I think the thing you need to remember is that whilst you are happy to be moved to work in a solely customer service role, that isn't what many of your colleagues joined the railway to do. They didn't join the railway to just sell tickets, they joined the railway to work in an operational capacity in a job which had safety responsibility and a high level of training. Many will have no desire to work in an "unskilled" role with no responsibility. Fares still go up, the deskilling means customer service goes down, as do safety levels, and in time staffing levels will drop. It isn't just a slight change in a job description, it's completely changing the role.
A very great number of us of more mature years started one job which evolved into something totally different, and that's if we were smart enough to avoid many bullets to keep a job at all. In my case that involved several relocations across the north.
I'd agree that in many cases service goes down. Watching Dad's Army I remember being taken to see Captain Mainwaring's equivalent to open an account, the bank branch just like his and staff much the same. We knew all the staff by name and they knew us. Now I can't even send them an email and it's a battle to speak to anyone, all the branches closing one by one. The likes of Mainwaring received a high level of training but their responsibilities were gradually scythed away as everything was computerised. Some staff accepted roles with lower levels of responsibility, many left with a pay off or took early retirement.
Anyone who is able to hold on to a job with exactly the same duties over a career of 40+ years must be very rare in the world of today. In my lifetime I think of miners, fishermen, steel workers, bus conductors, porters, station masters, librarians, local postmasters and lamp lighters (chap came round with a ladder once a week to wind up the 8 day clocks on gas lamps) to name but a few - nearly all gone or going.
The rail accident statistics don't seem to tally with the statement that safety levels are going down, rather the reverse. Old compartment coach trains had guards but many had no corridors, and even when they did anything could happen in there unseen.
We need the best of modern worlds. My line has 3 long tunnels. I'd certainly be unhappy if trains had only one member of staff aboard. There was a derailment in 3.5 mile long Totley Tunnel about 1961 and nobody got seriously hurt, more by good luck that nothing was going the other way. I assume train crews going through there get some extra training on what to do in such a circumstance.
However, all the Northern stopping trains would pick up vital seconds if the conductor didn't have to open the doors. They might also collect more revenue. Far too often fares don't get collected when stations are fairly close together. Having a safety trained conductor surely doesn't require opening those doors as well? With Pacers it possibly does, but is that a good reason to be having this dispute? When they've gone the RMT case gets weaker.