Why rail strikers will hit the buffers
ARTHUR SCARGILL hastened the demise of mining, Derek ‘Red Robbo’ Robinson the decline of the Britishowned motor industry and politically motivated Aslef union leader Mick Whelan is leading his Leftie lemmings towards the death of train driving. Train drivers, paid £60,000-plus, have no more skill than HGV drivers on £35,000, except a greater capacity to drive up their pay rates by holding the public to ransom.
There are driverless trains in Hamburg, Paris and Tokyo. Many of the new Siemens trains have the inbuilt capacity to go driverless.
So crack on, Mick — your place in the wreckers’ gallery is secured.
DAVID TAYLOR, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcs. WITH union leader Mick Whelan at their elbow, each Aslef train driver is ignoring warning signals and heading their train down a siding where it will hit the buffers at speed. How long do they think employers can sustain lower revenues of 15 per cent because of the strikes? The offer of an 8 per cent increase over two years seems fair.
MICHAEL HIGHTON, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. IF THE rail strikes have cost £5 billion to date, wouldn’t it have been cheaper to give workers what they want?
GUY VARLEY, Edlesborough, Bucks. IT SHOWS how far behind the times train drivers are when they are members of a union called the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef). These skilled jobs date back to the age of steam.
I doubt there is a train driver who could act as an engineer should his diesel or electric locomotive fail.
MIKE SMITH, Stafford. THE rail strikes had no effect on the Derby and the FA Cup final — both events were packed.
The only people suffering are the rail workers with their docked wages. The union leaders don’t lose any money. With the country’s working habits changing, it won’t be long before redundancies will be necessary in the rail industry.
M. BARNES, Withernsea, E. Yorks. THE longer the rail strikes drag on, the more it seems the union’s aims are nothing to do with wage rises and more about driving rail operators out of business and renationalising the industry. This would bring to an end any attempts to improve efficiency and reduce costs, meaning taxpayers would have to bear the financial burden for higher pay and over-manning.
ROBERT BRYAN, Morpeth, Northumberland.