Breaking up a team

[TheSlash]

What can i say? We got our redundancy figures today. 25% of the team being made redundant.
One person is definitely taking voluntary redundancy, with one or two other rumors. That means eleven people being forced out of a job.
The worst bit is, after the meeting and some one to ones, you then have to take these people out on 90mph electrified line and do level 2 faults.
What do you say to someone who isn't wearing a hardhat, "Put your hard hat on or you'll get a form 1" ?
Young people with young families suddenly have to find a job immediatly after Christmas, or before Christmas if they take voluntary.
Then the best bit. Two of the guys facing redundancy are booked on 5 day courses next week.

 

[TrainBrain185]

What can i say? We got our redundancy figures today. 25% of the team being made redundant.
One person is definitely taking voluntary redundancy, with one or two other rumors. That means eleven people being forced out of a job.
The worst bit is, after the meeting and some one to ones, you then have to take these people out on 90mph electrified line and do level 2 faults.
What do you say to someone who isn't wearing a hardhat, "Put your hard hat on or you'll get a form 1" ?
Young people with young families suddenly have to find a job immediatly after Christmas, or before Christmas if they take voluntary.
Then the best bit. Two of the guys facing redundancy are booked on 5 day courses next week.

Sorry to read about this. The Rail business is by no means exempt of this recession. I assume that you are a Network Rail P-Way guy?
Your comments remind me of that movie I watched called "Navigators" hope I have the correct name??? Anyway, the movie was about a team of South Yorkshire BR P-Way guys being transferred to a ficticious private company and the sad events that followed.
Anyway, all I can say is I hope you guys find future success.

 

[theblackwatch]

Redundancy isn't just confined to the rail industry - it's occurring in virtually all areas of employment. A friend of mine has learnt today that his employer is to cease manufacturing at the site where he works, and he will, most likely, be out of work shortly. I was made redundant once, I'm afraid it's something more people are having to deal with.

 

[paul1609]

Presumably though your guys will be snapped up by contractors if they are any good. Its just that they will be expected to work for a living instead of sitting around in messrooms and vans all day drinking tea at the taxpayers expense?

 

[TrainBrain185]

Presumably though your guys will be snapped up by contractors if they are any good. Its just that they will be expected to work for a living instead of sitting around in messrooms and vans all day drinking tea at the taxpayers expense?

Just like the good old days of RailTrack control when the railway infrastructure was "safe". Whilst donkeys were leading their teams of lions whilst sitting around in their offices all day how to get things done on the cheap and cutting corners......at the tax payers expense.

 

[royaloak]

Blockjoint and his boys keep the track safe, now the last time I checked there were still the same number of trains running so how can Notwork Real make all these people redundant (ie no longer needed) when maintenance still needs to be carried out. NR are saving money by defering renewals so surely the track needs MORE maintenance not less.
I can see problems ahead, like we dont have enough TSRs now.
Good luck in the future mate.

 

[theblackwatch]

Presumably though your guys will be snapped up by contractors if they are any good. Its just that they will be expected to work for a living instead of sitting around in messrooms and vans all day drinking tea at the taxpayers expense?

Next it will be Thermos having to make staff redundant as sales of flasks plummet!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Blockjoint and his boys keep the track safe, now the last time I checked there were still the same number of trains running so how can Notwork Real make all these people redundant (ie no longer needed) when maintenance still needs to be carried out. NR are saving money by defering renewals so surely the track needs MORE maintenance not less.
I can see problems ahead, like we dont have enough TSRs now.
Good luck in the future mate.

There's definately less freight running on the network - and this can be backed up by at least two FOCs making a number of drivers redundant.

 

[royaloak]

Okay there is a LITTLE less freight, but in the scheme of things it doesnt make THAT much different, as Blockjoint et al are on a mainly passenger line and we are running the same number of trains.

 

[Old Timer]

....There's definately less freight running on the network - and this can be backed up by at least two FOCs making a number of drivers redundant.

This doesn't stop track deterioration, it simply slightly slows down what is already happening.

Once track starts to fail, the consequences of letting it deteriorate mean that beyond a certain limit, this deterioration becomes exponential.

We are at that stage already in some areas, and Renewals deferrment, whilst making the books look good and allowing people to say that Maintenance is actually cheaper now, simply means that far greater lengths of track will deteriorate faster.

This may not immediately manifest itself, but like ignoring repairs to your house or your car, means that in the longer term the solution becomes much more expensive.

By that stage the authors of these policies are expected to have moved on from NR taking their large bonus payments with them.