Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

• arriva driver chester, chester

  what milk float does peter leppard no that sometimes carrys up to and over 200 people , and with the driver in charge of there lives in sometimes very bad conditions rain, fog,snow , working 10 hour days with minimum breaks . this man should come work with me for the week and see poor cab conditions , terible mess rooms and then tell me its like a milk float ,
  this strike isnt just about the money its about the strings involved thats the reason for the strike
  

• D.Richards, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales

  maybe Peter Leppard should be thankful for the " milk float" drivers who earn the money to pay his big pay packet every month.
  ask a driver why they are striking its not all about the pay offer!

• M. Tovey, Ebbw Vale, Gwent

  Train drivers get paid more than most teachers and nurses. £39.177 is an excellent wage to earn in this day and age, especially with all the cut backs thats going on else where. I'm not saying that its right that Arriva should make all the profit and dump on the drivers, but surely better working conditions would go some way to help ease this dispute. Also if Arriva are making a substantial profit, they should be made to reduce the fares they charge to their passengers, these are the people who create the profit for Arriva and without them, they would be stuffed!

• Robert Wiseman, Crewe, Cheshire

  Arriva also have the Cross Country Franchise, Arriva is now owned by Deutsche Bahn, Some parity between all Arriva Trains UK operations should be looked at, drivers regardless of train length , number of carrages etc have to go through the same level of training regardless of which Toc they work for, What ATW management have failed to make clear is that the pay deal they have offered is loaded with strings.
  
  The remarks made by Peter Leppard are ill judged and he is dismissing his own companies fleet and is attempting to undermine the positions of the companies drivers, his position has become untenable and he should be shown the door, Aslef should force his resignation, a director who makes comments like that which Mr Leppard has made should be dismissed forthwith

• Mick, Cardiff, Wales

  I work in the private sector, and having seen my salary increase by a total of just 4.5% over the last 10 years, I would be absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of a 12% increase, even if it were to be spread over two or three years.
  
  ASLEF are just using this difference in pay rates between ATW and other rail operators as an excuse to disguise what is in essence greed, pure and simple. I have no sympathy whatesover for this 'action'. If ATW drivers think that they're inadequately paid, then they should get on their bikes...
  

• Matthew, Newcastle-under-Lyme, England

  ATW drivers would like a higher level of pay because Arriva also own Cross Country: we see the situation as two groups of drivers in the same company being paid vastly different rates.
  
  As for the "milk float" comment... is there a difference between driving a sprinter and a Pendolino? Of course there is! You work MUCH harder on a Sprinter!
  
  An intercity service, using state-of-the-art, computer assisted driving, with the route prioritised so that they seldom see anything but a green signal, might take power at London and possibly stop four times as it runs the length of England - on priority routes that see maximum maintenance. Sprinter services on the other hand make many more stops - not just at stations but at signals (often to allow intercity services priority). Knowing how to stop a high-momentum vehicle (often in slippery conditions) is precisely where the skill of train driving comes in to play, and the less wheels you have (ie, the shorter your train), the harder it is to stop.
  
  Of course, a rural, grubby, boxy little two-car sprinter (in Wales no less) doesn't have the corporate image of a steam-cleaned, stream-lined Pendolino. Perhaps this has more to do with it?
  
  It is very sad when someone in such a high position expresses such contempt for the people in his employ.

• M Nelson, Rotherham, UK

  I thought that the railways were now private industry. Each Franchise owned by different private organisations. If this is the case why on earth do the Unions believe that they have a right to strike because one company decides to pay their staff a level of pay that does not match another private organisation's. When doe the Manager have the right to manage. Surely different companies return different finacial figures based on the type of service they offer, the customer base, pricing etc. Surely a Checkout Operator at Sainsbury's does not have the right to Strike because the are paid less that an equally trained one at Tescos. You would apply for a job at Tescos and leave Sainsbury's. Yet again the customer will suffer through the decisions of militant individuals, who do not understand that by striking and having a direct impact on the very customers lives who pay your wages you are putting your own positions in danger. Once these customers make other travel arrangements they will not return to the railways. Less passengers means less trains services which means less jobs. If the Union Reps were so business orientated and capable, surely they would be running their own ultra efficient, happy staffed, highly profitable organisations instead of causing trouble and causing inconvenience to their customers.

• George Davidson, Newport

  It seems to be absolutely ridiculous that ATW have to rely on Sunday working being part of \"overtime\". That is like saying to other workers who have to be working on Sundays - such as hospital doctors, \"Would you mind coming in to work on Sunday and get paid as overtime\"? You can\'t run a railway like this. If ATW can\'t cover Sunday working as part of a normal working week with the staff they have, they should employ (& train) more people. Goodness knows, there must be loads of people who would welcome a career as train drivers - especially as the pay is well above the national average.
  
  Is it reasonable to expect Arriva to be paying £48,000 per annum to the driver of a 2/4 coach Sprinter/Pacer trundling up the valley lines as that of a 9 coach Pendolino travelling at up to 125mph on the West Coast Main Line? I think not. (They have been offered £39,000pa two years out from now but with change of contract to allow for Sunday working).

• philip russell, carlisle, united kingdom

  Both sides are at fault ,15 years of so called superior private sector management since the end of B.R.has unlike most of the modern 7 day a week industries, seemingly failed even to incorporate sundays as part of the working week and when the economy has been good too many train operators have simply thrown money at their drivers to keep the peace with hardly any strings attached, so who can blame the union for pushing this one , No trains at all running for 2 days proves the union holds most if not all of the cards and parts of the railway have barely progressed since the 1970s on dealing with these issues

• Tony, Cheshire, Uk

  It's about time that companies making a mass profit gave it back to those that create the mass profit.Maybe a stint on the lower rung of the ladder will show Peter Leppard exactly why he is not in touch with reality

• Steve Alston, Crewe

  50p says Arriva Dairies Wales will have a director vacancy by Monday
  
  Silly, silly man.