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Rail strikes: Why have FOCs recovered quicker?
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RailUK Forums
FOC staff have had very little issues with pay and conditions, and have pretty much no need to go on strike.
FOCs are private companies and aren’t prone to the government scuppering employee relationships and demanding cost cutting measures like has been happening recently with negotiations with the TOCs.
The only impact industrial action has had on fright operating companies is the fact that they can’t run all their services on some days.
FOCs are private companies and aren’t prone to the government scuppering employee relationships and demanding cost cutting measures like has been happening recently with negotiations with the TOCs.
The only impact industrial action has had on fright operating companies is the fact that they can’t run all their services on some days.
43096
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The FOCs are also commercial businesses where strike = likely loss of business = no job.
It’s a dose of reality that the TOCs and their staff could do with (as they are failing businesses) rather than the default of assuming someone else (taxpayers) will keep giving them more money.
The situation is not quite the same. FOCs only operate services that are profitable to them - either the services are competitive or the customers scupper the work by taking it elsewhere. The FOCs and their staff know this, and (a) keep the costs keen, and (b) simply don't touch business (i.e. most freight in this country) that is not capable of being economically operated. The passenger business, funded by passengers and taxpayers through Government, does not have the same dynamics at all.
Just recently freightliner agreed a paydeal with no issues. As an aside they have a driver grade called rapid response driver or similar that is paid another 30k ish on top of the basic. It's tempted a couple of our drivers away and a few more thinking about it.
Also there is quite a different dynamic to negotiations. If there are strikes then work will go elsewhere and jobs will be lost.
As the freight companies as self funding any pay rise can only be given in relation to how much they earn so staff can make a reasoned decision as to what the companies can afford.
Unlike the TOCs which are subsidised by the government and even after a prolonged strike the job will still be there.
As the freight companies as self funding any pay rise can only be given in relation to how much they earn so staff can make a reasoned decision as to what the companies can afford.
Unlike the TOCs which are subsidised by the government and even after a prolonged strike the job will still be there.
Notably that doesn’t have to translate to low pay.
Circa £85k basic for that I think? Then relatively easy to earn another £20k plus in overtime and allowances (which is paid at the full hourly rate including the rapid response allowance) so into six figures without too much trouble.
Not for everyone of course - wouldn’t be for me.
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But this also means the companies will be pragmatic and strive to reach an agreement, rather than digging their heels in, triggering a dispute and losing more money than any pay rise would have cost for ideological/political reasons.
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I believe it's 91-2k and yes allowances and RDW and extra hours on top. I was speaking to someone that's going over and they were speaking to a current rapid response driver. Apparently you get the RDW monthly. But if say you are on eight hour days and you actually do eleven, all those extra daily hours get added and paid annually and apparently the driver got an extra 20k at year end. Of course I have been told by a driver that spoke to a driver, so info may have been exaggerated. Maybe a current rapid response driver can confirm or debunk. Either way I know it's circa 90k basic.
Yep. The basic was stated in the advert and is a little higher than I remembered!
Mcrdvr
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Quite a few have done just that already.
LNW-GW Joint
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The FOCs, notably DB Cargo and its antecedents, have to size their employment to the business on offer.
They had to cut back significantly at the end of the mail and power station coal contracts - unlike the passenger TOCs which were growing with more traffic.
Now the boot is rather on the other foot.
Freight is open access, and the OA passenger TOCs (GC, HT, Lumo etc) are in a similar position to the FOCs.
None of them was bailed out by the government during the pandemic like the DfT TOCs.
They had to cut back significantly at the end of the mail and power station coal contracts - unlike the passenger TOCs which were growing with more traffic.
Now the boot is rather on the other foot.
Freight is open access, and the OA passenger TOCs (GC, HT, Lumo etc) are in a similar position to the FOCs.
None of them was bailed out by the government during the pandemic like the DfT TOCs.
Mcrdvr
On Moderation
Yeah, that's what I meant, didn't quite word it correctlyand more will follow
Not quite. Furlough was open to FOCs.
As it was for any private company.
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