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Driver Assessment Southeastern Railway
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The number I heard (unofficially) was in the high 30s but that takes into account those already on waiting lists for other depots. As well as asking for volunteers to move they are also looking at bringing in work from other depots and have mentioned giving some of the Tunbridge Wells work back, which always was Orpy work before. Although that would just be robbing Peter...
With regard to transfers, I'm not sure how it will work as places like Tonbridge have long waiting lists anyway and they can't just jump the queue. I'm sure they would take people at other unpopular metro depots far more easily.
As for the union, the DCC and LDR are about as much use as a chocolate teapot so nobody is relying on them for anything. If they were any use they'd have got a deal ages ago as this has been on the cards for years. Their silence is deafening.
SE instructors effectively trained GTR drivers to take their jobs and DMs must be worried too as they won't need 5 of them in that office.
Uncertain times ahead.
I done my vse test at home on my laptop still waiting to hear back from it, done it nearly a week ago. Suppose no news is good news.
Buy a small radio controlled drone to fly around great for two hand coordination!
I've heard through other drivers that Tonbridge depot establishment is increasing by eight in December, guess they will be bringing in work from Slade Green losing their Medway Valley & Sevenoaks. So that might help with their queue a little bit.
Our DCC has said no surplus orpington drivers applying for Coastal depots will be allowed to jump the queue, so I guess they will be sent off to other metro depots first and wait. Another one I heard was that any orpy driver at the back of a queue would be sent straight away with any other drivers waiting also, but if there is no room at the depot I don't know how that would work..
Despite the surplus drivers, each metro depot still has trainees coming through.
Everything is still under discussion. All moves will be under the existing procedures.
There is no difference between coastal and metro. With PT&R all depots are equal.
Not all of them do. However, you have to allow for staff turnover irrespective of what is happening at a single depot. SE will ALWAYS recruit Trainees. Even the Coastal/Mainline depots have Trainees coming through.
I agree with this in terms of pay and conditions, however... I think the point is that metro depots are not desirable whereas coastal depots are. Both work content and house prices make that a no-brainer for many people. You don't see ANY drivers at Tonbridge or Faversham trying to get to Orpington or Dartford but vice versa it's an insane scramble. The difference in quality of work is so pronounced that even blokes who live in Orpington would rather commute to Tonbridge than work at their local depot.
Regarding all depots being equal... thats the big worry with conductors. ASLEF have already sold guards out on SE. DCO is already accepted practice and has been for years. Because all depots are "equal" they'll just extend full DOO across the entire network when they get new rolling stock and that will be that.
DCC have been deafening in their silence about new GTR routes increasing DOO operation and they've been deafening in their silence about what's happening to Orpington depot with the loss of the Thameslink work. Just like they have been deaf to the concerns of Orpington drivers for years.
The minutes from the local agenda meetings record that management dictate the terms and the depot reps don't even bother to argue anything, let alone fail to agree or refer anything up. Meanwhile everyone just keeps working rest days.
Move along. Nothing to see here.
I was specific to the PT&R situation. Metro/Mainline the transfer rules are the same. There is no situation where Orpington surplus will be allowed to go to Metro because they can't go to mainline. I know a few that have applied to coastal depots. Meetings are being held next week to discuss further. Everything else I agree with.
DOO on Southeastern has already been sold. It is already part of SE terms and conditions to be 100% DOO. IF, and a big IF, the new stock will be an entire fleet replacement then there is an opportunity to go full DOO. As they will most likely be just to replace the Networker fleet then the status quo will continue.
They haven't been 'deaf' They have been complicit.
Which is the catch tbh. Drivers, especially at Orpington, have the power to hold the company to ransom. Rest day working is rife and is used to cover pretty much everything. All it would take is for people to now work them and the depots would collapse. If someone wants to work then it will always be their choice and people have many reasons to work them. The entire railway seems to run on overtime so its not specific to Orpington or Southeastern.
ASLEF sanction the rest days and keep making rest day agreements. In the same breath they say the railway shouldn't be reliant on rest days and they should recruit and train more.
Orpington depot literally just got screwed over and DCC and Senior SE Managers are the ones pulling the strings.
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Indeed, a few grove park drivers live in the Bexleyheath/Crayford area and drive up the A2 or use the Sidcup line, even though they've got Slade Green & Dartford less than 15 minutes away.
I've never heard of a coastal driver going to a metro depot. Maybe in BR days but not anytime recently.
I can't argue with that. Its disgraceful.
Agree 100%. The union pretty much permanently 'sanctioning' rest days is in direct conflict with the idea of enough drivers being recruited to cover all the work. All the while rest days are sanctioned the company doesn't need to recruit more drivers! It's a vicious circle and basically a running joke. Joseph Heller would have been proud of the idea.
Yep. I can't think of a single example.
Slade Green losing their Medway Valley work is another piece of the jigsaw in place for splitting the metro depots and work completely off from the mainline. Once Grove Park and Charing Cross's mainline work goes down to Tonbridge and Tonbridge's metro work goes the other way, with a bit of re-jigging around Ashford, Gill and Fav they'll be good to go. Vic is already primed to split the top link off.
You could have set your watch by the recent announcement that the franchise competition has been cancelled.
I know Hastings > Orpington (special circumstance) and Ashford > Orpington
As to Vic. That is the one depot I am watching very closely. There is a lot happening at Vic that might be a little bit of a game changer tbh.
JammyJames08
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Guess meetings will have to take place at some point, ie who is going where. Latest i've been hearing is the number of drivers to be re-accomodated is now in the 50s
thats pretty much an entire link. There is zero vacancies at Grove Park & Slade Green as well.....Latest i've been hearing is the number of drivers to be re-accomodated is now in the 50s
40 is the official number. The new establishment level hasn't been decided yet but there will be a knock on effect across some SE depots. Work will get reshuffled and Orpy might get some mainline work back. Other than Vic. SE Metro is pretty full; especially when you have 40 Drivers over at one depot. I have been reliably informed that they will leave the depot over establishment irrespective of what work they do, or don't get come December.
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