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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 7, 2024 19:22:43 GMT
As someone who lives outside London, I must say that it hacks me off that the tube strikes keep on getting called off at the last minute while all the train strikes in the last 18 months have gone ahead. Why are the unions prepared to cancel their tube strikes but never their train ones? It feels like London's transport is considered more important than that for the rest of the country.
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Post by aspieandy on Jan 7, 2024 19:28:15 GMT
The mayor has intervened directly today and more money made available - offer has been 5% (i.e. less than inflation over the period). He could have done this a week, two weeks, ago. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67907355 |
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Post by sph on Jan 7, 2024 19:29:47 GMT
The tube strikes are just an ongoing game of cat and mouse that will last until the end of time. There's no point in trying to make rhyme or reason of them. This week they'll strike over pay, next week they'll strike because there aren't enough teabags in the break room. It is what it is when you live in London.
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2,760 posts
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Post by n1david on Jan 7, 2024 20:11:34 GMT
As someone who lives outside London, I must say that it hacks me off that the tube strikes keep on getting called off at the last minute while all the train strikes in the last 18 months have gone ahead. Why are the unions prepared to cancel their tube strikes but never their train ones? It feels like London's transport is considered more important than that for the rest of the country. The Mayor wants the strikes to be called off so negotiates. The Government wants strikes on the railways because (a) they don't tend to travel by train anyway so it doesn't really affect them and (b) they want people to be inconvenienced so that they can point to the Labour Party and say in the election campaign that this party is a friend of the unions and so in some way responsible for the strikes. The difference is approach isn't down to the unions; it's down to the bodies negotiating with them and their motivations. |
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5,707 posts
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Post by lynette on Jan 10, 2024 18:00:29 GMT
As someone who lives outside London, I must say that it hacks me off that the tube strikes keep on getting called off at the last minute while all the train strikes in the last 18 months have gone ahead. Why are the unions prepared to cancel their tube strikes but never their train ones? It feels like London's transport is considered more important than that for the rest of the country. The Mayor wants the strikes to be called off so negotiates. The Government wants strikes on the railways because (a) they don't tend to travel by train anyway so it doesn't really affect them and (b) they want people to be inconvenienced so that they can point to the Labour Party and say in the election campaign that this party is a friend of the unions and so in some way responsible for the strikes. The difference is approach isn't down to the unions; it's down to the bodies negotiating with them and their motivations. Honestly I wish your theory was true as it would make me think there were was some intelligence, albeit malignant , in the Gov. |
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Post by Jan on Jan 10, 2024 18:53:30 GMT
As someone who lives outside London, I must say that it hacks me off that the tube strikes keep on getting called off at the last minute while all the train strikes in the last 18 months have gone ahead. Why are the unions prepared to cancel their tube strikes but never their train ones? It feels like London's transport is considered more important than that for the rest of the country. The Mayor wants the strikes to be called off so negotiates. The Government wants strikes on the railways because (a) they don't tend to travel by train anyway so it doesn't really affect them and (b) they want people to be inconvenienced so that they can point to the Labour Party and say in the election campaign that this party is a friend of the unions and so in some way responsible for the strikes. The difference is approach isn't down to the unions; it's down to the bodies negotiating with them and their motivations. Khan has found £30m extra money to pay off the RMT with an 11% pay rise having previously told ASLEF that the 5% pay rise they agreed to only a few months agio was the maximum they could have as there was no more money. So guess what ASLEF will do now ? Genius negotiator. |
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Post by aspieandy on Jan 10, 2024 19:46:18 GMT
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Post by Jan on Jan 10, 2024 20:47:34 GMT
On average people only spend about 12% of their total income on food (ONS figures) so highlighting that is not particularly relevant - overall inflation is more relevant in the context of pay negotiations. |
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2,339 posts
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Jan 10, 2024 21:57:38 GMT
On average people only spend about 12% of their total income on food (ONS figures) so highlighting that is not particularly relevant - overall inflation is more relevant in the context of pay negotiations. I've always known I eat too much but I'm definitely holding up the average |
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Post by aspieandy on Jan 11, 2024 6:43:31 GMT
On average people only spend about 12% of their total income on food (ONS figures) so highlighting that is not particularly relevant - overall inflation is more relevant in the context of pay negotiations. As someone memorably said 'your GDP is not my GDP'. Meaning: it's middle-class numbers for middle class readers.
Just like when skilled tube drivers wages are quoted as indicative of all TFL staff.
Or when 12% of "total income" doesn't mean much when you rely on free school meals and/or Universal Credit or Income Support to put any meals on the family table. And that additional support is needed because the government is content with taxpayers underpinning low wage employers.
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Post by happysooz2 on Jan 12, 2024 8:19:05 GMT
The tube strikes are just an ongoing game of cat and mouse that will last until the end of time. There's no point in trying to make rhyme or reason of them. This week they'll strike over pay, next week they'll strike because there aren't enough teabags in the break room. It is what it is when you live in London. Exactly. The inevitability of Tube strikes always remind me of the quote ‘Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.’ |
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2,495 posts
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Post by zahidf on Jan 15, 2024 13:45:50 GMT
More train strikes
Drivers will strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway on Tuesday 30 January; at Northern Trains and TransPennine Express on Wednesday 31 January; at Greater Anglia, C2C and LNER on Friday 2 February; at West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway on Saturday 3 February; and at Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern on Monday 5 February.
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2,408 posts
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Post by theatreian on Jan 15, 2024 16:03:16 GMT
It feels like London's transport is considered more important than that for the rest of the country. Unfortunately it is the case that most things in London are considered more important than equivalent things happening elsewhere. It's probably always been the case. |
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Post by sph on Jan 15, 2024 17:25:20 GMT
London has a population that represents just over 13% of the UK though, and has far less people who drive or have a car and who rely almost entirely on public transport, especially for work.
And all the shops and companies and organisations etc that smaller towns and cities rely on? They probably have their headquarters in London. If London stops, it affects the rest of the country.
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