Re: Independent Review of Rail Safety Arrangements in Australia

["Lineman" <grime@dcsi.net.au>]

"John Kerley" <deaftech@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
zdCb4.2860$FY3.4191@ozemail.com.au">news:zdCb4.2860$FY3.4191@ozemail.com.au...
>
> Exnarc <gwrly@netspace.net.au> wrote in message
> 84m0j7$1vrp$1@otis.netspace.net.au">news:84m0j7$1vrp$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
> >
> > John Kerley <deaftech@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
> > 8Jeb4.1199$FY3.2281@ozemail.com.au">news:8Jeb4.1199$FY3.2281@ozemail.com.au...
> > >
> > > Exnarc <gwrly@netspace.net.au> wrote in message
> > > news:84bcl2$bqp$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
> > > > Your deficit view of guards is unfortunately not uncommon amongst
members of
> your profession, even if it is somewhat "uncomradely".  I suppose credit
is
> due to Comrade Frank and his colleagues for acheiving a scoreline of AFULE
> 1 - ARU 0, which interestingly contrasts with the British experience where
> it was NUR 1 - ASLEF 0 when the second persons got the flick and guards
kept
> their jobs in the reduction to double manning.  Also of interest is
Comrade
> Frank's apparent change of heart on the evils of single manning since his
> spell as "gamekeeper", judging from the tone of his recent articles in the
> "Digest".
>
> Of course, the real scoreline in all this is THE RICH 1 - ORDINARY PEOPLE
0,
> and when ordinary people collaborate with the rich in what they perceive
as
> their immediate short term interest, they themselves are sealing their own
> fate.  You may have originally retained two people up front, but this is
> gradually being reduced and zero manning is not an impossibility for rail.
> Then won't the truckies have the last laugh.
>
> John Kerley
>
Seen it from both ends of the train John and from other branches as well,It
used to be common  that out of hearing of the Drivers it was well known that
Drivers would inherit the railways,because 1/ They knew every body else's
jobs and could do them better,be it guard,station master,shunter,train
examiner.signal adjuster,or diesel maintainer.Sig fitters/maintainers had
them stuffed because they had 7P locks on there gear and the drivers
couldn't adjust any thing,but I am sure they would replace globes in signals
given the necessary material 2/ there union was strong and went into fight
for them 3/ the trains can not run with out them 4/ Many of them deep down
hated the idea that the guard was actually in charge of the train ,R&R
Victorian Railways 184 (b),and looked forward to the day when guards where
gone,
But that's life and its all about survival of the fittest.
Cheers
Graeme