20 Degrees to Drive a Train

[Embattle]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1764000/1764099.stm

These lot are seriously pissing me off, and I don't even use Trains.

They reject a 7.6% rise even though it's double inflation and a hell of a lot more than most people will get this year. I mean it's not hard to drive a fucking train. It follows a set of tracks from one station to another with drivers required to stop at red lights, althought it seems this is too hard for some of them

 

[lysander]

UK attitudes in public service sector

Bus Drivers, Train Drivers, they're sour as rotting grapes. Atleast

I have never gotten a smile out of either!

Bus Drivers have more than one button to press, they deserve a little respect for that (.. NAH!).

RANT!: uke: public infrastructure owned by private companies

I think that privatisation was loony, since a country's infrastructure's directors shouldn't be answering to its investors, but rather its users. - Public infrastructure was never designed to make money, it was built to support a country's people in throughout their lives, get them doing things faster, more efficiently.

Furthermore, I'm often given the impression that railtrack's directors are at the other end of the pocket, sucking on a hole in material.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a capitalist, but there are some areas there I don't think capitalism works!

 

[xane]

Well, a Train Driver is a bit of risky job nowdays with all these sleepy internet nerds driving Landrovers onto the tracks and such, and putting your life on the line (excuse pun) for a bunch of incompetant directors who put shareholder returns above safety is something to worry about.

I gave up on trains quite a few years back when I moved in closer to work, however, recently the buses have got just as worse (although they don't tend to go on strike so much). I certainly don't expect them to smile when they have to confront miserable bastages like us every day.

Railway infrastructure should NEVER have been privatised, that was a critical mistake, even the most ardent capitalist should have seen that coming.

The biggest problem is regarding the transport infrastructure as a separate commercial concern, companies always complain about losses caused by industrial action yet they never seem keen to contribute to the same infrastructure on which their company thrives and depends.

 

[bigbb]

It's not actually the drivers who are complaining Embattle. The whole problem lies with the fact drivers have received a 17% pay rise, at which time the guards and alike received no increase whatsoever.

But, I do agree with you, they've got a 7.6% rise and it's about time they were thankful for that. Continual strikes benefit no one and only lower public support for their plight.

 

[old.D0LLySh33p]

People use public transport!?

MY GOD!

 

[Wij]

As soon as there's a hint of public money coming in the Unions demand a strike again which most of the members don't enjoy. Union bosses are all commie cocks !

 

[throdgrain]

yes they bloody are ! they aint something for nothing very orten in this life.... unless you're a union boss.

 

[Wij]

Quote I heard somewhere:

"Arthur Scargill went into the miners' strike with a big union and a small house and came out with a small union and a big house."



Not that I disagree with the idea of unions but why are they only ever run by communist social-misfits who are only interested in looking as if they are the most important person in the country ?

 

[Embattle]

Originally posted by bigbb
It's not actually the drivers who are complaining Embattle. The whole problem lies with the fact drivers have received a 17% pay rise, at which time the guards and alike received no increase whatsoever.

But, I do agree with you, they've got a 7.6% rise and it's about time they were thankful for that. Continual strikes benefit no one and only lower public support for their plight.

Yes I know bigbb but it still takes the piss either way since you never have pay parity in a lot of jobs. I have a solution, take from the train drivers and give it to the guards etc....of course then we would have them moaning about how much they get paid, most probably strike too

I don't believe they have any public support any more, at first yes people were understanding but not now.