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I think it's probably fairer to view "sick note" culture as being a ultimately a management problem: a poorly-motivated workforce, with sub-standard conditions and limited ways routes to fulfillment at work, can respond antagonistically and with increased absences from work.


I suspect at the heart of this is that Southern is trying to run the network on too little subsidy, or alternatively is trying to take excessive profit from the franchise - though not sure how one could ever disaggregate this without much more financial disclosure.

One major problem is that no journalist ever properly investigates such disagreements, they just parrot the lines given to them from both sides. The union says that Southern is understaffed, so even just a few absences cause problems. The management says there's a sicknote culture.


How does Southern compare with other rail operators in terms of numbers, shifts etc? And what is the absentee rate through sickness elsewhere?


Until questions like this are asked and answered, then the poor old commuter will carry on suffering.

BR's profits went to 'the railway' and stayed in the system. Privatised and private company profits go to the investors - many for UK utilities and rail companies outside the UK (and indeed some actually the state concerns of other countries). There is a difference.

I've been around long enough to remember BR. It was awful. If a company can run the railway better and make a profit, then that's fine by me.


Anyway, 'profit' doesn't all go to the train operating company. For this sort of stuff, fullfact.org are a good, independent examiner of the underlying facts.


https://fullfact.org/news/do-train-operating-companies-earn-massive-profits/

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's half term - people get sick at half term.


And often on Mondays. The 06:53 train on a Monday is cancelled more regularly than I'd like and "overrunning weekend engineering works" isn't a good excuse when there haven't been any.

Most people who don't ever take time off sick (unless in hospital) don't understand this.

Anyway RMT blames the Govia dirty tricks department.


http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2016-05-26/rmt-southern-sickness-figures-fiction-and-dirty-tricks/


I just tweet them pics now which for some reason both Thameslink and Southern then retweet :)

DovertheRoad Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Mick Mac Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > It's half term - people get sick at half term.

>

> And often on Mondays. The 06:53 train on a Monday

> is cancelled more regularly than I'd like and

> "overrunning weekend engineering works" isn't a

> good excuse when there haven't been any.



Odd...there isn't an 0653 train from ED to London bridge. There is an 0655...which hasn't been canceled at any time in the las 6 weeks http://www.recenttraintimes.co.uk/Home/Search?Op=Srch&Fr=East+Dulwich+%28EDW%29&To=London+Bridge+%28LBG%29&TimTyp=A&TimDay=6a&Days=Wk&TimPer=6w&dtFr=04%2F05%2F2016&dtTo=01%2F06%2F2016&ShwTim=AvAr&TOC=All&ArrSta=5&MetAvg=Mea&MetSpr=RT&MxScDu=&MxSvAg=10&MnScCt=2&MxArCl=5

BrandNewGuy Wrote:

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> 08.10 and 08.20 cancelled from ED this morning.

> Grateful for the National Rail app but not happy

> about getting a slowly crawling crowded 40 bus

> again.


I got the 40 to Borough daily for 14 years.. From North Cross rd.

Would be nodding off by the time I got to the station.


Bliss.

No great consolation when standing in the rain, but if you're delayed more than half an hour you can claim back from TfL: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/replacements-and-refunds/refunds-for-delays?intcmp=16681 though they say they won't pay for strike action - I wonder if they'll try to claim the alleged sick note campaign is strike action?

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