On the car journey back from a wonderful holiday in Sheringham, we decided to listen to BBC Radio 2. While the main discussions, music and summer quizzes were all enjoyable, the report that most caught my attention was the 5 day Southern rail strike affecting hundreds of trains and thousands of passengers across South East England. Classed as the longest rail strike since 1968, I knew there were clear disagreements between 2 sides and predicted unions wanted a pay rise. It was when I found out what the disagreements were that I was truly shocked.
The 2 sides in this rail strike argument are the rail firm 'Govia Thameslink' (GTR) and the 'National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' (RMT) which represent the train workers. For 3 days, they had been negotiating on.... who should be allowed to open and close train doors. GTR want to change the role of conductors on trains (think Jack Harper from 'On the Buses' or Stan Shunpike from 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) so conductors no longer close doors but are more customer service based. The train drivers would instead close doors using fancy technology. RMT strongly oppose this and believe GTR are blaming them for a 'lack of planning'. At first I thought Southern rail trains were those old fashioned trains where you had to stick your head out of the door window to turn the handle to get out, but no. Southern rail trains are very modern in terms of only needing to press a button to enter or exit. So what is all the fuss about? Surely whoever is available at the time, whether it be driver or conductor, can check all doors are firmly shut before departure. In terms of getting off the train, passengers can surely open the doors for themselves. Striking for 5 days over what seems like such a non-issue is ridiculous. A fraction of the areas affected include: Havant, Hove, Haywards Heath, Tonbridge among many others. On the radio I heard stories of passengers crying for fear of being late once again and getting the sack, trains simply sitting at stations without a driver, carriages full to the brim with no standing space, the disabled not having the space or assistance to travel safely. It is awful. Instead of staying off work, both unions and the main rail companies should be working together to find solutions to improve the clear disaster of Southern rail. I haven't a clue whether re-nationalizing the railways would benefit this specific issue although I am in favour of the policy. Though I make it sound easy, through clear direction and strategy, it can work. I love going on trains: for the people watching, newspaper reading, appreciating views and always receive a friendly, helpful response from all staff. The very nature of the British railway: as a transport system, an employer, a way to link the country must be maintained. That way, everyone can benefit.
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