Boxing day tube strikes

Hammyman

ryantcb wrote: »

Before everyone moans about tube drivers striking on boxing day. I would like to explain it from a drivers point of view.

First point to clear up is the amount of holiday we get.
we get 8 weeks but that included all public holidays and we work 40 hours a week and only get paid 35 so those extra 5 hours per week go towards the 8 weeks.

Why not work boxing day?

On the tube we dont get to decide when we have our holidays they are allocated on a period based system
triple pay
Its a negotiation and we started high but who doesnt when negotiating?

Aww diddums. No different to many many other jobs then?

Let me explain it from the publics point of view:

56 million people in the UK will be completely unaffected and quite frankly don't give a toss. Tens of millions of those have never and will never travel on the tube.

You're far better off than a lot of them, even with being paid 35hrs and the others held in a holiday bank - I know of no other company that'll pay you a very good living wage for a 35 hr week for an unskilled job and offset pay so you can take 1/6th of the entire year off work on pay.

You are no different in having holiday allocations. At one place I worked at, you had no choice when you took your holidays - they were over Xmas, the last week in July and first week in August.

Stop your whining and get on with your jobs. You lot don't know how well off you are.

Rolandtheroadie

Stigy wrote: »

I'm well aware they're programmed to do this, and it's the same with overground trains. They're all fail-safe now, and as soon as a signal is compromised the train will stop. Obviously the stopping distance would be increased in an overground train, significantly more than that of an underground train, due to the overall speed of the trains comparitively. All trains have ATWS (Automatic Train Warning System) too, so that the driver is always alert. If they ignore the system when it beeps, for more than a few seconds, the brakes are applied. All that being said, the fact remains the same that both LUL and TOCs frown upon drivers running red lights, even if, chances are, the train will come to a safe stop and not hurt anybody (unless for example the run signal is on a level crossing....).

ATWS? Is that not for staff protection?
AWS (automatic warning system) is what you may be thinking of. This requires a driver to respond when the signal in advance is not showing a green. If he/she doesnt, the brakes will be applied.
If a train is going too fast, or runs a signal when the AWS has been acknowledged by the driver, the TPWS will kick in and apply the brakes (train protection & warning system).
The underground may be different.

Dr.pip

My son lost his job in the city following a batch of these wretched train strikes, so if anyone thinks that these actions don’t have direct consequences then you would be wrong. I have absolutely NO sympathy with any organisation that uses and deliberately targets both general public and businesses at their most vulnerable to further their own individual greed.

The problem is that I know a number of train workers and also know that there will be those among them who will be laughing at these posts, because they know how ridiculous these so called reasons are and simply thrive on the disruption.

So I believe those who are effected also have the right to their opinion at Union mentality level, mine is ... Sack the lot and give the jobs to real people who are happy to earn a living and put an end to this never ending strangle hold on millions of peoples welfare that Unions believe they have the right to play with as they see fit.

I can only think that these must be among the most hated group of people in the country.

ryantcb

robt wrote: »

Funny how you were perfectly happy to accept the terms of employment when the job was offered to you if they are that poor (which they aren't). And you only notice they are poor terms over public holiday periods so you have to strike to give yourselves an extended break.

And you wonder why people couldn't care less about the 'drivers point of view'.

I think you'll find that the terms of the contracts did not include working boxing day, thus we are negotiating.

molerat

Holding a gun to someones head is called negotiating now is it ? How about thinking about other people's livelihoods and wages for a change instead of your own greed.

dacouch

Holding a strike on boxing day will suit most of the staff, they get the day off to spend with their families, lose just one days pay but get the bank holiday bonuses when they work on the following Monday.

Robert is your cousin's father as they say.

Expect more strikes in April when their next pay review is... http://www.aslef.org.uk/information/102222/102225/103142/london_underground/

ryantcb

fuzzybear01 wrote: »

I'm a Nurse and working boxing day for time and two-thirds. I now have the hassle of getting a really long bus journey into work so thanks a lot. I work in Intensive Care and I'm having to look after very sick ventilated patients, with the likelihood of no incremental pay rise to reflect my ongoing development. I have to admit this has really !!!!!! me off today.

Im gonna guess you have first hand experience of the carnage left by "one unders" (person under a train)? It's very different giving professional medical care to these one unders when blood, guts and mutilations are part of your day job but as a driver its not so easy.

Oh and just to add, some of my colleagues are working Christmas day, and pay is only time and one-third. Yet no-one moans about it because they knew the terms when they started.

I think you will find that nurses always complain, in life we all get to choose what we want to do. Train driver is not an exclusive club you could have chosen it but you chose not to so you get paid what you do and i get what i do. I was not always a train driver i used to work shifts over 24hrs a day for £7400 a year, did i moan at other jobs getting paid more than me? no I went and got one of those jobs......whats stopping you exactly?

Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote: »

Stigy dont confuse national rail with the underground. They are worlds apart from how they operate to what happens if a red light is ran.

Most Underground trains are automatic anyway so all the driver does is open doors close doors and press a button to say all is well and off it trots. As for running a red light it would come to a complete stop very quickly as this is what they are programmed to do.

Correct.... in theory. Did you not see the news where trains had ran away recently? The trains have a lever called "trip !!!!" that when hits a red signal trips and applies the breaks. What happens though when that trip !!!! fails and the train carries on? Or more importantly how does the train stop from hitting people on the track in tunnels without a driver? In tunnels and around the network maintenance are always walking in and around the electrified track. I can promise you need to be concentrating constantly to be aware of the dangers. We also see members of the public running down the tunnels and sometimes during busy platforms slip onto the track. Imagine that was you.... would you rather have an automatic train racing towards you at 50mph or a human operated slowing down to 25mph when it enters the platform and stoping before it cuts your legs off.


Luckylucky - they bank the extra 5 hours they work to take the time off. Of course the diagrams they work mean they dont work a train solidly every day as they have PNBs and resting time too.

I would rather get paid those 5 hours extra than take it as holiday. Ok take a box put it on ya head and sit there see how many hours you do? Ok so the train isnt a box but its the only way to explain

Hammyman wrote: »

Aww diddums. No different to many many other jobs then?

Let me explain it from the publics point of view:

56 million people in the UK will be completely unaffected and quite frankly don't give a toss. Tens of millions of those have never and will never travel on the tube.

You're far better off than a lot of them, even with being paid 35hrs and the others held in a holiday bank - I know of no other company that'll pay you a very good living wage for a 35 hr week for an unskilled job and offset pay so you can take 1/6th of the entire year off work on pay.

You are no different in having holiday allocations. At one place I worked at, you had no choice when you took your holidays - they were over Xmas, the last week in July and first week in August.

Stop your whining and get on with your jobs. You lot don't know how well off you are.

we do know but we also know that we have what we have because we fight through our unions, whilst the rest of the country believe its fine to get paid minimum wage (or employers see it maximum wage) and to get treated like crap and live in fear of unemployment we decided that wasnt for us. Should I work hand to mouth and be able to be fired at the drop of a hat or fight for a decent standard of living and some job security? Im know which you me and everyone else would chose.
any others there?

ryantcb

molerat wrote: »

Holding a gun to someones head is called negotiating now is it ? How about thinking about other people's livelihoods and wages for a change instead of your own greed.

What do you do that means you put other peoples livelihoods and wages before your own? applying your logic you should be putting mine above your own!! Thanks!!:D

mjm3346

ryantcb wrote: »

I think you'll find that the terms of the contracts did not include working boxing day, thus we are negotiating.

In 1996, Aslef signed an agreement that it would consider Boxing Day a normal working day in return for higher pay and longer holidays.

The union has unilaterally ripped up a long-standing agreement on pay and working hours that gave LU employees increased pay and 6.8 weeks holiday in return for working some public holidays, including Boxing Day

If staff are no longer prepared to work on Boxing Day then the additional pay and holidays granted need to be reclaimed.

molerat

ryantcb wrote: »

What do you do that means you put other peoples livelihoods and wages before your own? applying your logic you should be putting mine above your own!! Thanks!!:D

Typical union perverse logic.