Great Western Coffee Shop

from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7834665.stm


With regard to an earlier thread on this subject ...


Please ... carry on and discuss

I don't think SWT should cut platform staff or ticket office staff, as it reduces the level of passenger service.

Agreed, Btline - for a long time, we campaigned to get a replacement for our retired station staff at Nailsea & Backwell, to restore the customer service.

We've had nothing but problems here with such attempts to replace a member of staff with a couple of ticket machines - that is not the answer!  ::)

I have a horrible feeling there is a trend emerging here: NXEA and NXEC announce swingeing cutbacks in catering and customer service staff. SWT and Southeastern have announced significant job losses in the last couple of weeks. Rumours (which so far appear to be unfounded, it has to be said) of job losses among platform and ticket office staff at FGW have also circulated.

All of the franchises above were awarded a in much happier economic times. However, even then the premium payments required from the TOC to the DfT over the course of the franchise (>^1 bn in the case of FGW and SWT) were regarded in many quarters as wildly optimistic.

Several of the franchised operators are going to be getting doubly squeezed now, with passenger growth below projection and the need to make premium payments back to HM gov starting to bite. I suspect that unless a large number of franchises are re-negotiated we could be in the unpleasant position of seeing many more job losses before much longer.

But I can't see how they are justified when profits are high and dividends are high!

From the topic below.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3613.msg27930#msg27930

FGW has given the RMT a guarantee that no member of staff will be made redundant under the current re-organisation plans.

Good to hear. But I guess staff numbers could still be progressively cut through natural wastage or not advertising vacant positions.

Related article link.
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/More-than-400-rail-station.4888351.jp

Becoming more effcient is great but this ought to be happening anyway with rising passenger numbers (a driver pulling a full 3 coach train is 50% more efficient than one pulling a 2 coach train) .  Reducing staffing levels is not good for anyone. 

First could increase staff by 5% next year, they would still make efficiency gains because passenger number will be up by more than 5%.

Being efficient shouldn't be about laying off hardworking staff.  In an industry like rail it ought to be about encouraging growth.  Th pent-up demand for travel is huge and enough to sustain teh businesses through the recession,  the industry just needs to learn to meet that demand. 

I don't understand.

I thought FGW hired loads of staff last year to help raise the appalling performance levels. ???

And adding to the contradictory picture here, when they met Geoff Hoon yesterday, the big five TOC bosses apparently asked the Government to cough up for 1,000 "customer-facing' staff. See http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/21/transport-recession (http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/21/transport-recession)

More on that meeting in the link below.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3613.msg34332#msg34332

SWT today announce further job cuts:  :(
http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_costreviewupdate.htm

 >:(
Passenger numbers are still rising!

If you don't like paying staff, hand the keys back to the Dft.  >:(

RMT response:

http://www.rmt.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=117691 (http://www.rmt.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=117691)

Makes me laigh when they talk about cutting revenue protrection roles..... surely this is a cost you cant afford to be without?!

I expect the cuts in RPOs is due to Waterloo gate-line.

;D ;D ;D

Give that man a coconut!

I guess more ticket barriers does cut the need for revenue protection staff, but providing they are used correctly, and user friendly!

Erm... Revenue Protection staff ... user friendly ???  :o

Most revenue staff that I know are actually quite customer friendly, did you know that Revenue Protection staff have the LOWEST staff assaults in the whole company!!

And before some smart arse says that there are less revenue staff than any other department, the figures are based on a percentage

Thanks for your comments, vacman.  ;)

I hope it was clear that my post was rather tongue in cheek anyway, as I think rjames87 was actually referring to the replacement barriers being user friendly, rather than any of the revenue protection staff personally!

In my rail travel experience, over many years, I've only ever experienced one RPO who was an absolute git - and he's no longer employed by that TOC.  ::)

Some day soon, I'll travel down to Devon and Cornwall, and hopefully experience the friendliness of train staff down your way!  ;D

On my 'Customer Service' course I met a Revenue Protector who had been sent back there for 'retraining'....  ;D

I prefer sometimes to speak to a human rather than use a ticket machine. I don't like the way SWT have installed ticket machines at unstaffed stations and say, Buy a Ticket or Get a penalty fare.

Has it not occured to the importment people in suits that some people are incapable of using a ticket machine... (take the frail old lady for example) More to the point, some of them don't even work properly.

I had a rather delightful experience with a SWT RPO. I boarded a train without a ticket. I had attempted to buy a ticket from the ticket machine at an unstaffed station but as it was around -4 outside and I had no gloves on. Which ment my hands weren't warm enough to make the heat sensitive touch screen on the ticket machine work. The RPO fortunately was a switched on youngish lass who took pity on me and issued me a ticket without any trouble whatsoever ;D

I think I know who you mean.  Fell foul of a manager, rather than sinned I believe.