Train services on the South Western Railway (SWR) could be brought to a halt if an impending dispute between the railway and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) cannot be resolved.
The dispute is because the South Western Railway changed the working arrangements for staff employed in their control centres at Basingstoke and London Waterloo. The control centres are an essential part of the railway’s operations, and if staff in them go on strike South Western Railway will be forced to cancel its trains.
The dispute centres around arrangements when staff don’t want to work on Sundays. Until now, South Western Railway has been responsible for finding alternative staff to cover the shifts. But staff working in the Basingstoke and Waterloo control centres have been informed that if they don’t want to work their Sunday shifts, it will be their own responsibility to find someone else to cover their shift.
The need to find cover for Sunday shifts arises because staff employed by South Western Railway are not currently obliged to work on Sundays. This arrangement is similar to elsewhere in the rail industry, where working Sunday shifts is done on a voluntary basis, with staff being paid at overtime rates.
Joint Interim General Secretary, Peter Pendle, said: “This isn’t merely a shift in working patterns. It’s a stark deviation from well-established norms.
“The company made this change without consulting with us and our members are rightly furious. The company has the chance to meet with us, engage with our reps and find an acceptable solution otherwise we go into dispute.
“Our members in Control know their strength. If they go on strike the trains will stop running. Southwestern needs to find a fair reasonable and negotiated solution now.”
Responses
No hate here, but clearly you missed my point. Change is everywhere and people need to wise up to the fact it happens in every industry.
For a 7 day service everyone should if needed due to staff shortages be willing to do their share in working an occasional Sunday to keep their rail service running smoothly.
That is only fair and right. But it is SOUTH WESTERNS responsibility for making sure who is working NOT the employees .
That is why they get paid VERY good money. For running a well run rail service. For being a Manager!! For being responsible for their staff! It is THEIR responsibility. If they can’t manage to do that then they are not doing what their contract specifies!
That is why hard working employees are so fed up and why this Country is in such a mess!
From a fed up customer.
Going back into history, I know BUT, when I worked on BR on 24/7 shifts back in the 1960s and 70s Sunday WAS part of, our working week, and our Sunday turns were rostered. I don’t understand how and when they listntheir way on this.
Replace them all with computers programs
Much more efficient and cheaper.
Simple question, if you built a completely new railway today, would you use the same methods as the 19th century, clearly not. Change happens and the industry on all sides needs to understand this. I appreciate SWR may have not have consulted properly but everyone must embrace change regardless of historical givens. Take today’s train drivers, they still have time at the end of their shift to wash up (which they get paid for) but they never use, because ultimately they don’t drive Steam trains anymore.
Curious your knowledge appearance to be more than someone who does the job… washing up time? Seriously? There’s a 10 minute allowance from the train arriving at home station to finishing work. That’s similar to most jobs, do shop workers shifts end the minute the leave the till, or do they have time to “clock off”? Do office workers have, perhaps, “outdated working practices” where they log off, wash their mug, put their coat on in company time rather than sitting at their desk until the time they finish? Grow up and stop the hating.
Don’t know why they don’t work on Sunday as part of their job. I worked at LHR and that was and still is a 24/7 operation and Sunday was part of the normal week .
You’re swallowing the nonsense being peddled by the right wing idiots who haven’t got a clue what they are on about. “Wash up time” 😂😂😂😂
Absolutely crazy that Sunday is not part of working week
On South West Rail..in fact any rail company.Transport is
And should be a24/7 service..no wonder transport in this country is in a mess.These workers want the best of both
Worlds..not having to work Sundays but willing to coin
It as extra when it suits..outdated working practices.
Spoken like someone who works Monday till Friday lunchtime🤦
It’s more the fact that staff work sundays anyway but usually they paid extra for it. What they are proposing is taking the enhancements away for working Sunday. I’m short staff will be paid less. They could make it so Sunday is part of the working week without reducing pay .
Obviously you’ve got nobody looking after your working practices. A bit jealous maybe. Or you’re just one of those that think the working classes should work till they drop.
Obviously by your comment you do not understand that this is a condition paid for historically by taking a lower percentage on a pay negotiation thus they are quite within there rights not to work these Sundays and under a democratic system they are entitled to decide as a whole what they want to do and when you and other similar standing people realise that this country is a democracy not a dictatorship. The railways are in a mess at the moment solely caused by the government making a grab on conditions which affect employment and home life…STOP LISTENING TO RUBBISH
Well said Richard 👏👏 it seems to me people can be very judgmental when it comes to other people’s working lives before anyone says , no I don’t work on the railway,
workers rights have been built up over years of hard work and quite frankly most of us are fed up with big companies ( foreign Owned ) eroding our terms and conditions and expecting people to work like robots at the expense of there families.
.
Well said Dave, Warren and Richard – people who are weak and pushed around like to get off on this sort of comment rather than onside with the workers who are within their rights to work to the terms of their contracts. It sheer jealousy that breeds ignorance!