Strike action spreads as Southern rail, Northern and Merseyrail staff will stage walkouts February 28, 2017 A flurry of fresh strike action is set to disrupt Britain's rail services after the RMT announced Southern rail, Northern and Merseyrail will face walkouts. A one-day walkout has been announced across all three train operators for Monday 13 March as the dispute over the role of the guard spreads. The RMT said it had been [...]
Go-Ahead’s rail division profit slumps 35 per cent as it counts the cost of Southern rail strike troubles February 28, 2017 Go-Ahead shares have slumped 14 per cent after it warned over full-year profits. Interim earnings at its rail division plummeted 35 per cent on the back of months of Southern rail disruption. The transport giant, which owns 65 per cent of the Southern franchise through Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), said full-year results were lowered due to "the [...]
Southern rail claims victory over the RMT, giving itself a pat on the back for its service February 24, 2017 Southern rail has labelled the ongoing industrial action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) as "impotent and ineffective", while bragging about how many trains it had managed to run in spite of the strikes. The RMT held its latest walkout on Wednesday, this time a 24-hour downing of tools, taking its tally to 29 strikes. Fears have resurfaced that [...]
Gale force winds from Storm Doris are set to cause travel disruption across Southern rail routes today February 23, 2017 A storm is brewing on Southern rail. An actual storm. No, it's not fed-up passengers staging an intervention, but a warning that Storm Doris is going to cause some significant troubles on the network today. Passengers have been advised to check before travelling today as gale force winds from Storm Doris have prompted Network Rail [...]
City chaos on the cards: Here’s what you need to know about today’s Tube strike February 22, 2017 Yes, City workers, it is time to brace yourselves, after the RMT union announced a fresh walkout which will cause heavy travel disruption in the capital throughout today. Here's what you need to know about the action… Read more: Every route from Waterloo station to Bank, ranked When will the strike take place? Drivers walked out [...]
London Underground users charged £365m for incomplete journeys February 20, 2017 London’s Tube travellers are leaving themselves open to over-charging by failing to “tap out” with oysters or bank cards at stations on the Underground network. TfL has charged its customers £365m over six years from cards with incomplete journeys, according to figures provided to the Evening Standard. During peak hours, the Tube network charges £7.80 [...]
Fresh talks to go ahead between Southern rail and Aslef union to try and put the brakes on the strike saga February 20, 2017 Fresh talks will be held between Southern rail and train drivers' union Aslef after members of the union rejected a previously agreed deal last week. The agreement was expected to bring the row over the so-called driver-only operated trains to a close and end the ongoing industrial action that had disrupted the network, subject to the referendum [...]
The strike saga continues: Members of train drivers’ union Aslef have rejected the Southern rail deal February 16, 2017 Members of train drivers' union Aslef have rejected the deal their union and Southern Rail had agreed. Earlier this month, a TUC-brokered deal was agreed in the long-running dispute between Southern rail and Aslef over the role of the guard, in the wake of fresh talks. It was expected to bring the row over the so-called [...]
How can brands avoid social media crises? February 16, 2017 The London Dungeon apologised this week after its “dark Valentine campaign” on social media drew widespread criticism. This incident got me revisiting a familiar issue: how can brands avoid social media crises? With policies, practice runs and neutral second opinions. There are often just a few origins for social media crises: Misjudgement: Brands can [...]
Another Southern rail strike is going ahead: RMT announces 24-hour walkout next week February 15, 2017 The RMT union has announced a fresh 24-hour strike on Southern rail will take place on Wednesday 22 February in the long-running staffing dispute. Conductors will strike for 24 hours between 00:01 and 23:59, after fresh talks broke down yesterday. Read more: Days lost to strike action soared 89 per cent last year Mick Cash, RMT [...]