Where's the mention in that 2022 business plan about recruitment? The point I've been making. You've highlighted the 'Seven Day Railway' part of the business plan. That's about GWR▸ providing costing to the DfT» for existing staff having their contracts changed to include Sundays.
No. Those costings GWR provided to the DfT included the exact number and cost of additional drivers required.... and that is, and still remains the stumbling block. The DfT opting to cover Sunday's on overtime with a commitment to work Sunday's.
Every driver is rostered Sunday's, but can obviously make themselves unavailable if they choose. You take those rostered Sunday's, you work out what that equates to over the course of the year and you add that to the basic salary. That becomes pensionable etc. It's relatively easy to sort. The issue is the extra number of drivers required which is what the DfT refuses to agree to.
A commitment to work Sunday's does not work. There are issues with it. If you are contracted to work Monday to Saturday, you can only apply for leave on those days. You can not apply for leave on a Sunday. Therefore, for example, f you book yourself a Saturday to Saturday holiday but you are rostered to work that Sunday, you can't get out of it.
It's getting somewhat tiresome to keep repeating that the driver shortage issue goes back over a decade with FGW▸ /GWR failing to address it. Cancellations due to driver shortages occur on every day of the week.
It is indeed extremely tiresome.
FGW's/GWR's driver shortage problems did not suddenly pop into existence when the DfT awarded them the direct contract in 2022. This thread alone is evidence of that. And other threads on a similar theme predate the start of this one in 2017.
Instead of recruiting since 2012 FGW/GWR were happy to take the cheaper option of paying overtime to their existing drivers, relying on goodwill. That just stored up problems for the future - an aging driver pool, losing the goodwill, industrial action...
You haven't got a shortage of drivers, in fact, they're over established at many depots. The issue is not all the drivers sign all the routes and/or traction. That issues stems from the huge number of new drivers they have recruited over the last 10-15years. If you were based at Paddington depot 10-12 years ago and walked in the mess room tomorrow, you wouldn't recognise any faces such is the turnover of staff.
You train new drivers right up until they can become productive and then you let them loose on the mainline. This gives them time to settle in, find their feet, grow in confidence etc. You don't overload them with all the routes in one hit. That's not the way to retain key information.
Not only have they recruited a significant number of new drivers over the last 10-15 years, but you've had the
IET▸ 's come into service and 387's. You've had the Turbo's move West, 158's move West and Castle sets. That's all new traction training and handling hours.
Covid then came along and everything came to a halt. Which things resumed, some instructors weren't comfortable having others in the cab and gave up the role so new instructors had to be recruited and trained. There's still a backlog of training outstanding and there's still a large number of wanna-be train drivers in the talent pool awaiting start dates so it's an ever improving situation, rest day working is, from what I hear, certainly reducing. However, July 2025 see's the pay rise reflected in final salary pensions so you could see an exodus then, and if that involves old
BR▸ staff, they only have to provide minimal notice.
Sunday's will always remain an issue until the DfT agrees to a solution. Either a rise in Sunday's rates or bringing Sunday's into the working week. The ball is in the DfT's court. The DfT have agreed increased payments for 22nd (albeit to late) and the 29th so we shall see the outcome of that shortly.
Okay. I'm dealing with politicians here so... If
I will wait with bated breath!
