East Coast Main Line to Virgin Trains East Coast

[cunningduck]

Add to that a bridge strike at Grantham (a lorry full of steel scrap has hit the bridge north of the station near Asda)

 

Given that bridges in Grantham now all seem to have had a large green piece of heavily anchored steel placed in front of them, this shouldn't cause much of a delay (or what would the point in adding the armour?).

[pete_mcfarlane]

Given that bridges in Grantham now all seem to have had a large green piece of heavily anchored steel placed in front of them, this shouldn't cause much of a delay (or what would the point in adding the armour?).

Hopefully the long promised East-West bypass will take a lot of the lorries away from the town centre, and reduce the number of bridge strikes.

[Reorte]

Given that bridges in Grantham now all seem to have had a large green piece of heavily anchored steel placed in front of them, this shouldn't cause much of a delay (or what would the point in adding the armour?).

I've seen them appear in several places, often attached to the bridge, which would seem to defeat the whole purpose (well not entirely I guess, but I'd have thought you'd still want to give the bridge a check if the barrier gets hit).

 

Wandering off-topic on the subject of bridge strikes my nearest railway was once quad track, now double, and the remaining lines are all on the downhill side of the valley side. This means that roads crossing it have more clearance on the downhill side, so any oversized vehicle coming from above will hit the disused bridge, and if it doesn't it'll definitely fit under the used one (most of them seem to be separate bridges). Would that have been a deliberate consideration when reducing it to double track, or would it have simply been down to which ones involve the least changing to points and signalling and the fastest way through junctions? It's Chinley to New Mills if that makes any difference.

[Richard E]

And the OHLE is down at Morpeth today, it's caused mayhem so the guys doing the STP and VSTP changes are really earning their money this week.

[Pete the Elaner]

I was at Euston the other day and the WCML operation looked shabby.

In what way? It is my regular line so the standards are what I have become used to.

Pendolinos feel little different now to when they were introduced & Euston's concourse is still the tidiest (ok & it has the least character) of any London terminus because it is separate from the train shed.

On the odd occasion I use the ECML, it feels more like a branch line because it is so lightly used.

[jjb1970]

I must admit that I find Virgin WCML services to be very good on the whole. The staff are generally friendly and helpful, the trains tend to be well turned out and service reliability is fine whenever I travel. The Pendolino window pillar arrangement is awful but other than that the bits that Virgin Trains are responsible for looking after seem to be very good. I also find London Midland to be very good, at one time I thought the WCML was the poor relation of the ECML but since privatisation that seemed to be reversed and now I find the services out of Euston to be much better than those out of KX. Clearly the WCML had a huge injection of investment for its upgrade (and we all know how troubled that was) but apart from that I find that Virgin WCML and London Midland both offer better services all around than their equivalents down the road.

[Richard E]

Here we go - TSSA and RMT to ballot for strike action on the ECML over proposed cost cutting measures. The item in my local 'rag' says it is all based around a 15% reduction in staffing for travel centres and station staff.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36867008

 

Another article in a north east local paper, which suggestsd changes to on-board staffing, says:

 

 

RMT bosses say trouble has been brewing for months and ballot papers will be sent out next week

A strike ballot of rail workers in the North East is to be held over threats to jobs and working conditions, it was announced today.

RMT bosses said its dispute with Virgin Train East Coast (VTEC) has been brewing for months.

They claimed the company was snubbing the union over talks and attempting to “bulldoze through a package of cash-led measures that would decimate jobs, working conditions and threaten the safety regime that currently ensures a guard on every train”.

The company, a joint venture between Virgin and Stagecoach, took over the lucrative East Coast mainline route in March last year which for six years until then had been publicly run.

The RMT said from day one it has ought, but failed to receive, assurances from the company on job protection issues including no compulsory redundancies, rates of pay and that “a safety-critical guard will be present on every train”.

Ballot papers will be distributed to 2,000 VTEC staff next Tuesday and the ballot will close on August 9.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “Long-standing agreements between our two organisations dictate that the company must negotiate with RMT, as a recognised trade union to those agreements, yet the company say these changes are a consultative process.

“That is simply not true. Any changes to staff terms and conditions are negotiable matters.

“The company has chosen to treat the negotiations as a game thus far, merely going through the motions of pretending they did not yet know what their plans entailed. To behave like that is to treat the union and its members with pure contempt.

“RMT will not sit back while our members jobs, conditions and safety are threatened by a franchise which is clearly in financial trouble. Our members will not pay the price for a crisis cooked up in the Virgin boardroom.

“The ballot is on and the union remains available for talks.”

A spokesperson for Virgin Trains East Coast said: “We have big plans for the east coast franchise with £140m of investment aimed squarely at making the customer experience the best it can be.

“The on-board changes are part of those plans which put the customer at the heart of all our operations.

“We are puzzled by the RMT’s decision to ballot as we have ruled out compulsory redundancies. A strike would also cost our people pay for no reason, and we have well prepared contingency plans which mean we expect to run a full timetable with customers travelling as normal.

“We would welcome the RMT reopening discussions at any point.”

Apparently there are 15 job roles at stations and 31 at travel centres under review according to one BBC article (not the one linked) and no mention of on-board roles.

We shall see what pans out, I have no intention of passing judgment on this.

[The Stationmaster]

Here we go - TSSA and RMT to ballot for strike action on the ECML over proposed cost cutting measures. The item in my local 'rag' says it is all based around a 15% reduction in staffing for travel centres and station staff.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36867008

 

Another article in a north east local paper, which suggestsd changes to on-board staffing, says:

 

 

Apparently there are 15 job roles at stations and 31 at travel centres under review according to one BBC article (not the one linked) and no mention of on-board roles.

We shall see what pans out, I have no intention of passing judgment on this.

 

Usual story I think.  In BR days it was very straightforward - conditions of service, including rosters, were negotiable while levels of manning and the level of work to be performed were consultative - and the simple rule was you never ever mixed the two.  Thus if you were going to take out posts it was consultation - you met the staff reps (not the union or union officials) having given them a handout explaining your proposals and listened to what they had to say taking notice of, and including, any useful points they made; once that was concluded you implemented your proposals - modified or not - and that was it.  Duty sheet content was consultative.

 

However if in order to make your changes you needed to revise conditions of employment (generally unusual in this context as normally in consultation you took advantage of already agreed changes) then it was negotiable and if not satisfactorily concluded at teh correct level it would gradually be escalated through the different levels of the machinery until it reached national level and negotiation with union HQ officials.

 

Try to do both at once and you make a rod for your own back but then equally dealing with staff reps/a union which doesn't understand the agreed machinery is also a rod for your back - particularly if some twit is looking for a fight.

[jonathan452]

BREAKING NEWS - Virgin East Coast staff vote to strike - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37023141

Edited August 9, 2016 by jonathan452

[Bruce Depot]

Seem to have a very high yes to action, out of interest what percent did vote?

 

Did TSSA ballot in the end and if yes when is that result due?

Edited August 9, 2016 by Bruce Depot

[lmsforever]

Glad I don't have to use the ECML with the strike coming up soon ,what is it with the RMT do they want to cripple our railways with outdated union ways.

[phil-b259]

Glad I don't have to use the ECML with the strike coming up soon ,what is it with the RMT do they want to cripple our railways with outdated union ways.

 

I think its more that the heads of the RMT and their fellow left wing Union members have been itching to 'take on' the Conservative Government ever since they won the 2010 election, but lacked a suitable opportunity thanks to the limiting effects of the Liberals in the coalition. After the 2015 election and with attempts by the Conservatives to restrict union rights even further through new legislation going through Parliament, the perceived move to force DOO operation on franchises / ticket office closures / removal of buffet cars / etc seems to have given those in charge of the RMT, etc to put such desires into action, while on the opposite side some individuals, such as the infamous Peter Wilkinson appear to positively relish the chance to put Mick Cash (the spiritual successor to Bob Crow) out of business regardless of how much suffering ordinary travellers and staff have to go through.

 

Its getting more and more like you just want to lock the Union bosses and ministers in a soundproof room and throw away the key, allowing the moderates on both sides to come to a mutually satisfactory solution

[Mallard60022]

Careful chaps, this is getting political and there are railway employees on here with strong thoughts on both sides of this sort of 'situation'. It would be better to just look at the actual things that are being disputed without 'taking sides' so that non railway employees like me can understand what's what.

The staff at my station are very worried about VECs plans; that tells me something straight away.

Phil 

Edited August 9, 2016 by Mallard60022

[Chameleon]

I must admit, I fail to see how de-manning stations, doing away with conductors and on-train staff can be seen as "improvements and modernisation" to the customer experience?

This all smacks of the miners strikes again, both sides entrenched, neither wanting to back down and lose face, resulting in the death of an entire industry.

 

While it won't go quite that far, all this confrontational nonsense just breeds bad feelings and zero cooperation. Why can't southern come up with the same deal as Scotrail? I think we know who is really pulling the strings.

[phil-b259]

I must admit, I fail to see how de-manning stations, doing away with conductors and on-train staff can be seen as "improvements and modernisation" to the customer experience?

This all smacks of the miners strikes again, both sides entrenched, neither wanting to back down and lose face, resulting in the death of an entire industry.

 

While it won't go quite that far, all this confrontational nonsense just breeds bad feelings and zero cooperation. Why can't southern come up with the same deal as Scotrail? I think we know who is really pulling the strings.

 

There are well placed rumours going round that Peter Wilkinson, Director General Rail Franchising was apoplectic at the deal Scotrail reached and made sure GTR wouldn't do likewise.

[russ p]

Trouble is Wilkinson let his mouth go and antagonised train crew before this dispute kicked off.

One way of calming things down a bit would be to sack him as he is not really competent for his role

[The Stationmaster]

Trouble is Wilkinson let his mouth go and antagonised train crew before this dispute kicked off.

One way of calming things down a bit would be to sack him as he is not really competent for his role

 

I've no doubt his stupidity lies at the root of a lot of the present troubles - he opened his mouth in a most intemperate (and inaccurate manner) which is neither the role of a Civil Servant nor the role of someone responsible for franchising.  I am fed up with heraing how politicos and the likes of Wilkinson, let alone the RMT leadership, have all become experts on an area for which they have no responsibility and - it would appear - little or no knowledge.  The RMT executive has been given an open goal and, whatever their membership might want or think, they are going to take maximum advantage of it.

 

A sorry state of affairs for the industry to be reduced to but alas it shows what can happen when the amateurs are not being restrained by either commonsense or those who actually understand how things should be done.

Edited August 9, 2016 by The Stationmaster

[cravensdmufan]

I see that the MD of VTEC has stated that a full timetable will be in place during any action.

 

How can this be if there is no guard  conductor on the train?  Or does the proposed strike just involve platform and/or catering staff?

Edited August 9, 2016 by cravensdmufan

[Mallard60022]

I see that the MD of VTEC has stated that a full timetable will be in place during any action.

 

How can this be if there is no guard  conductor on the train?  Or does the proposed strike just involve platform and/or catering staff?

I believe they will attempt to use 'management' staff to come onto platforms and that is what annoys my station's staff. Could possibly be chaos at some locations (e.g Doncaster.)

Phil 

[The Stationmaster]

I believe they will attempt to use 'management' staff to come onto platforms and that is what annoys my station's staff. Could possibly be chaos at some locations (e.g Doncaster.)

Phil 

 

That's an interesting situation.  In the past I always considered part of management's role to be out and about on station platforms in their particular area and of course to be trained and qualified to the necessary extent to take part in station duties - to me that was part of the job if, and when, I ventured onto a platform.  So if that is what 'managers' are doing as part of their everyday role I see nothing wrong with it.  However if they are not normally trained and experienced in such duties it is a very different kettle of fish and i can quite understand station staff taking exception.

[jjb1970]

Indeed, the fundamental role of management is to, well, manage. To do that they need to know what happens within their area of responsibility. One of the cla*ic post incident cliches which really makes me cross is when management say "we didn't know". Well they're management, they're supposed to manage and that means knowing what they're managing.

This particular dispute might be a nasty one. Stagecoach are not known for being wet lettuces and the minority shareholder (the sainted beard) is also a ruthless operator behind a facade of bon hommie.

[Richard E]

I'm thinking of booking out a work laptop so I can work from home .....

 

I hope VTEC do the decent thing by season ticket holders if it all goes pear shaped.

[cravensdmufan]

Strike dates announced.

 

http://news.sky.com/story/virgin-trains-east-coast-staff-announce-three-24-hour-strikes-10532916

[Zomboid]

I'm sure it's nothing more than a coincidence that we've just got a new government/ PM/ transport minister, and now one of the more militant unions is calling strikes all over the place.

[Richard E]

Interesting to hear that the union have decided to return to the negotiating table and have temporarily called off the strike action.