Tube talks have failed – Monday’s strike is expected go on January 7, 2017 A last-ditch meeting between Transport for London (TfL) and unions to prevent tomorrow's Tube strike fell apart after the RMT union left the talks declaring the strike would go ahead. The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) union and London Underground remain in talks at conciliation service Acas. John Leach, regional organiser for RMT told reporters London Underground's position has not changed [...]
Final talks to stop Monday’s massive Tube strike are being held today January 7, 2017 A last-ditch attempt to put off a massive 24-hour Tube strike by London Underground workers is taking place today. After talks between the unions and Transport for London (TfL) to avert the strike fell apart yesterday, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association TSSA union said more talks would be held today, the Press Association reported. The strike, which will affect most London Underground [...]
Now transport secretary Chris Grayling has waded into Southern rail peace talks January 6, 2017 The much-maligned RMT union has said it is willing to sit down with transport secretary Chris Grayling to thrash things out over its dispute with Southern rail. Millions of Southern commuters look set to endure more misery next week as the dispute between unions Aslef and RMT and Govia Thameslink (GTR), the company behind Southern, rumbles [...]
Southern rail driver-operated doors: Rail regulator satisfied they are “a safe method of working” January 5, 2017 The chief inspector of railways has concluded Southern rail's plans for driver-operated doors are safe. Nevertheless, unions highlighted a series of recommendations in the report by Ian Prosser on behalf of regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Driver-operated doors are at the heart of the Southern rail dispute that has blighted the network for almost a year, [...]
Southern halves next week’s strike but adds three new days of industrial action January 4, 2017 Three new strike dates have been announced for Southern rail at the end of the month, Aslef, the train drivers' union, has announced. Industrial action is planned for January 24, 25 and 27. The announcement came shortly after the union said it would reduce next week's six-day driver strike to three days as it takes a "longer-term" view of the ongoing [...]
Orange barmy army: Network Rail spends £103m on Christmas upgrades to rail infrastructure January 3, 2017 Network Rail hailed the success of its "orange army" of workers and revealed it had forked out £103m over the Christmas break upgrading Britain's rail network. The work was carried out at almost 200 locations across the UK. Meanwhile, commuters into London Waterloo will be pleased to hear that £4.5m of work scheduled at the station, or on the tracks [...]
Rail passenger group urges Southern to freeze fares to “rebuild trust” January 3, 2017 Freezing fares for Southern passengers would "help to start rebuild trust" in the franchise, a rail passenger group has said. Transport Focus urged Southern to freeze ticket prices after "months of misery they have experienced". Passengers were beset by strikes and disruption for much of 2016 – and the misery will continue into this year, [...]
Grinding to a halt: Southern rail services set for the sidings next week with no talks scheduled January 2, 2017 Commuters are bracing themselves for the longest wholesale shutdown of the Southern rail network starting next week. Combined strike action by both drivers union Aslef and guards union the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will take place between 9 and 14 January, extending longer than the three-day strikes previously held. The dispute between unions, Southern [...]
Brace yourself: You’ll be paying more for your commute in 2017 January 2, 2017 As 2017 gets off to a tentative start, commuters are already having to face a harsh reality of the new year – the annual rise in the cost of commuting. Most people may still be enjoying the bank holiday, but workers returning to work from today onwards will have to dig deeper as train fares rise by [...]
From Southern rail’s backfiring poster to Google’s April Fool prank gone wrong: Six of the most memorable business blunders of 2016 January 1, 2017 2016 has been an interesting year to say the least. There has of course been a plethora of notable political events over the past 12 months, but there’s also been plenty going on in the business world. With that in mind, here are some of the most memorable company clangers from over the year – from [...]