I wonder how the public will react to the reveal of the 'Spanish Practices' that the RMT has enjoyed for so long. Some like the unions wanting to keep a series of bizarre regulations in place including sending nine workers to 'change a plug socket' and getting 12 minutes' pay for a 60-second walk. The antiquated rules - dubbed Spanish practices - also include permission to start their lunchbreak again if a boss starts talking to them. There is also a walking allowance that means workers can be paid for 12 minutes' work for a stroll that takes only 50 seconds.
Recent dispute was over managers using FaceTime during Covid to talk to staff because that was a technology that hadn't been consulted on.' A regulation that prevents a forward-facing camera in a car or van from being turned on. The need to roster people in whole teams 'regardless of the size of the task' is perhaps the most unusual. A source told
The Telegraph: 'We can't roster individuals. Let's imagine you want to change a single socket to a double in your kitchen. Potentially you'd need an electrician, a tiler and a plumber as your dishwasher waste pipe will need adjusting too. 'Alternatively, you could find a competent odd-jobber to do the whole task. In Network Rail we can't roster individuals, only teams and we can't multi-skill those teams so we'd need to send a team of three electricians, three tilers and three plumbers – nine people to do a job one person could do.
'Eighty per cent of the most common infrastructure faults could be fixed by small, multi-skilled teams.'
They also want to stop the introduction of new safety planning tools. RMT bosses are so militant they say they do not want workers to use video-calls, demand managers communicate with staff by regular phone only. Workers should not have to share the same van - meaning two vehicles frequently have to be sent to the same site.
I seem to remember a very militant Union walk out by BA Cabin staff. They quite rapidly lost support when some of these extremely ridiculous 'perks' were revealed. They had had it good for years but were greedy and took it too far.
Yes the country is in a dire situation, but too few people are prepared to remember the massive costs associated with the lock down and financial support that was provided.
Belt tightening by everyone is going to be a n unpalatable fact of life, the RMT had better brace themselves for automation and a cold dose of reality.
Meanwhile another very interesting video on the speculation that Putin might be removed from power. This one thinks it unlikely...however it does speculate on a very possible collapse from within. It is long so not really for skimming through but having some time to really listen to what the gent has to say.
www.theguardian.com
www.understandingwar.org
