Multiple reliability problems - the start of a pattern?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

This thread is split off from
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5587.0
which concerns problems at Oldfield park on 30.09.09.

Sadly it's not just the trains. Public transport out of Bath seems to have ground to a stop altogether.

[snip]

Meanwhile my daughter, who works in Bath and travels to and from Melksham by bus each day, was for the second day running left stranded in Bath by First Group. Having left work at 5, she was told the next bus back to Melksham was today likely to run after 9pm. The same thing had happened yesterday, but without the promises of even a late bus running. ....

I have to say the bus service has generally been quite reliable over the past 6 months - maybe once every three weeks or so she's either late into work or is delayed getting out of Bath. This week's been a nightmare though. No idea what's going on.

Talking with a member of First Group staff the other day, I heard severe rumblings of discontent with pay - lack of any rises within certain roles that are effecting standards of living and increasing differnetials and resentment of the employer.  Perhaps there's some 'work to rule', and / or some lack of desire to work the amount of voluntary overtime that is (pehaps) required to keep the services operational.   Or are they just short of buses - is there a 'safety recall' that's taken part of the fleet off the road?

The services HAVE indeed been more reliable of late - rail and road - although this week has been a bit of a step backwards on rail too.  Monday to Friday, we were back up to a 10% cancellation rate for trains (I have counted non-stop Gloucester to Westbury as a cancellation as it was neither use nor ornament to people passed at Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge!), with lack of staff being blamed for some of the problem.

Just a bad week, or the start of a pattern / winter of issues?    Does anyone know?

[Henry]

 Heard the same rumblings of discontent at Newton Abbot yesterday, apart from the usual moans and groans.

 First have awarded some railway grades a pay rise of 10% while others are to recieve nothing this year and RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) + 0.5% next year, if the gossip is true.
 I find this very hard to believe, it would only seem to 'stoke the fires' of discontent.

[gaf71]

 Heard the same rumblings of discontent at Newton Abbot yesterday, apart from the usual moans and groans.

 First have awarded some railway grades a pay rise of 10% while others are to recieve nothing this year and RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) + 0.5% next year, if the gossip is true.
 I find this very hard to believe, it would only seem to 'stoke the fires' of discontent.

If the 10% rise you are alluding to, is for 'west' drivers, you are mistaken. This is not an annual pay rise, but a 2 year restructuring process, to (hopefully) bring west and HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) drivers in line, on pay and conditions, though there are still differences between the two. The Sprintermeister, is a good source of info on this topic.

[grahame]

 Heard the same rumblings of discontent yesterday, apart from the usual moans and groans.

 First have awarded some railway grades a pay rise of 10% while others are to recieve nothing this year and RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) + 0.5% next year, if the gossip is true.
 I find this very hard to believe, it would only seem to 'stoke the fires' of discontent.

If the 10% rise you are alluding to, is for 'west' drivers, you are mistaken. This is not an annual pay rise, but a 2 year restructuring process, to (hopefully) bring west and HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) drivers in line, on pay and conditions, though there are still differences between the two. The Sprintermeister, is a good source of info on this topic.

This is liable to be a 'hotbed' topic. All the less-knowledged of us can do is to report what we hear, and that's what I was doing; one person's restructure is another person's new differential. Just as you get winners and losers if you were to sort out the fares system, so you get winners and losers is you adjust salaries to bring two component companies which had different scales in to line.  And few will say "it's fair that they get more money and we don't".

I look forward to possibly hearing from the Sprintmeister.

[smithy]

 Heard the same rumblings of discontent at Newton Abbot yesterday, apart from the usual moans and groans.

 First have awarded some railway grades a pay rise of 10% while others are to recieve nothing this year and RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) + 0.5% next year, if the gossip is true.
 I find this very hard to believe, it would only seem to 'stoke the fires' of discontent.

If the 10% rise you are alluding to, is for 'west' drivers, you are mistaken. This is not an annual pay rise, but a 2 year restructuring process, to (hopefully) bring west and HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) drivers in line, on pay and conditions, though there are still differences between the two. The Sprintermeister, is a good source of info on this topic.

in reality it is 18% for west drivers and yes is a restructuring deal to bring in line with hss,shame FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have not done the same thing for all the other ex wessex grades,obviously drivers are seen as priority.do not be surprised if there is industrial action affecting services in the near future.

[Phil]

Meanwhile my daughter, who works in Bath and travels to and from Melksham by bus each day, was for the second day running left stranded in Bath by First Group. Having left work at 5, she was told the next bus back to Melksham was today likely to run after 9pm. The same thing had happened yesterday, but without the promises of even a late bus running. Eventually she got a bus to Trowbridge and got her boyfriend to drive over and pick her up there. She got in around half past 8 this evening.

Just thought I'd flag up the fact that this situation seems to be getting worse, not that anyone can do much about it I suppose. This evening's 5pm bus from Bath to Melksham was again cancelled due to a shortage of drivers - I've just got back from picking her up at Trowbridge train station, since obviously there's no trains to Melksham. The next bus from Bath this evening isn't until after 8pm. Yesterday the 5pm bus was severely delayed (my daughter's long suffering boyfriend went to fetch her). Apparently the day before that, the driver was asking the passengers where to go as he had no idea of what route the bus should be following.

[Electric train]

I can empathise with bus and TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) staff if they have not had a pay rise this year; the band I am in in NR^» (Network Rail - home page) did not get a pay rise due to the RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) plus 0.5% agreed a few years ago and it does dent your enthusiasm, I count my self fortunate because I work office hours and do not have to turn too at 05:00 or finish shift at 23:59 and very rarely work weekend or nights