Many people feel this situation was set up by GTR, either through vindictiveness or ineptitude. The company has already been the subject of concern in parliament due to their bad management and there has been an Early Day Motion lodged at Westminster in which seven of our MPs take issue with GTR’s treatment of their staff. There were two one-day strikes by guards, both of which GTR extended to almost 48 hours in Hastings, giving themselves plenty of opportunity to make station announcements and press releases publicly criticising their staff. Before the strikes took place, they sent letters to staff telling them they’d lose two days pay for one day of strike (so what’s the point of coming to work?) and that they’d lose travel cards, car park permits, the option to swap shifts, and possibly redundancy pay if they took part in the dispute. One can see why the idea of taking time off sick rather than participating in strikes would be an obvious response but in fact, it is equally likely that many guards are unfit to work due to stress – theirs is a difficult job at the best of times, and deprived of shift-swaps, often impossible to fit around family life. Someone who is being barracked by bosses at work and handling often difficult situations on the trains while public announcements blame them for cancellations or delays is not going to perform well or feel fit, especially if they have to start work at 4.30am one day, and finish after midnight another. Kay Green Linton Road Hastings Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage at www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/ 2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hastingsobserver 3) Follow us on Twitter @HastingsObs 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! The Hastings Observer - always the first with your local news. Be part of it.