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May 4th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda - Employee enjoyed chicken salad sandwich and crisps while commuters waited
- Rail operator Southeastern says staff are ‘required to take mandatory breaks’
By
Chris Kent
04:53 EST, 4 May 2012
|
08:10 EST, 4 May 2012
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Commuters were left fuming after their train home was delayed for half an hour because the guard was having his dinner.
The ticket inspector tucked into a chicken salad sandwich and a bag of crisps while more than 50 rail users waited to catch the 22.17 service from Ashford International in Kent to Maidstone East railway station.
Frustrated passengers were told by an employee of rail operator Southeastern – recently voted the UK’s worst train company in a poll by consumer magazine Which? – that although a driver was on board the train it could not leave without the guard.
When asked what the guard was doing, commuters – desperately trying to get home after trains around the south east were disrupted by lightning strikes – were told ‘he’s having his nosh’ and couldn’t start his shift until he had finished his dinner break.
Dinnertime: Rail users trying to get from Ashford International to Maidstone East were delayed for nearly an hour while a ticket inspector had his dinner
Furious commuter Colin Bird, 43, said: ‘Everyone just stood around with their mouths open.
‘It was perhaps the most ridiculous excuse anyone had ever heard for a train running late.’
Mr Bird, an advertising worker from Maidstone, added: ‘You would have thought the guard could have just eaten his chicken sandwich on board the train rather than sitting tucked away in an office somewhere.
‘The train services were bad enough on that day and everyone just wanted to get home – but this guy had to take an hour off to eat his dinner.’
Another commuter Claire Bennett, 40, said she paid £4,800 for an annual train ticket and that the train only left at around 11.10pm – almost an hour after it was due to depart.
She said: ‘I’ve heard all types of excuses from Southeastern but this was a first.
‘None of the passengers had eaten their dinner either – I was seething.’
She said that once on the train – which takes 30 minutes to get from Ashford to Maidstone – nobody came round to check their tickets, meaning the guard was ‘redundant’.
A Southeastern spokesman confirmed the incident, which took place on April 19.
She said: ‘Train crew staff perform safety critical roles and because of this are required to have mandatory breaks, especially after working long hours.
‘It’s our duty as employers and providers of a public transport service that our staff follow guidelines to ensure the safety of passengers and staff travelling on our trains.
‘We understand the frustration when services are delayed and we’re sorry the journey took longer than usual.’
Apology: Rail operator Southeastern has apologised to commuters who were held up for nearly an hour while a ticket inspector ate a chicken salad sandwich and a packet of crisps
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The company could have offered passengers a cuppa and a biscuit, good customer relations.
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“She said that once on the train – which takes 30 minutes to get from Ashford to Maidstone – nobody came round to check their tickets, meaning the guard was ‘redundant’.”
Someone who obviously has no idea of what a guard actually does.
You need to remember that these people are deemed safety critical. Imagine if he fell asleep because he was tired, you would be running like sheep to the papers then wouldn’t you.
And yes, ‘elf and safety’ was NEVER funny. Please stop using it. You make me cringe.
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And this is why you will never get cars off the road.
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if you don’t stand up for your minimum rights they will try to take them away (as most Tories with money and privilege seem to want) than you can’t complain when they have gone!
– airbornespurs, Herts, 4/5/2012 18:09 ///// Typical old style union Fred Kite luddite and why this country is in a mess.
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Laura, London, 04/05/2012 12:18
The Driver should be ashamed?
Shame on you for condemnation of a man taking his allocated rest
If you choose not to take your full break than more fool you! Your bosses must really love you and your unpaid overtime!
As for Unions encouraging so called lazy working I have heard it all before and you should not believe the hype.
Inflated fares are not the fault of the Unions. It is the Government that sets the % rail price rises that TOC,s must work within and they will drag every penny from their captive commuters so as to satisfy their shareholders!
Even you must see that despite your inane comments!
That said your basic working conditions that you appear to resent are only there because your ancestors fought for them alongside Unions.You should remember that if you don’t stand up for your minimum rights they will try to take them away (as most Tories with money and privilege seem to want) than you can’t complain when they have gone!
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If the train had crashed due to the driver fainting or choking on his chicken tikka, the DM would be screaming ‘WHY WAS THIS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?’ and you’d all be lapping it up and foaming at the mouth. Unbelievable!
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It’s an expression (slightly humorous) . You need to get out more.
– Dave B, Aberdeen UK, 4/5/2012 17:42
There is nothing humorous about it. It isn’t funny and it mocks and wrongly blames an organisation which ensures that greedy bosses aren’t allowed to risk lives for a few quid.
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“‘elf”????? I think you mean “health”. No wonder the kids in this country can’t read and write.
– tom, rotherham, 04/5/2012 17:04
It’s an expression (slightly humorous) . You need to get out more.
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And how many of you office workers would work through your lunch break. None of you unless you are one of the many yes boss no boss three bags full boss.
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Furious commuter Colin Bird, 43, said: ‘Everyone just stood around with their mouths open.
Perhaps those people should have stuffed a sandwich into their open mouths to take their mind off the time spent waiting.
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