RMT and Aslef to ballot Night Tube drivers for strike action February 20, 2017 The RMT and Aslef unions said this morning they will ballot Night Tube drivers for industrial action over a "block on career progression". Both unions are protesting what they see as obstruction of drivers' career progression. Aslef has set a deadline of 10am on Thursday 16 March for the return of ballot papers. According to the [...]
Phew: TfL says the new RMT industrial action starting tomorrow won’t cause much disruption March 6, 2017 The RMT's London Underground members will be taking industrial action from Tuesday 7 March, but Transport for London (TfL) has said the action – which is short of a strike, shouldn't cause disruption to services. That's unless it continues to drag on of course. The dispute is over a "breakdown in industrial relations" according to the [...]
Southern rail will agree to fresh talks with the RMT if the union suspends all strike action March 20, 2017 Southern owner Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has extended an olive branch to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. Well, sort of. The train company has offered to meet the RMT for fresh face-to-face talks if the union suspends industrial action in its year-long dispute over changes to the role of the guard. Read more: Southern [...]
Southern rail claims victory over the RMT, giving itself a pat on the back for its service February 24, 2017 Southern rail has labelled the ongoing industrial action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) as "impotent and ineffective", while bragging about how many trains it had managed to run in spite of the strikes. The RMT held its latest walkout on Wednesday, this time a 24-hour downing of tools, taking its tally to 29 strikes. Fears have resurfaced that [...]
Why the robot apocalypse won’t come tomorrow June 16, 2017 Read any media article on artificial intelligence or ‘AI’ these days and you are likely to come away with the impression it won’t be so very long before your life is being run by the Matrix and your boss is a marginally more benign version of the Terminator. Apparently, however, there are still a couple [...]
RMT staffing row flares ahead of fresh talks with Southern rail tomorrow February 13, 2017 It might be Valentine's Day tomorrow but don't expect love to be in the air when the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Southern rail meet for fresh talks. The talks, which will be held at conciliation service Acas, are aimed at resolving the long-running dispute over the role of the guard, after train drivers' union [...]
Southern Rail and Aslef have agreed to a fresh deal to end strikes, but union members could still reject it March 15, 2017 Southern Rail and train drivers' union Aslef have agreed to a fresh deal, finally resolving their row over driver-only trains. However, it's not quite over yet. Aslef members still need to vote on the new terms, and the result will be announced 3 April. The union's boss is recommending members accept the deal. Mick Whelan, general secretary of [...]
£49k a year, four days a week: Southern rail’s hiring drivers January 18, 2017 Want to earn £49,000 a year for a four-day week? Southern rail wants you: the company is ramping up its efforts to recruit more drivers to cut down on disruption on its network. Southern owner Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said earlier this week it was after new drivers as it seeks to cut down its reliance on rest-day working [...]
Southern rail’s “full service” pledge hasn’t gone down well with commuters January 24, 2017 Southern rail's commitment to restoring a full service from today isn't quite going to plan. This morning, Southern said there were some alterations to its service, noting cancelled trains were due to a shortage of drivers, while another was cancelled due to a broken down train: Morning! A full timetable is back in operation today. There are some [...]
Good news: UK train ticket pricing is getting an overhaul February 1, 2017 It's been a tough few months for train travellers – but finally, there's some good news. The UK's ticket pricing system is getting a much-needed facelift to scrap overpriced routes and make it easier for passengers to buy the cheapest tickets. Some fares for longer, connecting train journeys will be removed because cheaper options exist. [...]