UK: Sunday trains cancelled by "staff shortage"

[John Ashworth]

Chaos As Sunday Rail Services Cancelled

5:21am UK, Sunday September 06, 2009
Sky News

A leading rail company has cancelled all but one of its Sunday services today because staff have failed to volunteer for work.

London Midland has come under fire after revealing that its drivers usually work on a voluntary basis on Sundays.

This week insufficient numbers have put themselves forward for the shift.

It means that trains on almost all of its routes will be idle today due to "staff shortage" - leaving thousands of passengers stranded or delayed.

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard has asked the Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis, to investigate the disruptions.

Mr Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin and a member of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, said: "Hundreds of Midlands people use their trains for business and leisure.

"London Midland need to pay their staff a fair wage to work anti-social hours - and get the trains moving again."

The Birmingham-based company, which operates more than 1,200 services a day to 149 stations, said all trains will be cancelled except those on the Birmingham to Liverpool line.

London Midland runs train services throughout the heart of England, serving major cities including London, Birmingham and Liverpool, and linking scores of towns across the Midlands.

The Rail Maritime and Transport Union said workers were not taking organised action, but called on the firm to address staffing problems "as a matter of urgency".

General Secretary Bob Crow said it was simply a case of staff exercising their contractual right not to work on Sunday.

Speaking for the Northampton Rail Users' Group, one of the largest towns served by the network, Shaun Hope said: "It's a shambles.

"How can they run an essential service on a voluntary basis? It's an astonishing way to operate a train service."

Passengers have been advised to avoid travel if possible and arrangements have been made for other operators - including Virgin Trains and Chiltern Railways - to accept London Midland tickets.

Efforts are also being made to arrange replacement buses on some routes.

On its website London Midland has apologised for the situation.


Passengers braced for rail chaos

Page last updated at 03:24 GMT, Sunday, 6 September 2009 04:24 UK
BBC

Thousands of rail passengers are facing disruption after a train firm cancelled all but one of its Sunday routes because of a lack of drivers.

London Midland relies on drivers volunteering to staff trains on Sundays but said not enough had offered to work this week so services could not run.

Rail users' groups called the situation "a shambles" and unions said it could have been avoided.

The government has been urged to look into the firm's voluntary work rules.

London Midland runs about 1,200 services with trains calling at 149 stations between London, the Midlands and the North West.

As of Saturday, the only service expected to still be operating was the one between Birmingham and Liverpool.

Replacement bus services will be provided on some routes and other rail companies have said they will accept London Midland tickets, but the firm has warned passengers not to attempt to travel by train unless necessary.

Shaun Hope, of Northampton Rail Users' Group, based in one of the largest towns served by London Midland, said: "It's a shambles. How can they run an essential service on a voluntary basis? It's an astonishing way to operate a train service."

London Midland said working on Sundays has always been voluntary.

"This weekend, so few have volunteered to work, that we have had no choice but to cancel services," a spokesman said.

'It's their choice'

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) said the move was not organised action by workers but a case of the contractual right not to work being exercised.

He said: "Their contracts of employment say they haven't got to work on a Sunday. It's their choice.

"If someone wanted to work a Sunday because they're short of money and said to the employer 'I'm coming in this Sunday because I want some extra overtime', then the employer hasn't got to give it to him. Quite rightly so.

"But in reverse if the employee hasn't got to work on a Sunday and doesn't want to come in, he hasn't got to come in.

"They're not breaking their contracts of employment so what is the big deal?"

Mr Crow said he believed the situation could have been avoided if London Midland had told the union it had problems filling the shifts.

'Somewhat irresponsible'

Alan Bevan, West Midlands spokesman for Railfuture, which campaigns for better train services, said both London Midland and the drivers were at fault.

He said: "The current franchise operator has had the franchise for a couple of years now and knew full well when it took it on that there was this particular difficulty. And it should have been addressed then.

"But I feel that the drivers are being somewhat irresponsible."

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard, who represents Wrekin in Shropshire, has asked the transport secretary, Lord Adonis, to investigate the circumstances behind the mass cancellations.

Mr Pritchard, a member of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, said London Midland made commitments to win its franchise and it should keep them.

"Hundreds of Midlands people use their trains for business and leisure.

"London Midland need to pay their staff a fair wage to work anti-social hours - and get the trains moving again," he said.

In July, the RMT said it was balloting staff over strike action as station, clerical, retail, booking office and supervisory staff did not receive the same pay for Sundays as drivers.