Easter 2017 travel plans

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

So what you are suggssting is that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would have known if this shortage at least 5 days before? And thus could have have given pax that notice too? Might have been helpful....

Not necessarily 5 days since they were presumably trying within those 5 days to persuade others to take those rosters. 

[a-driver]

So what you are suggssting is that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would have known if this shortage at least 5 days before? And thus could have have given pax that notice too? Might have been helpful....

Possibly yes, but there was far more jobs than that not covered so at what point do you cancel them and disrupt a significant amount of journeys?  Getting work covered can be down to the last minute and relies on the goodwill of those drivers and train managers who work their Sunday's.

[grahame]

So what you are suggssting is that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) would have known if this shortage at least 5 days before? And thus could have have given pax that notice too? Might have been helpful....

Not necessarily 5 days since they were presumably trying within those 5 days to persuade others to take those rosters. 

Last minute changes will happen even in the best planned circumstances; I got a phone call at 05:15 this morning to let me know that one of our team due to start work an hour later had woken sick.  Not a problem as we have a safety net in place; probably easier for us as we don't have such a lot of specialism in each team member but rather cross-train.

[John R]

 Getting work covered can be down to the last minute and relies on the goodwill of those drivers and train managers who work their Sunday's.

Which is exactly why Sundays should be part of the working week. Train crew provide a public service that is required 7 days a week, just like NHS workers, emergency services etc, and so being required to work any day is a not unreasonable requirement of staff in this day and age.   

[TaplowGreen]

 Getting work covered can be down to the last minute and relies on the goodwill of those drivers and train managers who work their Sunday's.

Which is exactly why Sundays should be part of the working week. Train crew provide a public service that is required 7 days a week, just like NHS workers, emergency services etc, and so being required to work any day is a not unreasonable requirement of staff in this day and age.   

Nail hit squarely on the head.

[a-driver]

 Getting work covered can be down to the last minute and relies on the goodwill of those drivers and train managers who work their Sunday's.

Which is exactly why Sundays should be part of the working week. Train crew provide a public service that is required 7 days a week, just like NHS workers, emergency services etc, and so being required to work any day is a not unreasonable requirement of staff in this day and age.   

That might be true but no one is going to like having their terms and conditions of employment especially when it is a detrimental change.
The biggest issue is money, hugely expensive to make Sunday's part of the working week as there will be a need to significantly increase drivers numbers. In fairness, with the recruitment taken place for to enable drivers to train on the traction we are getting close. You've only got to look at how much it would cost to have GP surgeries open 7 days a week. Admittedly we are not on the same scale but that cost has to be met somehow and I would imagine the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) would have to be involved as the increased cost would mean the franchise isn't profitable.

[John R]

I'm not sure I understand why the cost would be significant, as the drivers have to be paid (and incentivised) to work those days one way or another. (Unlike GP surgeries, which don't, although arguably there is then more demand for their service during the week.)  And the uncertainty that it brings to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) probably results in a degree of inefficiency as well. 

I agree it would be a detrimental change, and one option would be to offer two sets of terms to existing drivers, with an enhancement for those willing to agree to the change (and no reverting subsequently). For new drivers it would be mandated. That way existing drivers would be protected, and would probably be a pragmatic solution.

[ChrisB]

With no incentive for new drivers (unless mandated by all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) together), applications would dry up....

[a-driver]

I'm not sure I understand why the cost would be significant, as the drivers have to be paid (and incentivised) to work those days one way or another. (Unlike GP surgeries, which don't, although arguably there is then more demand for their service during the week.)  And the uncertainty that it brings to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) probably results in a degree of inefficiency as well. 

I agree it would be a detrimental change, and one option would be to offer two sets of terms to existing drivers, with an enhancement for those willing to agree to the change (and no reverting subsequently). For new drivers it would be mandated. That way existing drivers would be protected, and would probably be a pragmatic solution.

To cover Sunday's at the moment you are paid for that one day as overtime. To include Sunday's in a 35 hour working week you would need to recruit additional drivers to cover the workload which works out far more expensive plus the £2000+ Sunday's are worth a year would need to be added to the basic salary.

[John R]

With no incentive for new drivers (unless mandated by all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) together), applications would dry up....

Would they?  Surely the salary and terms would still be attractive enough for people?  Didn't Virgin have 15,000 applications recently? I bet some of those would still go ahead and apply if they were told that Sunday would be part of their normal 35 hour week.

[a-driver]

With no incentive for new drivers (unless mandated by all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) together), applications would dry up....

Would they?  Surely the salary and terms would still be attractive enough for people?  Didn't Virgin have 15,000 applications recently? I bet some of those would still go ahead and apply if they were told that Sunday would be part of their normal 35 hour week.

Sunday's are already part of their working week reflected in their basic salary. I believe they basically sold all their conditions for it.

[TaplowGreen]

With no incentive for new drivers (unless mandated by all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) together), applications would dry up....

Would they?  Surely the salary and terms would still be attractive enough for people?  Didn't Virgin have 15,000 applications recently? I bet some of those would still go ahead and apply if they were told that Sunday would be part of their normal 35 hour week.

35 hour week? Blimey I might go for it myself! 😃

[a-driver]

With no incentive for new drivers (unless mandated by all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) together), applications would dry up....

Would they?  Surely the salary and terms would still be attractive enough for people?  Didn't Virgin have 15,000 applications recently? I bet some of those would still go ahead and apply if they were told that Sunday would be part of their normal 35 hour week.

35 hour week? Blimey I might go for it myself! 😃

If you can't beat them, join them!  That's what I did, 7 years as a commuter was enough!

[phile]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Twitter on Easter Monday seemed to have a theme running right through it.     Overcrowded trains and passengers unable to board on West Country routes