The RMT and Docklands

[AlistairW]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7856449.stm

Talk about being hypocritical, the DLR wants to replace 12 hour shifts with 8 hour shifts in their control room at weekends on safety grounds. However the staff are going on strike with the RMT claiming it damages the "work/life balance" and that safety cannot be used as an excuse. Fair enough however,

If the rail company was to replace 8 hour shifts with 12 hour shifts instead I'm sure the RMT would be the first to intervene and use safety as the primary motive against!

So RMT, which is it, staff or safety as you certainly never support both at the same time!

Cheers,
Ali

[jbilton]

Hi
I would be sceptical that the railway were concerned about safety......... more like saving money..... somewhere.
Cheers
Jon

[ianmacmillan]

If it was a safety issue then why was it allowed to happen in the first place?

More likely it's a con. They cover the job with 3 8hr shifts for a few months then try to make the workers do 8hrs then work 4hrs overtime.

Losing 24 rest days would severely disrupt anyones social life but I don't suppose the management care about that.

BR tried the same trick with us. The men asked to make night shifts 10hrs so they could use public transport. Management then cut it back to 8hrs. The men with no way to get home worked 2 hrs overtime and covered the gap.
Of course they still had the make up the 2hrs later thus loosing 2hrs free time.

[jtiffin]

Someone must stop that DLR strike.

[BR7MT]

Lo and behold - strike suspended for more talks. Good job too, otherwise I would have had to ski home on Monday evening!

Regards,

Dan

[AlistairW]

Lo and behold - strike suspended for more talks. Good job too, otherwise I would have had to ski home on Monday evening!

Regards,

Dan

In retrospect, did you ski home?

[BR7MT]

Lo and behold - strike suspended for more talks. Good job too, otherwise I would have had to ski home on Monday evening!

Regards,

Dan

In retrospect, did you ski home?

Hehe, I didn't even make it in. No trains running to Lewisham, or any buses to get there. Plus it would have taken me a while to dig the car out, only to find no parking spaces when I got to Canary Wharf!

A work from home day for me, I just wish I could have gone out with my mate and his brother in their Toyota Hilux and gone snowboarding near Biggin Hill!

Regards,

Dan

[danielw2599]

Most railway locations work to a 12 hour roster on weekends with some working to a 12 hour roster during the week...so I fail to see what the "safety conrerns" are