l a n r u o ASLEFThe AssociATED sociETy of LocomoTivE EnginEErs & firEmEn J novEmBEr 2016 Weller puts Viva D train to the test We can work it out – labour in liverpool MICK WHELAN: One of the party’s most precious assets SIMON WELLER: You’ve lost the trust of passengers and staff TOSH McDONALD: There will be no extension of DOO Iron Man who GTr’s close ’n’ cosy The train drivers ’ helps refugees relationship with DfT union since 1880 railway enginemen’s tax free saver plans you can save for your future for the cost of your TV sports package tax free policies from £5 per week products saver plan children’s saver plan saver and disability plan for further information call us on freephone 0800 328 9140 visit our website at www.enginemens.co.uk or write to us at Railway Enginemen's Assurance Society Limited, 727 Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, B8 2LE Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority & the Prudential Regulation Authority Incorporated under the Friendly Societies Act 1992 l 6 a 1 0 2 n r E r B m u E v o o J Published by the AASLEFssociATED sociETy of LocomoTivE EnginEErs & firEmEn n Mick at an action for rail fringe event in liverpool race to the bottom with freight on rail E HAvE long spoken about the effects of 4 5 government indecision (and poor W decisions) about rail freight; the failures to protect the supply chain, the taxing of coal, the lack of a coherent policy on steel and the future of News Britain’s manufacturing base. freight has become the poor relation of the proclaimed privatised Dispute on southern rail 4 success that equates footfall (which is really nick Whitehead in action at Harewood 5 population growth) as the determining factor in not having an integrated transport or industrial gerald reilly on gsm-r review results 6 11 strategy. in every company in the sector there is a star driver samantha Butler 7 tale of woe. An unparalleled race to the bottom, and increased casualisation, mean margins and Trust in Tocs plummets reports Which? 8 contracts in many traditional areas are now unviable. This culminated in news that impacts on men Features and women the length and breadth of the country – the mess that is DB cargo has issued redundancy Philippa Edmunds: A new pop up rail depot 10 notice to all its drivers. its intention, apparently, is to shed 391 men and women and bring back the AsLEf in action at the Labour Party 11 12-13 others on significantly worse terms and conditions. conference in Liverpool our officers and reps are in talks and we look forward to the Transport minister condemning this mick Whelan, Tosh mcDonald, Andy 12-13 process and all stakeholders – including network mcDonald and Kerry cassidy rail and the Tocs – questioning the future viability steve richardson, simon Weller and the 14 of the core infrastructure, never mind much- international slavery museum vaunted improvement schemes. our thoughts are with all those, in all grades, hit by this decision, their Key Worker: iron man rodrigo freeman 15 families and futures. We shall, as we always do, use Lopez helps the refugees in calais every tool at our disposal to challenge and mitigate the proposal and the damage this will do to our 15 whole industry. Regulars The house of cards that was, and is, privatised freight was always fragile; giving away the assets Branch news and 100 years of Union 16-17 required to maintain the infrastructure, then setting up government subsidised companies to offer false obituaries 19 competition in a captive market, was always Letters and classified Advertisements 20-21 dangerous. Placing the burden of maintenance at the whim of overtime, around core traffic flows, that Last Word: Paul Davies reveals the cosy 22 impact on other sectors dependant on that relationship between gTr and the DfT infrastructure, in a penalty-driven world, was never on Track, Prize crossword, AsLEf’s Legal 23 likely to work. false competition thrives and is sold services and change of Address off as a worldwide recession hits. streamlining, 16 redundancy, and decreased opportunity Cover photos by Andrew Wiard compounded with government decisions on coal and steel – you have real problems. There are times when you do not want to be The ASLEF Journal is published every month by: right but when you have a foreign operator, whose AsLEf, 77 st John street, London, Ec1m 4nn Tel: 020 7324 2400 home company is having financial issues, we should expect these problems. That’s why we are calling on email: [email protected] website: www.aslef.org.uk our government to support our industry and work to protect the jobs and contracts that exist. EDITor mick Whelan l DEsIGnEr michael cronin l PrInTEr TU ink, 107 fleet street, London, Ec4A 2AB aDvErTIsInG Ten Alps, Portland House, Bressenden Place, London, sW1E 5BH. contact Edwin rodrigues on Yours fraternally 0207 657 1819 or [email protected] l classIfIED aDs [email protected] or call 020 7324 2400 Mick Whelan, general secretary The acceptance of an advert does not necessarily imply endorsement of that product or service by AsLEf chanGE of aDDrEss Please post your details to AsLEf, 77 st John street, clerkenwell, London, Ec1m 4nn November 2016 l The ASLEF Journal 3 news The intransigence of the company – Ballot for action backed, many feel, by the DfT – has on southern led us to this place sLEf is balloting our southern,’ said general secretary drivers on southern for mick Whelan. ‘We have always A industrial action after been prepared to talk to the last-ditch talks at head office on company, and we have always to negotiate. They want to monday 17 october failed to been of the view that it is, or impose, not to discuss. They have resolve the problems at the heart should be, possible to do a deal – dug in their heels and forced us of this dispute. as we did with scotrail – but it to ballot our members.’ ‘We have genuinely sought to takes two to tango and the our trade dispute with the reach a compromise with company has not been prepared company is that there should be no introduction and/or extension ‘nobody wants to see these of new driver-only operated strikes go ahead, least of all the Conflict of interest routes on southern without the staff,’ said Andy. ‘But the way to The boss of Southern The documents profitability for train agreement of AsLEf. avoid industrial action is for all is also a director of the show that Southern companies’ if guards Labour has accused southern parties to get back round the supposedly operator Govia are removed and of disregarding concerns over table and reach a negotiated independent Thameslink chief driver only operation safety. shadow Transport settlement, not by launching legal organisation which executive Charles is introduced. The secretary Andy mcDonald said challenges. southern is oversees rail safety. A Horton is also a non- briefing, which lists the long-running dispute about disregarding concerns over safety leaked memorandum executive director of Horton as a the role of guards – which on our increasingly overcrowded from the Rail Safety the RSSB, which is participant in the involves the rmT as well as AsLEf network and demonstrating an and Standards Board, funded by the rail discussions, says: – should be settled through unwillingness to come to a published in the companies – and took ‘Adopting a strategy negotiation, not by legal action. workable agreement.’ Morning Star , reveals an active part in of guards’ that the RSSB backs discussions about redundancies delivers Southern’s continuing removing guards from the greatest mPs tell southern to ‘get a grip’ attempts to remove trains despite the fears economic benefit.’ The House of commons Transport select committee has urged guards from trains of passengers. The unions believe ministers to ‘get a grip’ on monitoring rail franchise agreements – citing despite the role they The memo is a the company wants especially the suffering of southern passengers. mPs said evidence have played in research brief giving to put private profit from passengers was dominated by the problems at gTr and helping passengers details of the RSSB’s before passenger considered whether the company is now in default of its contractual after accidents. views on ‘increased safety. obligations due to the number of train cancellations. ‘in normal circumstances, this would be grounds for termination of the contract.’ The DfT’s claim that no other operator could do a better job in the OOpS! RED FACES OvER pR DISASTER circumstances was no longer credible, said the committee. on parts of Southern had a full scale PR disaster on its hands last month the national rail network, passengers struggle daily to get the service when the company begged beleaguered passengers to tell the they deserve, citing overcrowding, delays, complex ticketing and a lack RMT how they feel about the strikes. The plan – which senior of access for disabled passengers. management thought was ‘an absolute hoot!’ – backfired ‘Passengers now contribute more than 70% of the industry’s real spectacularly. Southern tweeted: ‘Tweet @RMTunion & tell income,’ said committee chair Louise Ellman. ‘But, in too many places, them how rail strikes make you feel.’ Hundreds of passengers passengers are badly serviced by the train operating companies.’ responded, but not in the manner management hoped. Simon The report recommends an automatic compensation scheme be set Cox: ‘I dislike unions but I dislike incompetent management up to refund southern passengers directly without the need to make a more.’ Ferdinand Kingsley: ‘You’re a shambles and this is claim.