Current Affairs Rail strikes

[larrygobfiend]

I bet there’s loads of people like me who’ve always worked, managed to claw their way up to a semi decent wage, got a mortgage and saved a bit in case something bad happens and now we’re absolutely screwed.

My savings are just going to fritter away to pay for energy, food and mortgage increases until I have to get into debt just to stay afloat.

I’ll survive, but it does make you question why you bother, especially considering some people think the working class don’t deserve a pay rise to match inflation.

It’s easy to lecture when you live in an ivory tower, I guess….

 

[ArtetaMoney]

Guessing

Surely he would be benefitting from the strikes?

Exactly, mate. Proper baffling gammon behaviour.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I saw an Ian Hislop interview recently

He raised an interesting point that we don't really know how to handle strikes anymore

There used to be a time when people would want, say, a 20% rise and would go on strike. The employers would then come back at something like 11-12%, the union would accept it, strike over

These days people go on strike and the employers, backed up by the government, just say "you shouldn't be striking"

Thus strikes keep happening

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

We pay top level taxes for a poor rail system.

That's not to critisise the workers who are the cogs in a dysfunctional machine.

I've had the same view all my life, cars should be a case of necessity and occasional luxury rather than personal choice.

Public transport is the way forward but it has to be done correctly. For all people complain about the tube I found it an absolute pleasure to be able to turn up at whatever time I desired knowing that it didn't matter if I caught it or not as the next one was only a couple of minutes away.

Buses were the same. For my job I was doing medical assessments on people in their homes. I was just given 3 addresses in the morning and then caught a variety of buses and trains to find my destination.
I don't think I was ever late to an appointment, in fact I was usually whisked back by bus to my flat by 4 in the afternoon.

I did a similar thing in Liverpool for the drug and alcohol team once. I only lasted 2 months on the visits because I was trapped in Waterloo or Aintree waiting for nonexistent buses or ones that bore no resemblance to the timetable at the stop.

Make public transport so good so people don't want to use their cars. I realise I have no idea where the money will come from for the infrastructure but there has never been any motivators to make public transport a priority.

While I'm on my soapbox I still think we should be transporting some goods by canal to take pressure off the roads. If it is non-perishable items transported in a constant loop there should be no problem.

Yeah if I could get to work currently without needing the car I 100% would

I used to live in walking distance from a job once. That was fantastic. Walked every day regardless of weather and loved it

If I don't have to be inside my car then I don't want to be lol

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Ooofff ?

Pie is good when he gets on a roll

 

[mightymoyes]

 

[coollino]

i only just found out the strikes on Christmas eve are from 6pm. absolutely insane this cancelling Christmas narrative, i thought it was all day lol

 

[ArtetaMoney]

i only just found out the strikes on Christmas eve are from 6pm. absolutely insane this cancelling Christmas narrative, i thought it was all day lol

How’s Father Christmas going to deliver presents without rail transport!!

 

[roydo]

This may be the single most stupid question ever asked. But do freight trains stop during the strikes as well?

 

[coollino]

This may be the single most stupid question ever asked. But do freight trains stop during the strikes as well?

well duuuuuuuurrrr

(i don't know)

 

[mightymoyes]

This may be the single most stupid question ever asked. But do freight trains stop during the strikes as well?

i'd guess they'd need the guards working for them to run so will probably be some disruption

 

[roydo]

well duuuuuuuurrrr

(i don't know)

It occurred to me because a lot of stuff the RMT talk about is station staff, passenger safety, ticket office closures, etc. None of that applies to freight. Might be driven by non RMT drivers for all I know.

 

[roydo]

i'd guess they'd need the guards working for them to run so will probably be some disruption

Signal staff was the main one to me.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Seen it the other way good managers absolutely ruined by staff, not as often but does happen.

 

[Jebus_lives]

I've very limited experience of being in London but it was a real eye opener. The frequency of the tube and the ease of getting a bus pretty much anywhere I wanted to go was so different to my experience of things here in the NorthWest it was unreal.

Up here we have pretty poor service that turns people off using it. In turn companies cut services because they're under-utilised and not cost effective. It's a vicious circle.

Long distance I will always travel by train. In between cities across the North I generally will use a car. My experience of trying to schedule train times vs attending meetings had been pretty awful.

The intercity and small city/town public transport in the UK is incredibly poor.