Puzzling Union ofight on reopening rail line?

rjhowie

Active member
We have had a series of rail re-openings in Scotland and the latest is the Airdrie - Bathgate. This line was closed in the Beeching cuts in the 1960's but the line was reopened from Edinburgh-Bathgate several years ago and the final bit from there to Airdrie will be opened in 2010 connecting it with the suburban electric network around Glasgow. However the rail Union is demanding conductors on the train to open and shut the doors. Strike action is contemplated even though the same Union has accepted one-man op from the driver elsewhere?! This would add an eventual 6 figure if not 7 on to the company's costs. The oddity is that the vast majority of the company's other suburban lines are one man operated via the driver doing the doors. Indeed 70% off First Scotrail is run this way by the same Union employees. In practical terms it would mean that trains on the Bathgate Line would have an extra man on board to "do" the doors and then on going on from Airdrie by electic just the driver??
 
without reading the contract, you said the rail union has negotiated for one person crews elsewhere. well, this line is not elsewhere. if scotlands rail unions are anything like americas, the thing is like an on property agreement or territory agreement. this line, although refurbished, might still fall under a contract from the early 50's, in which a conductor will be on the train. thats my guess as to what they are wanting. personally, i would love to see the unions win this one.
 
Well I am not sure that I want the Union to "win" this one.

When you consider that 70% of Scotland's railways (we are virtually all passenger over here in the UK unlike Stateside) have doors operated by the driver and the Union went along with that it seems a bit of nonsense. As for previous agreements. Rail went into State control in 1948 and passed back to private companues a decade or so ago and passenger numbers have mushroomed to the highest for decades. The line was closed therefor in State op days of steam with 2 on a footplate and a guard. This has long gone so don't get confused about "elsewhere. This is a company operating all the rail services in Scotland. All rail companies in England/Wales/Ulster get subsidies for routes

FirstScotrail like down south gets subsidies on particular lines provided there are good service, timetables and efficiency. The company did not expect to have this silly demand when the same Union accepted one man elsewhere on the same rail system operated by this company. It is silly and crass. Needless to say this would add considerable cost to running the service after all the heavy expenditure putting back a dead line. No-one expected this blip as the staffing matter is a national one. If it hadn't been done there wouldn't have been any train staff needed! Chancing it's arm by the Union - yeah and plain stupid.
 
This continuing sag has reached the point where there may now be an all-out strike of rail in Scotland. If this sadly happens then we taxpayers will be paying for it. Due to an agreement with the Scots Government this would mean that First Scotrail would receive compensation money from the public purse (!). When you consider the large sums spent relaying track lifted half a century ago plus stations this is getting really sad. You have to remember that when these trains reach Airdrie east of the Glasgow conurbation passengers then change to the Glasgow Suburban electrics into the city and they are are one-man operated. There are travelling ticket issuers but the driver does the doors. When they brought back other sead lines with driver only there was no fuss so why now? After all looking at the Union view no-one is getting sacked are they?
 
Back
Top