Will a new MD for SWR mean an end to the strike action?

[swt_passenger]

Considering it is on!y an interim appointment, I do wonder why mellors is moving. Has he threatened to quit or do first just want someone new, whoever that is, in post as the new year starts?

Is Hopwood only interim until the drivers deal is sorted out and then whatever the outcome of method of working is handed over to a new MD?

Who knows?

Edit: spelling correction

What is this driver’s deal about then?

 

[theironroad]

The GWR MD running SWR is an interim arrangement until a full appointment is made. Other appointments to fill gaps left behind are thus interim until everyone GWR-side goes back to where they were (spelling corrected in theironroad's post)

Thanks for pointing out the spelling, I've corrected it in my post.

However, I was aware that it was only interim, just wondered why.

 

[theironroad]

What is this driver’s deal about then?

Your guess is as good as mine, I'm a swr driver and details are scarce.

Essentially swr drivers have a pay review every 1 April and this might be a reasonably simple 1 year deal with a inflation pay rise and no other changes to terms and conditions.

Other times it might be over hours worked or conditions.

This one is expected to be a major change because it is expected to last a few years and likely to involved door operations talks and thus takes a lot longer to negotiate. Some preliminary talks have started I believe, but both sides normally keep silent until some sort of deal is reached and then it will go to a ballot of members .

 

[swt_passenger]

Your guess is as good as mine, I'm a swr driver and details are scarce.

Essentially swr drivers have a pay review every 1 April and this might be a reasonably simple 1 year deal with a inflation pay rise and no other changes to terms and conditions.

Other times it might be over hours worked or conditions.

This one is expected to be a major change because it is expected to last a few years and likely to involved door operations talks and thus takes a lot longer to negotiate.

Fair dos, I thought you were implying an existing dispute, but this seems more like normal business.

 

[theironroad]

Fair dos, I thought you were implying an existing dispute, but this seems more like normal business.

Correct, there's no dispute involving swr drivers.

 

[rogue246]

Why would SWR bring the Dispute to a close they get X Amount of £ from Bookings, Sales, Tickets etc …. and X amount of ££ from the Govt for `Lost Revenue`
they appear not to be loosing out ?

 

[Walter Whigham]

Tony Miles of Modern Railways was on the "Your and Yours" programme on Radio 4 this lunchtime when he indicated that there had been a deal reached recently between South West Trains and the RMT but, subsequently, the company had been ordered by the Department of Transport to renege upon it. It will remain to be seen if the new MD is willing to accept this interference. Mellors obviously is prepared to jump when the Dept. snaps its fingers.

 

[swt_passenger]

Tony Miles of Modern Railways was on the "Your and Yours" programme on Radio 4 this lunchtime when he indicated that there had been a deal reached recently between South West Trains and the RMT but, subsequently, the company had been ordered by the Department of Transport to renege upon it. It will remain to be seen if the new MD is willing to accept this interference. Mellors obviously is prepared to jump when the Dept. snaps its fingers.

He also writes in the wnxx forum that the local RMT reached a deal at ACAS and it was overuled by RMT at national level.
Just for balance...

 

[Meerkat]

Tony Miles of Modern Railways was on the "Your and Yours" programme on Radio 4 this lunchtime when he indicated that there had been a deal reached recently between South West Trains and the RMT but, subsequently, the company had been ordered by the Department of Transport to renege upon it. It will remain to be seen if the new MD is willing to accept this interference. Mellors obviously is prepared to jump when the Dept. snaps its fingers.

it’s not outrageous for the DfT to overrule a TOC on such a deal due to the difference in planning horizons. The TOC might offer a big pay rise as they want settlement and only have to pay it for the franchise duration. The DfT has to prevent the TOC doing things that will badly affect future TOCs and the premium the taxpayer receives from now onward.

 

[TEW]

He also writes in the wnxx forum that the local RMT reached a deal at ACAS and it was overuled by RMT at national level.
Just for balance...

That isn't true. A proposal was put forward by the company at the ACAS talks which was rejected by the RMT National Executive, but the deal was not acceptable to local level reps anyway.

 

[Goldfish62]

Why would SWR bring the Dispute to a close they get X Amount of £ from Bookings, Sales, Tickets etc …. and X amount of ££ from the Govt for `Lost Revenue`
they appear not to be loosing out ?

They may not be losing out in the short term. In the long term there will be people who stop using the railways and never return. That's a potentially big revenue hit. If it was a bus company it would withdraw routes and close garages, but the railways are much constrained and can't cut just cut back services on a whim due to reduced patronage through strike action.

 

[Goldfish62]

That isn't true. A proposal was put forward by the company at the ACAS talks which was rejected by the RMT National Executive, but the deal was not acceptable to local level reps anyway.

So do we know what the proposal was?

 

[swt_passenger]

That isn't true. A proposal was put forward by the company at the ACAS talks which was rejected by the RMT National Executive, but the deal was not acceptable to local level reps anyway.

Fair enough. We the public can really only go by what is reported...

 

[adamello]

So do we know what the proposal was?

RMT did share the ACAS report, but from my 2 mins of searching it appears to be deleted

 

[TEW]

So do we know what the proposal was?

Drivers would have had full control of the doors on 701s, guards would have in effect been doing the same role as Southern OBS' on the 701s.

 

[TEW]

Fair enough. We the public can really only go by what is reported...

The company did word it carefully to make it appear that it was an agreement reached with the RMT, rather than their proposal.

 

[swt_passenger]

The company did word it carefully to make it appear that it was an agreement reached with the RMT, rather than their proposal.

Thanks.

 

[Goldfish62]

Drivers would have had full control of the doors on 701s, guards would have in effect been doing the same role as Southern OBS' on the 701s.

Thanks. No surprise there then.

 

[pompeyfan]

Starting station guard confirms they’re present, OBS style local door operation throughout.

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publications/proposals-from-acas/proposals-from-acas.pdf

do Suburban guards have any mid journey hand overs similar to how mainline swap over at Woking/Basingstoke/Guildford etc?

 

[SWT_USER]

Starting station guard confirms they’re present, OBS style local door operation throughout.

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publications/proposals-from-acas/proposals-from-acas.pdf

do Suburban guards have any mid journey hand overs similar to how mainline swap over at Woking/Basingstoke/Guildford etc?

I think there are some guard swaps at Staines unless it's changed recently.

 

[Val3ntine]

I think there are some guard swaps at Staines unless it's changed recently.

Strawberry hill too. New feltham and clapham depots opening could potentially have crew changeovers there maybe but that’s not known yet.

 

[43096]

I think there are some guard swaps at Staines unless it's changed recently.

2C93 1735 Waterloo-Reading used to swap at Staines until recently - not sure if it was still booked to.

 

[pompeyfan]

Only reason I ask is because a method of work would need to be established for handover between guards to ensure a service doesn’t depart without a guard onboard.

 

[Goldfish62]

I think there are some guard swaps at Staines unless it's changed recently.

Yes, plus driver changeovers.

 

[Goldfish62]

Starting station guard confirms they’re present, OBS style local door operation throughout.

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publications/proposals-from-acas/proposals-from-acas.pdf

do Suburban guards have any mid journey hand overs similar to how mainline swap over at Woking/Basingstoke/Guildford etc?

Thanks sharing. So it looks like the negotiating teams for SWR and RMT agreed this, but it got vetoed above.

 

[pompeyfan]

Thanks sharing. So it looks like the negotiating teams for SWR and RMT agreed this, but it got vetoed above.

worth baring in mind though that allegedly SWR agreed to Driver open guard close on all stock including 701s, which was vetoed by the DfT. the only evidence of this though is a press release from RMT about a month ago.

 

[daveshah]

Some previous minutes here, that are also quite interesting to read: https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publications/swr-minutes-from-talks/swr-minutes-from-talks.pdf

 

[Goldfish62]

worth baring in mind though that allegedly SWR agreed to Driver open guard close on all stock including 701s, which was vetoed by the DfT. the only evidence of this though is a press release from RMT about a month ago.

I wouldn't believe any press releases from either side.

 

[TEW]

Thanks sharing. So it looks like the negotiating teams for SWR and RMT agreed this, but it got vetoed above.

They are the agreed minutes, not an agreement between the two parties. The first section is the common ground, then the second section is the management proposal.

 

[Goldfish62]

They are the agreed minutes, not an agreement between the two parties. The first section is the common ground, then the second section is the management proposal.

Yes, I noticed that after posting.