Likely to get worse for Northern in the coming period.....as ASLEF have informed them that members will not be working rest days for all of June and July. This also includes Sunday's
If a company got its act together wouldn't be expecting anyone to work on booked days off, so wouldn't make any difference.
But the reality is that there is , and always has been , some sort of requirements for drivers to work overtime voluntarily. That has always been the case and will continue to be so. The reason it is 2 months is that it coincides with a new rest day agreement which was due to start on 2nd June and end on 27th July.
Presumably Northern's previous overtime agreement has now expired, hence now seeing 100+ cancellations per day (every day, not just Sundays). So this would just be a continuation of the present situation?
Is this really likely to make any difference? The biggest factor in Sunday unreliability is guards' availability. Perhaps felt more on Eastern side rather than Western.
I am aware of voluntary overtime, but it is different to rest day working (even if some people seem to use terms interchangeably)
In which case Northern should simply slash timetabled services by around 20% so as there is no reliance on overtime ( or rest day working). That way everyone knows where they stand......drivers simply work a 35 hour week and that's it. Doing that would mean PCoding wouldn't be required
You are missing the point, they have accepted the timetable first, so staffing levels should be based on that, on a timetable less 20%
But the reality is that staffing levels are what they are.....and as I pointed out , the P coding situation is going to get worse from June because of a complete ban on any driver working more than 35 hours a week. That is the reality. Most drivers I know are quite happy working rest days as it's quite lucrative, but as it stands now, the fact that industrial relations within Northern are poor is hampering the day to day timetable provision. If they didn't exist, then everyone would be happy and this P code situation wouldnt actually exist
WMT will include LNR and WMR, so it must be an external reason.
Basically failing to run 1 in 11 services......and this is an operation under direct state control.....or nationalised. Obviously early days of a new government, but I wouldn't hold my breath on any improvements anytime soon. Ballot results due soon for industrial action
A little problematic to say a state corporation should face "consequences" of course. What consequences are available? Save for shutting the company down or closing lines, I can't see any.
If they are all OLR they will have no levers to pull
Oh and unlike Cross Country and Avanti who get publicly castigated by the politicians they are silent on Northerns woeful performance.
I haven't noticed XC receive any publicity. Avanti of course take MPs to London, which makes them more important than operators which do not serve the capital.
Louise Haigh has released a letter to XC tonight calling them out over the service.
Good to see that the future operator of our train services is doing such a grand job not. Of course no MP will ever raise this but just moan about Avanti at every opportunity.
Your presumption is indeed correct. Not likely to be re instated anytime soon.
