The post you are reporting:
Colin, I have a couple of questions if I may?
Gangs of self employed and employed railway worker's (track).
Travel to areas, from this area, to areas as far away as Southampton, Wales and Norfolk. These areas have their own gangs who could do the same jobs themselves, why does this occur?
Over Xmas, a typical gang will be earning on average, £48 per hour (triple time) with a £350 per day Bonus, if they complete their schedule, without missing a shift. That's about £8000 each, times that by the amount of gangs working over Xmas, then times it by the firms that employ them and so on. The amount of cost for repairs over Xmas must be staggering, is that a residue of Nationalization or a product of privatization?
Throughout the year these gang's are often sent home or even don't leave home but get paid in full for a shift where no work is carried out because of office paperwork cock-ups, quite often once or twice a week.
Although trains are operated by private companies, the industry receives more than £5 billion a year in subsidies from the taxpayers. Under the new fare rules, just introduced by this Coalition, companies can increase ticket prices by as much as 5 per cent above the standard inflationary rise.
Should they not be told to get their house in order, instead of being allowed to increase fares to the public?
