Chessington World of Adventures Resort

[Benzin]

Wowee, that is a lot of days where the park is going to be a complete and utter misery. I do not know the details of the reasoning for the strikes, but I'm very surprised that Merlin/Chessington are willing to let these happen instead of resolving the situation. The revenue loss from this is going to be quite substantial.

What's the difference from a normal day then?


Good on the engineers. Clearly given the situation at Chessie and others there is something amiss, and with the necessity to ensure correct H&S protocols this is a big dice roll to not agree to terms.

Poor show from Merlin.

 

[Thameslink Rail]

This is also the first time Merlin parks will close at 4pm on a weekend...

 

[Quantum]

Funny that 3 of the strike weekends fall on bank holidays.....

That said something clearly isn't right at Chessington

 

[AT86]

Funny that 3 of the strike weekends fall on bank holidays.....

That’s because they will have the most impact in terms of hitting the business where it hurts. Exactly what I would expect the union to do.

Got to say I didn’t think I would see the day of strikes at a Merlin park (mainly because I thought Merlin went out of their way to discourage unionisation of their workers) but good on them for fighting for better pay.

 

[Skyscraper]

Teacher strikes cover some of those dates as well, not being at full capacity will hit them hard. I expect a lot of disappointed kids too.

 

[Matt N]

I thought unions were only really a thing in the public sector? I knew public sector workers like teachers, train drivers, nurses and doctors were part of unions, but I never knew that private sector employees were part of unions as well.

I do hope that Merlin and the engineers can come to an agreement soon, though. If they don’t, this could become a significant problem chain-wide.

On a side note, am I right in saying that this is the first time theme park staff have ever gone on strike? I can’t say that I can remember another example of where this happened…

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Terrible that it’s come to this at Chessington. Professor Burp would would be rolling in his sweet scented effervescent watery grave if he saw what had happened to the park.

 

[AstroDan]

Mann.... obviously the issues aren't identical at every park but Merlin need to pull the finger out.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

 

[Islander]

I thought unions were only really a thing in the public sector? I knew public sector workers like teachers, train drivers, nurses and doctors were part of unions, but I never knew that private sector employees were part of unions as well.

Train drivers haven't been public sector workers for decades lol...

On a side note, am I right in saying that this is the first time theme park staff have ever gone on strike? I can’t say that I can remember another example of where this happened…

DLP says hello . In the UK though, possibly.

 

[Matt N]

Train drivers haven't been public sector workers for decades lol...


DLP says hello . In the UK though, possibly.

I know that the actual operators (CrossCountry, Great Western Railway etc) have been privatised for years now, but I thought Network Rail and the wider company controlling the employees was still affiliated with the government? The RMT and the like are certainly blaming the government for the situation, anyhow…

When did DLP workers go on strike?

 

[KolonelKlink]

I thought unions were only really a thing in the public sector? I knew public sector workers like teachers, train drivers, nurses and doctors were part of unions, but I never knew that private sector employees were part of unions as well.

It does happen - the National Union for Journalists, for example, were in dispute with the big newspaper publisher Reach last year and got their members a better pay settlement:

NUJ Reach pay settlement

NUJ members have voted to accept a revised pay offer from Reach plc.

www.nuj.org.uk

As for CWOA, this is pretty embarrassing and unlike public sector strikes where support for those walking out might wane, would-be visitors will just be asking why on Earth Merlin aren’t sorting this out.

 

[Blackhole_Sun]

This is just the beginning I would think.

We could see this happen at other Merlin parks next. Pay them what they want and move on, the frustration of how little they spend on maintenance is becoming painful.

They are going to be doing it across weekends to really enforce their point. Fair enough I say. Big year for Chessington and they are about to blow it.

 

[Burner]

Nothing but solidarity to the strikers. Management at Merlin is rotten to the core, and needs clearing out from top to bottom right across the board.

Awful company to work for.

 

[Zeock]

Pay them what they deserve, which is a load more than they are currently earning.
Please.

 

[BigShadowtinytree]

Anyone can join a union. The union at my partners work (private sector) have done some great things with negotiating new pay deals and terms. They can also support you in other matters such as disciplinary hearings and other such disputes, it’s not all about going on strike and arguing over pay.

In my partners case it hasn’t ever gotten to the point of striking because they’ve so far managed to strike a deal with the employer that union members are happy with. This is incredibly embarrassing for merlin that they haven’t managed that.

 

[rob666]

Many firms will do anything they can to stop a union getting influence within their workplace.
Simple as that.
I have worked for employers with a "staff association", developed to head off union involvement.
"No need to get involved in a union, we have a fantastic staff welfare association of our own..." was what was quoted to me, by a senior manager, when I joined the relevant union.
Lots of people get "moved on" or quietly replaced within their early years with an employer because they have started a union group.
It happens, a lot in many small firms.

 

[John_P]

Good for them, hopefully this makes Merlin get round the table with them quickly.

 

[Max]

Merlin have coasted on the fact that it’s novel to work at a Theme Park for far, far too long. I hope more of the workers at Merlin parks realise their worth as well.

 

[venny]

It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s not just pay driving this action. The chronic lack of investment has got to affect working conditions generally. It can’t be fun trying to maintain rides in that sort of environment.

There were some glimmers of hope when Merlin went private, so I wonder how much of these current wider issues are a result of more deep-seated issues. My question I suppose is, does this action result primarily from current Merlin decisions or are they reaping what has been sown from years of poor investment and decisions.

Elsewhere, reading through the current Tripadvisor reviews is quite extraordinary. Most extraordinary are some of the replies from Chessington, which include blaming people for not checking the app, suggesting they get the train to avoid the terrible parking situation and even denying that people’s reports are accurate. All written with the grammar and spelling of an eleven year old.

It really all seems to be falling apart at the seams…

 

[Zeock]

All written with the grammar and spelling of an eleven year old.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're actually employing an 11yr old.