On 17 Oct, 15:18, Bruce wrote:
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:33:35 -0700 (PDT), MIG





wrote:
On 17 Oct, 14:13, Bruce wrote:
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:52:16 -0700 (PDT), MIG

wrote:

Don't get me wrong; I am apalled by the behaviour of some railway
staff (LU and NR) and have been on the end of the "being abusive"
claims just for disagreeing with them (when they are wrong).

In fact, I find that sort of crying wolf to be a disgusting betrayal
of colleagues who really are abused. *Any staff who have ever tried it
on should be thoroughly ashamed.

But my comments were about the way in which serious misbehaviour of
staff is trivialised by using it as an excuse for yet another
opportunity for gratuitous abuse of the RMT. *That's a union that has
done more to campaign against racism, attacks on civil liberties etc
than anyone posting here is ever likely to have done.

This is also a union that advised its members to refuse to give any
evidence about the Grayrigg disaster, when there were clearly
negligent acts/omissions that were the direct cause of the derailment
of the Pendolino. *By doing so, the union renders itself complicit
with that negligence, and denies itself any right to respect.

Given the management failings that the reports revealed, avoiding
scapegoating of individuals was probably a Good Thing. *

The RMT members' silence ensured that management got off scot free.
Trial, conviction and punishment of the criminally negligent is what
we call justice, and its avoidance can never be "a Good Thing". *

Indeed, to term it such indicates a suspension of belief in the
fundamental principles of right and wrong, and of justice.

But that's not what I said was a Good Thing, so not really worth
mentioning.

In the recent past the pursuit of criminal charges prevented
investigations from continuing. Finding out what happened is more
important than blaming someone, but the experience of Southall (the
non-investigation of which may have led indirectly to Ladbroke Grove)
and other enquiries would have reduced trust.