wrote in message
On Wed, 5 Aug 2009 03:27:31 -0700 (PDT)
John B wrote:
And your proposal to get there from where we are now without having
months of 'no trains at all' is...?

Don't know. I guess it depends how much fuss the unions would make
about non unionised contractors slowly replacing their members
through natural wastage when they retire or leave. There might even
be some union members who'd be happy to switch to contracting - as in
other areas of work - the contract rates were significantly higher
than the permi rates. And once you get to a certain percentage of
contract staff you've got the unions over a barrel.

You usually need to do something more dramatic than that. Reagan dealt
with striking air traffic controllers by sacking them all, but US
aviation was disrupted for quite a while before they could be fully
replaced (air force controllers could only provide a partial, short-term
substitute). Murdoch defeated the Fleet Street printing unions, but he
had to build a complete new production plant in Wapping, and still had
battles with the unions for years. Thatcher dealt with the mining unions
by shutting down the pits.

I can't see how the railways could do anything like that these days.
Privatisation was meant to weaken the railway unions, and maybe it has
in parts, but train drivers still strike. However, at least we no longer
have nationwide rail strikes.