Morning:
6°c
Rail strike causes travel chaos for thousands with worse threatened
Dick Murray, Transport Correspondent6 Aug 2009
Hundreds of trains were cancelled today as a second strike halted most National Express East Anglia services to and from Liverpool Street.
More than 150,000 commuters will suffer again tomorrow as the 48-hour strike continues to cripple all routes.
Routes from Stansted Airport, Southend Victoria, Colchester and Norwich were reduced to one train an hour.
Liverpool Street was a ghost station. Commuters trying to board the few packed trains were advised to spread their journeys as much as possible.
Pickets were on duty outside the main stations, including Liverpool Street, and train depots.
Union bosses say they will increase strike action next week and "lock down" the entire East Anglia network in the ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions. They said the strike was "solidly supported".
The latest strike is a repeat of action last week and two more 48-hour stoppages are scheduled for 13 to 14 and 20 to 21 August. The unions have refused to rule out further strikes after that.
The industry's two most powerful unions, Aslef and the RMT, have joined forces in the dispute. Next week a third, the TSSA, will also get involved. The unions and National Express East Anglia each accuse the other of causing the dispute and no further talks are planned until Monday.
The rail firm said it was only able to run a "very limited train service". It hoped to run just over 100 services today compared with the usual 1,800.
Andrew Chivers, National Express East Anglia managing director, apologised to passengers and condemned the unions' "unrealistic" pay demands. He said they turned down an appeal to suspend the strike to allow further discussion.
"We also asked the unions to put our revised offer to their members but this request has also been refused," he said. "We believe that continuing strike action is inappropriate and unnecessary."
Mr Chivers said Aslef, the train drivers' union, was demanding a minimum pay increase of £1,000, taking the average driver's earnings to more than £42,000 over the next year.
An Aslef spokesman said it had never put a figure on its claim.
Bob Crow, the RMT leader, said: "Our members have shown again that they are solid, angry and determined to secure a fair deal from a company that is obsessed with maximising profits."
Reader views (23)
We are all struggling in this resession. So why should the train drivers get more money. They are lucky to even have a job. I have no sympathy for them at all. Why not sack them all and offer the jobs to someone more deserving.
- Russell, Essex, 12/08/2009 22:41
Report abuse
"Again its the poor commuter that suffers. Bring the Railways back under Govt control"
So the unions will keep quiet is it! The Winter of Discontent was at a time services were under govt control!
- Gary, London, 06/08/2009 14:11
Report abuse
The answer:
1) Give them what they want to stop the strike, for now,
2) Wait for a Tory government,
3) Train (excuse the pun) some new staff - perhaps immigrants who understand the meaning of the word "work",
4) Provoke a strike,
5) Sack the lot of them and replace them with the newly-trained drivers and guards,
6) Win the strike and allow some of them to come back on new contracts,
7) Tell the others that following a bolshevik leader over the cliff is collective suicide as you can only hold the people ransom for so long before they fight back.
- Jimbob, London, E1, 06/08/2009 14:10
Report abuse
Round of applause for Lee of Enfield. Well said mate.
- Yvonne, Doncaster, UK, 06/08/2009 13:40
Report abuse
The Postmen are out tomorrow. They can join the rail (non) workers on a beano. It'll have to be Brighton though as there are no trains to Clacton.
- Bj, London, 06/08/2009 13:38
Report abuse
If there is another strike on 21st august (when I'm over in London) I will want to hear what the people in the picket lines have to tell me. Hopefully they will be able to explain to me why it is the passengers who have to suffer.
- Erna, Zurich, Switzerland, 06/08/2009 13:19
Report abuse
The government awarded the clowns at NXEA the franchise in the first place, why haven't they stepped in to settle this with an independent arbitrator?
NXEA has already proven itself to be a contemptible business intent on screwing over the taxpayer and screwing over its employees to maximise profits for its shareholders and greedy bosses. Take the franchise away from them!
Although I absolutely resent the inconvenience caused by these train drivers who seem at first glance to be as greedy as the company they work for, I can't help but think that there might be more here than meets the eye.
- James, London, 06/08/2009 13:03
Report abuse
To Albert Hall, of Hove, England.
We don't need your sort in this country. We want people who can do, not people who bleat and whinge.
I'll pay your air fare for you to emigrate. How about Venezuela? Cheap petrol, full healthcare and education there for you.
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey, 06/08/2009 13:00
Report abuse
Again its the poor commuter that suffers. Bring the Railways back under Govt control.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon, 06/08/2009 12:36
Report abuse
Right on Mathew of Grays. The franchise holders screw up on the East Coast Mainline deal and then try to recoup the money from their other franchises including East Anglia.
Yet again it won't be the Management who made a mess of this paying (bonus please!) it will be the taxpayer and the customers.
- Paul B, London, 06/08/2009 11:59
Report abuse
If you feel that you are underpaid in your job you must believe that there our alternative employers who would be prepared to pay you more. Go find em.
- John Entwistle, Hertford, 06/08/2009 11:58
Report abuse
Albert Hall - Nothing to do with this government it was the Tories who privatised the railways and set up this system!!
Odd how C2C is also run by NX and yet is the best performing commuter railway! Goes to show it the management in NEEA that needs sacking.
Perhaps NEEA use Boris Johnson as an example to follow?
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 06/08/2009 11:40
Report abuse
£42k, I wish I had a job like that and I bet the millions that are unemployed do as well.
They shoulod be lucky they have such a well paid job.
They do this every year demanding pay increases, it's about time the train companies dont give in and just say 'you have a job count yourself lucky the more you strike you more pay you lose'
- Steven Jones, london, 06/08/2009 11:34
Report abuse
Lovely sunny weather here in Colchester, so enjoying an unexpected day at home. That said, I hope NXEA does go bankrupt, their overweight workforce finds itself jobless, and Bob Crow gets his rich deserves under the forthcoming Tory Government.
- Steven Davidson, Colchester, England, 06/08/2009 11:19
Report abuse
They always quote the train drivers wage never the man on the platform or ticket office earning not much more than minimum wage.
- Lloyd, Cambridge, 06/08/2009 11:06
Report abuse
Won't affect quantity Asylum seekers, as they arrive unchecked by lorry.
- William, Hay~Heath UK, 06/08/2009 10:54
Report abuse
Get used to this guys !
couple the economic crisis to the problems relating to power generation, the total lack of practical abilities in the upcoming generations, the dependency culture and the HUGE inflation bubble just around the corner the nations infrastructure will be disintegrating within a relativly short period.
This may be a good thing as it will return us to localised communities and production, but your living standards will pummmet.
- Jimmy, A London Village, 06/08/2009 10:45
Report abuse
Flash Gordon's Broken Britain strikes again. At a cinema near you and all across London and the south east.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark, 06/08/2009 10:25
Report abuse
Maybe people on this website would like to personally convey their feelings to the pickets at Liverpool St.??
- Mark, London, 06/08/2009 10:11
Report abuse
No Fan of Bob Crow but it makes me laugh that the rail company describes the union of demanding "unrealistic" pay rises of 2.5% when they have just wacked up fares by more than 6% - which of course they thought perfectly reasonable!!
- Matthew, Grays, UK, 06/08/2009 08:45
Report abuse
It's disgusting, these people don't know how lucky they are. They should be sacked and their jobs given to people who would be grateful of work.
- John, london, 06/08/2009 08:26
Report abuse
Are the workers that are striking the same guys that:
1 - sit on their backsides at Seven Sisters station only getting up when a train comes, all the while allowing passengers to smoke on the platforms.
2 - whilst driving the train, warn passengers on the train that there are inspectors at Enfield so they should alight at Bush Hill Park
3 - Carry on with personal phone calls whilst trying to serves queues of customers.
Sack the lot and Bob Crow whilst doing so! There's a recession on so pay rises should be frozen. They are lucky to have jobs
- Lee, Enfield, England, 06/08/2009 08:23
Report abuse
This clapped out Government on its final death throes promises 250 mile per hour trains at a time when the train drivers are going on strike. That's about par for the course. Can you image the negotiations and the wages demanded to drive one of these trains? That is if they ever get built in the first place. It's all a bit of a tragic laugh. This country is sunk, finished, done for.
- Albert Hall, hove england, 06/08/2009 08:17
Report abuse
