Problem with all these strikes now is that businesses everywhere are competitive. Most of our customers want their contrs moved at the cheapest possible rates otherwise they go elsewhere. We have to quote using railfreight rates to be competitive so any work which we are forced to switch from rail to road will be at our expense. My business has to pay the haulier to pull the contrs because the railways wont. That is losing my industry a lot of money because we have to keep our customers goods moving and they wont pay any additional charges. Now just to compound that with a 4 day holiday due there is already a drag on road haulage so when the trains do stop, the work they should be doing will only be covered by road hauliers the week after next so guess who pays for the bloody contr demurrage and quay rent? It wont be my customer will it - but it has to be paid in cash by my industry before the contrs are released for delivery.
Pls explain to me how all this is going to help UK plc?
Also all those good folks who are made redundant will surely be made offers of jobs by the other rail infrastructure companies who will be offerred the work which NR has to complete. There wont be many left on the scrap heap after a few months (I would like to know if this is the case). NR are reducing their bottom line costs by shedding jobs and not paying out so many salaries on a 24/7 basis. They therefore defer payments on the work which needs to be done because companies like Jarvis wont take them to court to recover monies owed to them (it was their biggest customer after all, so who sues their biggest customer until it is too late).

Hi klordger,

I entirely agree. A problem for the railway is that it's competitors don't play by the same rules. My nephew is an HGV driver, his working conditions are far worse than most rail workers. His hours are limited only by the tacograph, he sleeps in the cab, and pay and conditions vary enormously. Bob Crow would be horrified!!

Whats more road transport, especially hualage, doesn't begin to pay for the road infrastructure it uses.

I expect your nephew works for a non union organised haulage firm.:(

I usually see the H&S people as the sort of people who I would gladly have a blood vendetta with, but actually I think we need them. When you don't want them and do not need them they appear. When, however, you really do need them and there is lives at stake, they bugger off!

I wish they would get in gear already! :(

If we had a general election using trade union laws we would never get a result.

Hi in reply to my newphew, non unioin haulage companies are in the majority. He has worked for Tesco, BP as well as many others he is not in a union.

Does he work for an agency then?

No he is directly employed as he switches jobs I suspect Union memebership could be a disadvantage, it is certainly not encouraged in the industry to my limited knowledge

Problem with agency drivers is that they dont actually know the 'road' very well and are always getting lost or late for deliveries and cant always do a complete run in the time allotted. Having said that, these companies running the trucks often give out impossible delivery schedules which give drivers barely 5 minutes to breathe take a leak and very little else. Its not a life-style I could envy, I have a brother in the trade!

You're grossly misinformed as to what us "H&S people" are for, and do. As are most people, sadly.

We do a constant, sane, rational, and important job. We don't "appear" or "dissapear" anywhere. Primarily that job is to make sure that the policies, procedures, safe systems of work etc. are in place and adhered to, in order to keep everyone safe out there as far as is reasonably practical, regardless of who may or may not find it an inconvience to their profit margin or clocking off time, if that makes sense.

Without us you'd basically just find a lot of people killing themselves and others by working unsafely, and the industry falling apart due to public and employers liability claims.