Current Affairs Rail strikes

[Jebus_lives]

Well it's complicated.

Sickness rates are higher, bed capacity is down. Patients that are being treated are generally sicker than previous years.

But there's also an issue around social care - I wrote about it here:

Much of the UK fishing quotas are given to supertrawlers rather than the small fishing fleet.

So think the opposite is far more likely.

Any significant drop in the value of the pound could quite easily see large numbers of settled EU workers return back to their native countries.

Many sectors are reliant of workers with skills that take time to learn or aren't attractive enough prospects based on the salary - now I think that's a double edged sword as the EU can provide those people easily without the need to raise wages or benefit - but for small enterprise or family owned businesses that rely on this workforce and whose margins won't tolerate a sustained period of instability or downturn.

Adult social care and domiciliary care is a prime example as around 100,000 EU nationals work in the sector, and 80% of the providers are small/medium enterprise, hospitality is another.

Just for interest the figures from health and social care sector suggest around 100,000 social care staff are EU Nationals and a significant proportion of domiciliary care providers (around 80%) are small/medium family owned businesses who are very susceptible to fluctuations in the £.

Through Covid, reduction in UK economy and Brexit, it's impacted social care provision.

And, you're in an industry that has high stress, low autonomy, high demand, low wages.

You could triple your salary becoming a train driver, for example, with roughly the same qualifying criteria.

 

[Nightman]

My income is set to be about 70% of what it was last year, and that's before taking into account the pounding the markets have taken, which affects my pension and hedging. Who do I complain to about that?

Do you need directions to the local food bank and contact details of a debt helpline service like a lot of the people who are striking?

 

[edge]

That's like saying the roads were impassable because of snow. We put grit on the roads on those days that it snows. We don't do it all year round. If it's snowing and drivers can't see the doors, put someone on that can. You surely don't need them on days when the driver "can" see the doors? We probably get snow in the kind of places where trains go once or twice a year at max. Is that enough for the tail to wag the dog the remaining 364 days of the year?

Put me down for that job, sitting there waiting for a bit of weather. Rain can't see the camera, fog , sun shining wrong direction , get edge out of the mess room,
Rest of the year happy days.
All joking apart,
A lot of trains are already set up that way, they need screens on certain stations as well.
Currently the guard is supposed to be on the looking to make sure after the doors close that things are clear, you havnt got someone trapped in the floors, it does happen , people jumping on last minute, old ones ,people with bikes/prams trying to get on when its packed struggling to get a space.
Drivers are not going to do that,
If it goes wrong they end up in court ,
If they take more on you can be sure they will want more money.
if its driver only who does the rest, wheelchair, assist the vulnerable ect. The station staff are going ,so that's them helping out of the door.
In reality all they will do is bring another person in different title. More than likely multifunctional and on less pay.
Nothing really to do with driver only in the long run just getting cheaper staff onboard.
Most people outside the industry seem to think its the driver that's in charge of the train.
, but it's the guard, they take responsibility when there is a problem.
Don't be under any illusion that the new ones will be safety trained, the deffo will not.
Cost you much in Time and money , medicals ect.
What will happen over time is cheaper untrained staff on board on flexible contracts , and the drivers on even more money, because the government have handed them total power over the trains moving.

 

[ClausThomsen]

That's like saying the roads were impassable because of snow. We put grit on the roads on those days that it snows. We don't do it all year round. If it's snowing and drivers can't see the doors, put someone on that can. You surely don't need them on days when the driver "can" see the doors? We probably get snow in the kind of places where trains go once or twice a year at max. Is that enough for the tail to wag the dog the remaining 364 days of the year?

If there is someone available.

The tail wagging the dog also works the other way with the mentality of cutting staff numbers to what can cope when all is relatively well and merging roles left, right and centre. Unforeseen events occur and all of a sudden a business doesn't have the numbers to cope. I don't work on the trains but I'd be surprised if the role is solely checking doors.

 

[edge]

My income is set to be about 70% of what it was last year, and that's before taking into account the pounding the markets have taken, which affects my pension and hedging. Who do I complain to about that?

Get another job mate
Ever thought about being a train driver always look for them.
My nephew went right though uni , studying Law , did very well.
But thought he would give it a go on the trains driving.
Getting fed up with it now like but it's an option.
Pension sorted. Travel for you and the wife. And discounts when jou travel abroad on there trains.

 

[Hickson9]

My income is set to be about 70% of what it was last year, and that's before taking into account the pounding the markets have taken, which affects my pension and hedging. Who do I complain to about that?

No idea.

You're still not answering the question (bearing in mind my pay has been arbitrarily capped by the Tories).

 

[edge]

Seen this today heartbreaking

 

[ClausThomsen]

Perhaps something to keep in mind when discussing nurses at the moment. It's possible that any of those top 5 factors (that were derived at from studies in America, UK, Australia, Canada, and France so are pretty robust and universal) have been discussed by the nurses union, so I'm happy to be pointed in that direction... *this isn't to say that I don't think nurses are underpaid btw, merely that paying them more isn't going to fix the problem.

It can certainly contribute though. A better hourly rate for some would mean they maybe don't have to commit so many hours to work and could afford a more flexible role with a better home/life balance. A better hourly rate may also assist recruitment which in turn can effect how safe an environment is and spread a workload to more manageable levels.

Start doing things like that and those directly above them in management roles might not be forced into making decisions which they know are going to hammer morale - might even help with feelings of being valued. Like many industries I'm sure management at 'shop floor' level is just as demoralised by decisions they make at the bidding of those more removed from the front line.

Paying more in and of itself clearly doesn't fix the problem because there are a lot of problems. But it can certainly make a valuable contribution.

 

[ArtetaMoney]

Seen this today heartbreaking

What about the clapping that cheered them all up, though?

 

[edge]

What about the clapping that cheered them all up, though?

Try paying a bills with that.
Give them a chance the will be overpaid commies in a few weeks , according to the press

 

[ArtetaMoney]

Try paying a bills with that.
Give them a chance the will be overpaid commies in a few weeks , according to the press

BBC reports that nurses are on an average pay of £36000 a year, which includes the ones on £110000 per year. That's like saying that anyone who works at Goodison is on £6000 a week as an average as they've used players and executives to calculate it.

You can see how biased the reporting is against the strikers, they're more ruthless with the rail in the media but it won't be long before they try to turn everyone against the nurses and paramedics. The sad thing is that people will fall for it hook, line and sinker.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

No idea.

You're still not answering the question (bearing in mind my pay has been arbitrarily capped by the Tories).

That's perhaps because I have no idea. I don't know what you do for a living, your personal circumstances, or anything really, and none of it is any of my business even if I did. I genuinely wish you the best in whatever you do. All I ask is that in the course of whatever you choose to do, you don't disrupt others who are simply trying to go about their own business.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

BBC reports that nurses are on an average pay of £36000 a year, which includes the ones on £110000 per year. That's like saying that anyone who works at Goodison is on £6000 a week as an average as they've used players and executives to calculate it.

You can see how biased the reporting is against the strikers, they're more ruthless with the rail in the media but it won't be long before they try to turn everyone against the nurses and paramedics. The sad thing is that people will fall for it hook, line and sinker.

 

[Hickson9]

That's perhaps because I have no idea. I don't know what you do for a living, your personal circumstances, or anything really, and none of it is any of my business even if I did. I genuinely wish you the best in whatever you do. All I ask is that in the course of whatever you choose to do, you don't disrupt others who are simply trying to go about their own business.

It's a simple question really. Are the Tories correct to cap Whitehall pay at 3%, far below inflation and far below private sector pay increases (with there being no profit/productivity metrics at play), after a decade of them trashing our pay.

My personal circumstances aren't relevant.

And if my union votes to strike, then of course I will strike and aim for it to be as disruptive as possible (though the public won't obviously see that impact).

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It's a simple question really. Are the Tories correct to cap Whitehall pay at 3%, far below inflation and far below private sector pay increases (with there being no profit/productivity metrics at play), after a decade of them trashing our pay.

My personal circumstances aren't relevant.

And if my union votes to strike, then of course I will strike and aim for it to be as disruptive as possible (though the public won't obviously see that impact).

I have no idea if they are or not. Why would I have an opinion on something I don't really know anything about? I repeat again, if you, or your union, think that pay isn't right then by all means take it up with your employer. Just don't screw up other people while you do it. It's quite straightforward.

Personally, if things are so bad that you're going on strike I can't for the life of me think why you'd want to go back to work for that employer when you've blackmailed them into giving you more money. The relationship clearly isn't a healthy one and it sounds like you'd be much happier doing that job elsewhere you mentioned where they seem to value you more to your liking.