whoosh
Established Member
- Joined
- 3 Sep 2008
- Messages
- 1,384
No, I categorically don’t expect anybody to accept these conditions. They are utter ****e.
But after two years of uncertainty during the pandemic, ASLEF should’ve tried to grow the railway for a couple of years. A couple of really solid years of performance to get people travelling again, and revenue flowing again. If ASLEF went to the RDG for a payrise now after five years of not having one, but having done everything possible to keep the railways going, I imagine they’d get one almost immediately.
It's not up to ASLEF to grow the railway.
However, at Elizabeth Line, London Overground, ALL the Freight Operating Companies, ALL the Open Access Companies, Merseyrail, Scotrail, and Transport for Wales, those that are responsible for growing their part of railways are doing just that. Tyne & Wear Metro, Pre Metro Operations (Stourbridge Shuttle). Let's not forget those.
And funnily enough, negotiating with ASLEF is part of it.
ALL had pay rises that were below RPI (except 2021 Elizabeth Line which was RPI, and the final part of TfW's multi-year deal, which will be RPI - next April I believe, so when inflation has settled down) but believe the politics, and drivers are greedy.
TfW's also contained moving Sundays into the working week and a whole load of other productivity. But believe the politics and apparently, drivers don't want any changes to their 'Spanish Practices'.
By the way, how can Mark Harper claim the last offer was a "fair and reasonable" one, when it was worse than the previous one? Why has no journalist challenged him on this?