This could result in further industrial action in May if the company remains intransigent. On 9 February, Sarah was meeting SWT manager Jim Hall, to discuss a dispute over inspection rights. The following day, Sarah was charged with serious misconduct and later dismissed at a disciplinary hearing for delaying a train. Her appeal failed and she is taking the case to an Industrial Tribunal. The case is likely to be heard at the beginning of May. SWT victimised Sarah Friday because of her struggle to get the company to recognise that train drivers' long working hours, shift patterns and poor working conditions are dangerous to workers' health and the travelling public.
Drivers can work shifts of over ten hours, often going seven hours without a break.
Union surveys at Waterloo showed that stress and fatigue were prevalent among drivers. The assessments barely mentioned fatigue and did not evaluate the effects of the more intensive duty roster the company had introduced. This victimisation is a further setback for rail safety and illustrates the weakness of employment law in this area. Safety reps need greater employment protection when disputes like this arise. It is not enough for safety reps to be able to take their employer to an industrial tribunal, especially as tribunals cannot enforce reinstatement.