I understand that the rail network needed people prepared to work overtime to function. But Transpennine Express cancelled FIFTY trains in one day last week.
Fifty.
Avanti manages one an hour to London.
On Sundays TPE runs one service every two hours rather than five an hour. Sucks to be me right.
I know, I know. Sacrifices must be made in the struggle against the system. But the system is fucked and the trains are part owned by Tories who never catch them. There's no penalty for failure so you can bet the executives of train companies are trophying cash right left and centre as they plan for renationalisation under Labour.
Guess what, sucker. That's not going to happen. Just shit after shit after shit, and in every line of public service from now until ever until the wheel literally stops turning.
You see, I love mass transit systems. I'm not a train spotter, but I'm an avid train traveller.
Some of the RMT demands? Totally, 100% behind them. But others I'm like... and yeah, I this is the twenty first century and this is the price of living in it. We don't get the benefits previous generations did. And yeah, it sucks.
But try working retail buddy. Try working minimum wage jobs or working pick or pack at Amazon, or any of the traditional service industry disruptors.
Pretending that this job or that job is special in some way?
No.
All workers are deserving of our respect, all workers are deserving of a decent wage.
We won't solve this issue by nationalising it. We'd be making ourselves liable for whatever demands unions felt like imposing. But at least it would take the gravy train out of the sidings and dump it in the scrap where it belongs.
But you know what? Even if worker relations reset, retail and hospitality workers work shitter jobs for less pay and probably a large percentage of a unionised workforce buy plenty of their goods from Amazon. If you aren't willing to stand up for everyone, then you are just another group of special interests looking out for what you can get.
This is your Britain.
