Hmmm, rather entertaining. However I am a long suffering commuter, my job is under threat purely because of this strike.

I know lots on here seem hung up on the reasons but I really don't give a toss. I don't care who is to blame, I really don't give a monkeys whether there's a guard on the train or not. My Southern train is a metro service and doesn't have guards and I don't feel unsafe. (And please don't come back and bleat on about safety - with ridiculous examples of safety, acronyms and reports you've unearthed from somewhere as, not only do I not give a stuff, my point isn't about that), I am aware that Southern are truly a shower of sh1te and I am aware of their distortion of the truth, as my friend is a driver and been sitting in a cab to to told his train is cancelled due to lack of staff!

But - this strike is risking people's livelihoods and mortgages and all they happen to have done to deserve that is to have to travel to work by train. That cannot be right irrespective of what faction of the political divide you support, and ALL sides should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for failing to reach a solution for months and months. They're ALL total and utter wan***s, the whole lot of em, in my humble opinion.

Well said.

Cheers buddy.

I don't want people thinking I'm some moral white knight.
The things I did working for Southern feel me with shame, they're reasons why I carried on working for such a vile company, but none of them excuse the s***ty things we did. The buffet trolley guys we royally f***ed over. The cleaners/gateline/platform staff... cutting numbers and expecting favours in return.
At one lunch time meeting, I remember a manager telling me he was gonna go after a union rep, because this union rep outed this manager as being a prick over health severance for a driver diagnosed with a terminal illness. We didn't believe the driver was as ill as he said, and although he probably couldn't drive trains... maybe he could have helped in the office until he could no longer work. I shiver now... we should have paid up sent him on his way and said enjoy your time with your family.

The franchise system means everything is short term. Why invest in staff, you could be out in 5 years. Morale means nothing, who cares if a driver is pissed off or happy... as long as he drives the train. If he goes sick, make him get a doctors note from day 1 of absence to get paid... knowing full well doctors don't give sick notes until you've been off for 7 days... result... drivers don't get sick pay for first 7 days.
We hated other TOCs giving pay rises... that meant we had to... or we'll lose them. The whole system is wrong, employees get shafted, passengers get a s*** service and a select few become financially secure for life.

Or if you're hoof/Matt "lazy f***ing unions"

Sack Grayling he refuses to meet with the RMT and sort the problems out. His record in public office is driven by his right wing ideology and failure. There is also the issue of the leaked letter regarding TFL which resulted in a Tory MP calling for his head

Interesting read [Link]

And that is why I get so pi55ed off when people come on here banging on about why it's right that they be allowed to strike etc.

No, actually to me it feels like the height of hypocrisy.

This thread has told me about how the wonderful unions are there to protect jobs, to protect workers, to safeguard jobs etc. Well they ain't safeguarding mine and a lot of other people's jobs - in fact their strike action is probably risking many jobs outside of their industry. But I guess that's ok.