn't been left stranded at Eastbourne late at night with no trains or replacement bus service available, I know I have!

Time to re-nationalise the railways, pretty please!

And yet more rail chaos coming! Hmmm...

Do you want to catch one of these trains on either the 3rd or 5th of October 2017? Well, you may not be able too, because, have a guess what?!? Yep, conductors, supported by the RMT union, are going on strike again... Why? Because they believe that trains, including 8 and 12 carriage trains, should have more than just one member of staff on board, and Southern Railway, ie the franchise owned by Govia Thameslink, think they only need one member of staff on board, and they are supported by the Government, and by taxpayers' money which funds the Government's battle against the unions (including the drivers' union Aslef)! More at this website.

Dear oh dear, when will we get a decent rail service?

Southern Rail? Yes, more strikes planned!

Conductors on Southern Railway, as well as on Arriva Rail North and Merseyrail, are planning to strike on Friday the 1st and Monday the 4th of September (Merseyrail workers will also be walking out on Sunday the 3rd of September).

The action still relates to planned changes to give drivers more responsibility, opening and closing the doors of train carriages, with some services staffed only by a sole member of staff, the driver, as Southern and their Govia Thameslink owners, seek to gradually dispense of guards on trains. 

The RMT general secretary Mick Cash asserts that the conductors' union, the RMT, is "bitterly disappointed that Southern Rail have rejected our call for round-table discussions involving all parties with an interest in resolving this dispute. The failure to get those talks moving following our face-to-face meeting with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has left us no option but to call further action." 

Southern Rail have, apparently, made no comment on the announcement, and no notice of these days of industrial action is mentioned on their website to date. Meanwhile, there is no obvious news of the train drivers' union, Aslef, returning to industrial action, yet... See BBC website.

Will we ever get a decent service from Hastings? 

Southern Railway: Good News?!?

The three strike days at the beginning of August planned by Aslef, and their 'work to rule', and the RMT's one planned strike day, have all been called off following "constructive talks" with the Government! I've regularly said that the Southern Railway industrial action is all about political interference by the Government and it's taken over a year for this to be potentially sorted out, by the Government, maybe... See, for example, my latest blog on the subject.

Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling MP, said "We're doing everything we can to resolve the situation... and get passengers the high quality rail services that they deserve." Whilst Aslef appear less positive, though did say the talks were "proactive" and that "Further talks are planned with both the company (Govia/Southern) and then the minister." So, 'monkey' first, and then talk to the 'organ grinder.' See BBC. 

I'd suggest, wait and see...

Added since, now the RMT have "full and frank" talks, their general secretary, Mick Cash stating that the Transport Secretary has a "clear understanding of the RMT position, Grayling said "We want more people helping passengers... not fewer." For more information see BBC.

The Southern Railway Fiasco Trundles On!

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that the owners of Southern Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), have been fined £13.4m for poor performance, explaining that the fine would have been higher, but most delays had not been the fault of the railway company! The transport secretary, Chris Grayling said that the £13.4m was to be spent on performance and passenger improvements, including £4m to fund 50 on-board supervisors over the next two years, adding that passengers had "been badly let down." Indeed, the train operator now runs only three-quarters of the trains that were run a year ago by Southern!

The Association of British Commuters (ABC) had taken legal action seeking a judicial review, as detailed in a previous blog. They had argued that ministers had acted unlawfully by failing to determine whether managers had breached franchise obligations. However, Mr Justice Ouseley said he would not grant a judicial review on the understanding that Mr Grayling would come to a decision over the Southern rail crisis by 13 July, well, he's come to a decision! Emily Yates, of ABC, said the fine "doesn't really touch the sides of this whole issue. This is a token £13.4m fine presented as an improvement package." See report.

However, the drivers' union, Aslef, continues with its own 'work to rule' or overtime ban, and, following a vote of all members, has called for strikes on Tuesday 1st, Wednesday 2nd, and Friday 4th of August 2017; see report. 

So, the Government, which has been funding Southern/GTR's escalating industrial conflict with the drivers' and conductors' unions, Aslef and the RMT, 'fines' the company, but gives the money back to them for 'performance and passenger improvements.' No solution has been found to ABC's assertion that the company has continued to 'breach franchise obligations' and Grayling retains his job, as do GTR retain the franchise. Meanwhile, customers who use Southern Railway, when possible, continue to receive a worsening service...

It's time to sack the Transport Secretary, who obviously cannot do his job without politically interfering in the industrial conflict, thus making it worse, and it's time to take the franchise away from GTR and re-nationalise Southern Railway, and quickly please!

Southern Railway: Industrial Action Today...

There is RMT (conductors) industrial action today, in addition to the ongoing 'work to rule' being carried out by Aslef (drivers). Probably best to travel by South Eastern if heading for London, though, should you wish to check up on planned railway services from Southern, you can refer to their website, good luck!

Southern Railway: Is a compromise possible?

The RMT (conductors union) are putting forward a proposal to try to make a compromise with Govia Thameslink, the company who run Southern Railway at the moment, and are meeting with Members of Parliament for support of their proposal. The RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "We will be telling MPs that we are hoping the company will reconsider our proposal for a trial six-month period of an accessibility guarantee... We would hope that they would agree to this sensible proposal as the Association of Train Operating Companies consultant's report has said train companies should guarantee a second person to comply with their legal obligations."

RMT members on Southern will stage a fresh strike next Monday, while Aslef (the drivers) continue with their 'work to rule', ie not working overtime.

See BBC website for more.

Southern Railway... Well, what can we do?

Whilst Aslef (the drivers' union) begins an overtime ban on the 29th June, the RMT (the conductors' union) considers its next steps, with plans to go on strike on the 10th of July: Mick Cash (RMT general secretary) said: "The spotlight is now well and truly back on the basket-case Southern rail franchise and their unconditional support from this minority government, regardless of the safety and service consequences." 

Meanwhile, the Association of British Commuters (ABC) will attend a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice (High Court) on 29 June seeking a 'judicial review' of the situation, declaring that ministers have acted unlawfully by failing to determine whether managers had breached franchise obligations. Summer Dean of ABC asserted that "Passengers are the only people who still don't have a voice in this fiasco, and many thousands of them support us in our efforts to reveal the truth behind the Department for Transport's involvement in Southern Rail."

ABC seem to be wanting a voice; see BBC. 

So, ABC, Aslef and the RMT in the red corner, Southern Railway and the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling, in the blue corner, seconds out. round twelve!

General Election & Manchester bombing bring relief to our trains?

Having read my blogs during the last 12 months, I am sure you know what I mean! Government interference has consistently blocked any agreement between the unions involved (RMT and Aslef) in the dispute over having Southern trains being staffed by only 1 person, a driver (and 2 other train companies in England now!)... The guards, RMT, respectfully put off a strike following the bombing in Manchester last Monday, and now the drivers, Aslef, have suspended industrial action to allow for further talks (BBC). I know we can all see what will happen after Thursday 8th, depending on the result... 😩 

And all we want are decent rail services to and from Hastings...

Re-nationalise Southern Railway, you know it makes sense!

Rail Chaos, will it ever end?!?

Now, members of the Aslef union (drivers on Southern Railway) will refuse to work overtime from the end of May. The union asserts that "Southern has refused to budge in talks on the introduction of driver-only-operated trains." This will mean more cancellations and train delays, as there are not enough drivers working on Southern, consequently, timetables are only managed by drivers working overtime...

Aslef announced the latest development in the year-long dispute after the most recent talks with Southern and its parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) broke down on Tuesday. If you can bear to read anymore about this, go to the BBC website. 

Oh dear... 

Yet More Rail Chaos to Come!

Members of the Aslef union (drivers) have rejected the second deal in the long-running dispute over driver-only operated trains on Southern Railway, voting by 372 votes (51.8%) to 346 (48.2%) against the proposed deal, see Aslef website.

Aslef General secretary Mick Whelan said: "We understand and support the decision arrived at in a democratic vote." Govia Thameslink Railway (Southern's owners) said it was "hugely disappointing..." 

With Aslef re-joining the fray, and the RMT (conductors) still in it, and in other areas of the country too, we can expect even more disruption of our local railways, nice to live in Hastings, indeed, at least we have South Eastern to use if we want to travel afar (cars and coaches notwithstanding, of course!), thank you Government!

Another Aslef/Southern "Deal"

Govia, ie Southern's parent company; have come to a secret agreement with the train drivers' union, Aslef, and so, their members are now being asked, for a second time, to vote on the 'agreement' as they recently rebutted the first 'agreement.'  Aslef obviously have the stronger hand in any potential deal, that is, stronger than the guards' union, the RMT, and Southern appear to be doing well in dividing the opposition to driver-only operated trains, damn the safety issues! See the BBC website for further information.

Industrial Action on the Railways... AGAIN!

So, yet another day with the train 'service' effected by industrial action in Hastings and the South and South-East, though this time, RMT members, ie conductors on Northern and Merseyrail as well as on Southern, have joined in (thanks to the BBC for this image, by the way)! If you need to travel on Southern before midnight, here is a link to what's been arranged to account for a disrupted service on Southern's website.

Of course, rail workers from other rail companies are now joining in the fray, as the Government continues to interfere in 'franchised' train companies operating, with its policy of bringing in driver-only trains across the country to save staffing costs. The unions' argument (Aslef  drivers are still involved, of course, indeed, many Aslef drivers on Merseyrail have refused to cross picket lines and so further disrupted Merseyrail's service today) is that this is about safety, though it has to be about jobs as well, in reality.

The unions do not trust the Government, let alone the train operating companies, to ensure jobs are safe, as plans are afoot to re-train guards to become drivers as current drivers retire, thus, the so-called reduction of guards' duties will see only one member of staff left on trains, including 12 carriage trains stopping at platforms where there are fewer than 12 carriages meeting the platform, and we have many station platforms down here that have fewer than four carriage length platforms! Consequently, jobs will be lost...

Not to mention, no guards to help customers with special needs and disabilities, eg blind people and those in wheelchairs, nor guards to collect fares from those who board trains at stations with no staff, thus losing income too! Oh well... I haven't been around for a few days as I had a weekend away, coincidentally, having to use the 'replacement bus service' between Brighton and Polegate yesterday, this one due to railworks, will it ever end?

Southern Railway: Campaigners apply for Judicial Review!

Campaigners have applied for a judicial review into the government's handling of the Southern fiasco. Govia Thameslink (GTR) took on the Southern rail franchise in 2015 and its contract with the Department for Transport (DfT) runs for another 4 years! 

As I have regularly reported, there has been an industrial dispute with the RMT (conductors) getting on for a year, and now with the drivers union, Aslef, too. The Transport for All campaign group asserts that the Government should have done more to ease disruption; but, as I have regularly reported, the Government is funding GTR to beat the trade unions. A Department for Transport spokesperson said they are unable to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing. 

Transport for All, which campaigns for travellers with disabilities and older travellers, has joined the Association of British Commuters in requesting that a Judicial Review be held into the Department's handling of the Southern Railway dispute with the unions, particularly in respect to the impact on older travellers and travellers with disabilities. The Association of British Commuters has already applied for a review in January and is awaiting a decision from the Royal Court of Justice. 

A spokesperson for the campaign asserted: "Accessible public transport is a lifeline to inclusion for many disabled people who disproportionally rely on it to go about their everyday lives. The Southern rail crisis caused disruption and misery to disabled and older people, leaving many unable to travel to work and increasingly isolated. Yet throughout the strikes the DfT has remained silent." 

A spokesperson for Southern Railway said: "We aim to give excellent assistance and are very sorry to hear about these passenger experiences. Over 440,000 journeys were made on Southern with disability railcards last year and only a tiny fraction resulted in a complaint that assistance was not provided. We regularly carry out call-back surveys with disabled passengers and 'mystery shop' so that we can look at what we can change to improve."  

For more information see the Disability News Service website.

And Rail Users Continue To Get The Worst Deal!

Go-Ahead, who own 65% of Govia (who operate Southern Railway), have announced that their profits have dived because of the catastrophe that is Southern... 

"Go-Ahead said it was talking to unions to try to resolve the issues. Group chief executive David Brown said: "We have faced lengthy and significant industrial relations issues related to the modernisation of working practices.

"Our customers have suffered months of disrupted travel, impacting work and family lives and we are sorry that such inconvenience and hardship has been caused. Discussions with trade unions are ongoing as we strive to reach a full resolution of these issues," he added." See more at the BBC. 

If you really want to make more profits, don't do the Government's dirty work for them (See previous blog). Meanwhile, taxpayers continue to pay £millions to maintain this farce, fares continue to rise ahead of inflation, and rail users aren't getting a service! 

The RMT (conductors) have organised a 24 hour strike in this area, and around the country, for Monday 13th March, and who knows what Aslef (drivers) will do next...

Aslef to rejoin the Southern Fiasco!

So, Aslef members (the majority of train drivers) have voted by 54.1% to 45.9%, on a turnout of 72.7%, to reject the 'deal' with Govia Thameslink, the owners of Southern Railway... Now it's wait and see how many more Southern trains will be lost due to strikes and working to rule by Aslef, in addition to the RMT strikes, oh dear...

Will the Southern Rail Saga ever end?

And now the unions, the RMT and Aslef, seem to be at loggerheads, whilst Southern Railway plays one union off against the other! 

When will we ever get a decent rail service from Hastings? "The deal lets Southern run trains without a guard, or indeed, an onboard supervisor... Not all drivers are as pleased with the deal as their leader Mick Whelan, and some are struggling to see what they've gained from the talks with Southern... The RMT, which has held a number of strikes since last April, is due to hold talks with Southern next week." 

See the BBC website for more info...

Good-ish Rail News

Aslef and Southern have agreed to have talks, consequently, industrial action by Aslef train drivers has been suspended, meaning that their planned days striking next week have been called off, so trains should be nearer to normal, except on Monday 23rd, when RMT conductors are still expected to strike; see Southern's website for up to date information.

More Rail Chaos for Hastings

Southern Railway is again a non-roller today, tomorrow, and on Friday 13th, due to the Aslef strke; see their website for alternative advice, and there's always South Eastern!