Recent content by WCMLaddict

I've seen the names of new instructors. 2-3 deserving people and the rest... scraping the bottom of the barrel comes to mind. Good luck to new trainees, they will really need it to be able to pass out..

Nowadays, it's usually "Head of ..." and higher.

Sundays for west conductors are not committed.

But before it wasn't about destroying it, only lowering down company's dependence and curbing militancy. Now it's a war. Just my opinion.

Unfortunately current Northern management is bent on destroying this brilliant depot...

Your qualification at this moment is not going to be valid. If you had EU train driving license it will most likely not require you to do assessments but you will have to do whole training course.

Drivers from Newcastle and Workington have lodged in Manchester for training purposes. There is provision for lodging in our agreements...

Actually there is lodging agreement for training purposes. It’s never been used for route learning. In case of Preston-Blackpool route learning Vic and Leeds crew would not be far away enough to be allowed to lodge. These restrictions were set by company not union.

No. And you once again prove how happy you are to spread any unfounded crap that fits your views or agenda. The 10 days are for the negotiated deal (RDW and productivity deal, NOT pay deal) to go in front of ASLEF executive committee. Any negotiated deals have to be approved by EC. Nothing to...

It’s not daft but I won’t go into the reasoning of it and it’s ins and outs. Rest day is rest day, training day is training day. Different things

Depots that sign Blackpool are: Blackpool, Blackburn, Leeds, Liverpool(?), Manchester Victoria, Wigan. I don’t think Piccadilly do. Average driver’s turn on west conditions is supposed to be 8h45m or as close to this as possible. 7h training day comes from separate agreement.

Was it before the links were finalised? MCV? I’ll say this once again. There’s no driver shortage at Northern (central and west company regions). There’s huge training backlog, and I’m not talking here about Preston-Blackpool training. You have drivers with over 5 years experience not signing...

What if I told you.... that there’s no shortage of drivers at Northern in North West region? Every single depot has drivers over establishment! Every one.

I completely accept that. My “believe it or not” comment comes from my experience of seeing people’s reaction to me telling them about the previous situation at Southern. I couldn’t believe they worked them without an agreement as that would be unthinkable in pretty much any other TOC.

It’s not the case at Northern at all. All I was saying is that Northern could theoretically try asking drivers without the RDWA. At the end of the day RDWA is only an agreement that sets out conditions of working on your day off, that’s all.