Smacks More Of Trying To Bring The Government Down

[Bobbisox1]

https://news.sky.com/story/rmt-union-rejects-latest-pay-offers-12806633

[Canary42]

Here we go again, accusing the workers trying to bring the Government down.

They must get it from the Bankers who did bring the Labour Government down.

[bobbinwales]

//They must get it from the Bankers who did bring the Labour Government down.//
That was a worldwide finance issue what effected USA, Europe caused by greedy bankers in US and everywhere and may of brought down a few govs of all colors.

[Deskdiary]

If I was offered 5% backdated for a year and 4% now, I’d bite my company’s arm off.

You do understand that inflation will reduce Gromit? Yes? As will fuel costs.

Here’s an idea, an idea I floated when the ‘Angels and Heroes’ were striking, let’s pay them what they want, on the understanding when inflation reduces, fuel reduces and the cost of living generally reduces (which they will) they take a pay cut.

Do you reckon Vic Spanner would go for that?

Somehow I doubt it.

[bobbinwales]

Your confusing falling inflation with falling prices deskdiary. Inflation can fall from 10% to 5% but it still means prices are rising just not quiet asmuch

[Deskdiary]

Yes I understand that Bob, but turn it on its head and let’s take an absurd example when the Angels were demanding 19% (although I accept it was an absurd demand that was never going to be met and anyway was undeserved), inflation drops to, say, 2% - yes the base price has already gone up due to the high inflation, but notwithstanding this, they’d be absolutely quids in.

[nicebloke1]

Bring the government down? They've made a dam good job of doing that all on their own, without any help from unions.

[douglas9401]

I wonder if fender62 was the Cresta bear in a previous life. :-)

[Deskdiary]

Why, whenever pay is raised, do people (well, Gulliver in this instance) bring up the pay of MPs?

A less than inflation pay rise for MPs, set by an independent body don’t forget, is a drop in the ocean compared to the total of the pay demands by our Nurses, Ambulance people, rail staff, civil servants and firemen (sorry - firepersons), and I know it’s heresy to say so, but Nurses are not underpaid, whereas MPs are.

As Bob says, I wait with anticipation in Labour MPs refusing their less than inflation pay rise.

[douglas9401]

Some say 'independent pay bodies' are like 'blind trusts'.

Good ideas both but...

[New Judge]

I said so before Christmas but I'll repeat it - the time has come to lock RMT and ASLEF members out. They strike for two days and cripple the system for a week. Nobody can plan anything that involves a rail trip more than a couple of weeks out. The next time they strike the system should be closed down, the strikers sacked and only reopened when they agree to be re-employed on new contracts. These contacts would stipulate new rates of pay with affordable increases but, most importantly, with the abolition of some of the ridiculous working practices that have been allowed to perpetuate and which are causing the rail network so many problems.

The taxpayer pumped about £40bn of additional funding into the railways during the two years of the pandemic and no rail worker was placed on furlough or short time. This was despite demand dropping by over 80% for many months. During that time every passenger rail trip cost the taxpayer £100.

Enough's enough.

[Deskdiary]

I went back to the office as soon as I was allowed, and without exaggeration, for months I was catching a 10 or 12 coach train from Tunbridge Wells to London Bridge and more often than not I had a coach to myself.

We were paying them to ferry fresh air. It was nuts.

[Gromit]

The private train operating companies are in dispute with their employees, and both sides want a resolution as quickly as possible.
This dispute could have been over 12 months ago if it wasn’t for the Department for Transport sticking their oar in.
The DofT won’t allow the private train operating companies to offer a pay reward that the RMT can accept.
They (.Gov) seem to think that senselessly fighting the Unions will do them good at the polls.
Meanwhile the public who are on the brunt of the strikes are *** off and blaming the Government for high inflation and cost of living. No one is blaming train drivers, ambulance worker, paramedics, border staff or nurses - they are all blaming the government.

[New Judge]

//The DofT won’t allow the private train operating companies to offer a pay reward that the RMT can accept.//

Well that’s hardly surprising. The “private” TOCs are effectively a dead duck. Their franchises (in England) were suspended in March 2020 and “Passenger Service Contracts” are now the future. At present the government (i.e. the taxpayer) is still supporting the railways to a stupendous degree (something like £1,800 per household per annum on average). With such an involvement from the Exchequer it is unsurprising that the government is controlling how much of taxpayers’ money the TOCs are allowed to offer staff.

// No one is blaming train drivers, ambulance worker, paramedics, border staff or nurses - they are all blaming the government.//

A rash statement unsupported by evidence. Ask an ambulance worker or nurse trying to get to central London to work, how they feel about their struggle to do so because of industrial action by train drivers who are paid about twice as much as them.

PS - Thanks for BA Bobbi :-)