Tube workers from the RMT are on strike for 72 hours and that can only mean one thing for millions of commuters into and out of the capital - the daily grind turns into a real nightmare.
It will also affect people arriving in the capital from around the country.
This is the place where you can share & compare your stories of the journey to and from work. If you're outside London, then maybe it's a chance to gloat...
Written by Sky News, September 03, 2007
if smoking behind the wheel is an affence ,,,,then music ,ear phones,should also be banned they are distractions as well.
Posted by: t.moore Sep 28, 2007 10:35:45 AM
Like someone else has already said on here, it's a legal strike. So why moan? Well the answer to that is that it's one of the few industries that you can still have a legal strike.
Having served my country, and experienced the way that this government, (and the previous one too to be fair) treats public service employees (yes, private company, but still a public service when all said and done), i'm all for striking if you think you are getting a bad deal.
Unfortunately some services like the Armed Forces or the NHS don't really get the same opportunity for direct action. These people do have that approach, so let them use it. Labour? They're a disgrace to their roots. If ever there was a demonstration that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, it's the new labour party.
Posted by: C Harding, London Sep 22, 2007 2:28:03 AM
I was amazed to read the many anti-labor, anti-union comments posted here. As an American, I thought the British were much more labor-friendly than people in my country. So many who ommented seem to feel that because their own jobs and pensions are not secure, everyone else's should be not secure as well. How about looking at it the other way around? Why not fight to make your job and pension as secure as that of the transport workers?
Posted by: Pat - Valley Stream, New York, USA Sep 5, 2007 9:47:08 PM
People should remember that the unions fund the Labour Party - both of which Mr Brown and Mr Livingstone are members of. So they won't cause too much of a fuss when Bob Crowe and his members want a strike....
Posted by: Paul, London Sep 5, 2007 2:47:25 PM
Useless strike isn't ot or is it. As no one, including our revenue bitten mayor Ken, did not take any legal action against a proposed 3 day strike, a strike that not would and did cause havoc in the roads and in the economic markets. One can assume the economic benefit to the only revenue growth this period, CONGESTION CHARGING and other related penalties.
This is a public service therefore it should not be allowed to have such an impact on servicing. How does one justify striking to get assurance that you will not be laid off, for gods sake the company is failing, there is no such thing as a guarantee. Cuts will be necessary, maybe for better staff.
Posted by: Herman - Victoria Sep 5, 2007 1:10:37 PM
Underskilled and overpaid its about time these people were shown the door. Its another classic example of a union pricing its members out of their jobs. If they don't want to do an honest day's work sack them and employ people willing to work. They complain about their job security and their pension security in a time when few others in the UK have such luxuries or are as well compensated. They are given the written guarrantees demanded and yet they still go on strike. The people that pay their wages suffer as a result. I think as passengers we should strike and refuse to pay for tickets until all this work is subcontracted out to people willing to work. As for Ken Livingstone we should sack him as well. Has he done anything to help the Londoner's stranded by these people? All he has done is take the strike as another opportunity for a photo call demonstrating yet again this man has no interest in helping the people that elect him.
Posted by: Julian - Leytonstone Sep 4, 2007 8:03:09 PM
How ironic on the day that the first Eurostar from Paris breaks the speed record to London, commuters here are getting nowhere fast. Makes you proud to be British, doesn't it ----.
Posted by: Chris - Dunstable Sep 4, 2007 6:53:14 PM
Steve if you want a twenty four hour service when do you suppose repairs and upgrade work would take place?
Posted by: mark Sep 4, 2007 6:49:29 PM
The strike is legal. It was publicised you should have made alternative arrangements.
If your conditions at work were going to change for the worse of course you would not stand there and take it.
Thatcher and then New Labour have tried to smash the unions with their anti-union laws but as has been shown in the past weeks it hasn't turned out as they would have liked. The RMT and Mr.Crow have shown the other unions how to make a stand that counts.
Posted by: mark Sep 4, 2007 6:47:16 PM
If we give in to these people we will just get more of the same time after time on whatever flimsy pretext. I feel ashamed of this Government for doing nothing as usual.
Posted by: Chris - Dunstable Sep 4, 2007 6:31:00 PM
As a contracter for metronet i understand why the lads have gone on strike.some of those lads have been on the underground for nearly 35 years,working night after night in awful conditions to ensure the safe running of trains everyday.these lads only want to protect their jobs but most of all there pensions.this strike is due to the miss management of the management and not the maintenance workers.the assurances given by the mayor and metronet were only temporary until around january next year.all sides need to sit at the table and sort this matter out a.s.a.p.
Posted by: mick,kent Sep 4, 2007 6:28:23 PM
Another nightmare getting into work today. Who to blame:- Labour Government, Bob Crow, Metronet Management.
I don't really blame the workers for going on strike as it is their finances taking the hit.
Special mention to TfL for royally screwing up last night with their incorrect timing of the commencement of the strike. Victoria was carnage. Finally, as Matt pointed out earlier the really annoying thing about the morning's travel was the disgraceful performance of One Rail at Ilford. Thanks for making us all queue up for 30 minutes to get a ticket to go to Stratford. A special mention to the little oik who kept threatening us all with 20 pounds fine at the other end.
Finally, thanks to Jubilee Line staff for getting me into work and hopefully home. Journey time was reasonable if extremely crowded.
Rant over!
Posted by: Rod McGeady, London Sep 4, 2007 4:10:04 PM
Remember Arthur Scargill...?
Bring back Maggie Thatcher!!!
Posted by: Tory Boy, Home Counties Sep 4, 2007 3:42:29 PM
Sack them!!
Posted by: Sally Roberts Sep 4, 2007 3:12:13 PM
As if things aren't bad enough with the chaos Crow and his band of pirates have caused - I got to Ilford Station this morning (One Railways) to be told that I can't use my Oyster PAYG card and have to queue with about 200 other people to get another ticket to travel the one stop to Stratford, nice bit of profiteering from One Railways despite it saying on TFL's site that all valid tickets can be used.
Posted by: Matt (London) Sep 4, 2007 1:45:04 PM
John Of Gillingham
Nobodies word is their bond if circumstances change.
PPP has failed because the unions have conspired to make sure it never succeeded.
It wasn't in their interests to help it to succeed.
Many immigrants to this country are as qualified as you.
The strikers are not striking to improve safety.
Ask yourself why you can't get public transport home late at night in a 24 hour world class city like London.
I think you'll find it is due to unions.
Calling the people who pay your wages ignorant because they expect value for money and a service for what they pay for is the highest form of ignorance.
It typifies your 'producer' and 'protectionist' mentality.
That disappeared in the private sector 25 years ago.
If the public sector had kept up, we'd ALL be much happier now.
The unions have held it and the rest of us back.
Posted by: Steve, Guildford Sep 4, 2007 1:33:13 PM
ok let's have some honesty. What is going to happen when Metronet is no longer in administration? Bob Crowe may not be your favourite person,but he is not courting such bad press without a reason. There is obviously unallayed suspicion that the promises made to the union are only temporary. What is the strike really about?
Posted by: Andy, Bayswater Sep 4, 2007 1:31:06 PM
They have no regards for any one else!! It took me 2 hours to get to work today when it's usually a 50 minuate journey. I think they should stop being so selfosh and get on with there job!!
Posted by: Frank London Sep 4, 2007 1:30:27 PM
Isn't it time these union idiots woke up to the real world? In the real world companies collapse and people are laid off - it's sad but true and we all just have to deal with it and move on. Yet these fools think they are above reality and call (yet another) strike at the drop of a hat - reality has hit home and they don't like it. If they did a better job when they were actually at work perhaps their employer wouldn't have gone down the drain in the first place? If the train companies didn't have our cash already through season tickets we - the long suffering customers - could go on strike. How many of these whingeing idiots would have jobs if we all paid weekly and decided to boycott the tube for a few weeks? Crow should be strung up in Trafalgar Square & tarred and feathered as a warning to others who screw with the lives of honest working Londoners.
Posted by: Honest working man Sep 4, 2007 1:10:36 PM
No Steve I'm not a dinosaur. I'm an Englishman brought up in the belief that an Englishman's word is his bond.
If the tube had never been broken up into failed PPP contracts then there wouldn't be the problem that everyone is now facing. It was never sought by either the management or the Mayor.
Trains cannot operate if the tracks they run on are not inspected or the trains are not safety checked. That's the law. As for the strike itself, well as Bob Crow would say "We are Millwall and we don't care".
Not my sentiment because a lot of the so called work shy individuals you want to get rid of are very dedicated to the work they do and many of those facing the sack hold professional degrees in engineering. A skill which you can't replace with other workers but some commenting here seem very keen on attempting.
I am not a striker. I am a worker. I am working tonight. Working on the tube. Helping people like you get home. Then I still have to get home after all the services have finished.
Hate my job? No. Dislike the ignorance of people who cant catch a train every two minutes? Most certainly.
Posted by: John, Gillingham Sep 4, 2007 12:58:55 PM
The RMT seem to think that the tube exists to provide jobs for it's members, exclusively. There should be a feasibility study conducted into automating the tube. Given the strategic importance of the tube, those who CHOOSE to work on it should have an equivalent of the Public Sector Review body when it comes to pay, and all must abide by their decisions.
Posted by: Anthony Sep 4, 2007 12:31:40 PM
Nick Of Luton
If you asked anyone if they would vote for two days off work, what do you think the result would be?
As for pay rises etc, many ordinary people have minimal or even no pay rises if a company cannot afford it.
Worse than that, we are increasingly taxed to pay for public employee pay rises and pensions with no percieved improvement in service delivery.
In a private company management have to balance the risks and rewards that Shareholders expect against what the company can pay in dividends.
If shareholder returns are less than a low risk savings account, why should a shareholder invest in a business at all?
If however any of you pro-union people would willingly invest your own money in jobs for no financial return, please feel free to contact me.
The strikers have no sympathy from anybody else on this site because they are wrong!
Posted by: Steve, Guildford Sep 4, 2007 12:23:31 PM
I'm shocked and astounded by the cretinous comments made by the majority of posters here. The Union has undertaken a legal ballot that voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. A legal strike has been called. The Union members have legally excercised their right to take industrial action and yet there are calls in so many of these posts for them to all be illegally sacked.
Great thinking. We should put minds liek you in charge of the country to really kill it off.
Just take a look at what is going on in the public sector to see how bad things have become. The Prison officers went out on strike and may do again. The postal workers still have an ongoing dispute. Low paid civil servants in the DWP have been offered an insulting pay rise which will see many take a real term pay cut over the next 3 years. The police have even mentioned the words strike action recently.
But thats what you get from a third term labour government who have shafted their workers, their supporter and the country.
Posted by: Nick, Luton Sep 4, 2007 11:37:54 AM
Waste of space, waste of time, waste of money. Get rid of them all and end this once and for all!
Posted by: D, London Sep 4, 2007 11:20:26 AM
Well, one positive for me - I get to work from home until things are sorted out!
However, I dread going to a customer site tomorrow... what a pain. The TFL needs serious help - how can other countries run such great undergrounds (with air conditioning!)yet, London struggles with LEAVES on the track! I just don't get it.
Posted by: Heidi, London Sep 4, 2007 11:16:34 AM