Passenger Railways Services Bill HL 2nd Reading

[Tazi Hupefi]

That's a bloody good argument for doing them first and making sure the people who are getting it right get to steer the incorporation of other poorly performing operators when they get absorbed.

Worst thing you could do is add a lot of dross to the mix first, they'd just drag a good operator down to their level and beat them with experience.

Your point would be valid if the senior management and executive function would be transferring, but they're almost certainly not going to be. At best, you'll get the front line staff and junior/middle managers and supervisors TUPEd over to the new entity.

Like other owing groups, Transport UK also has most of their key executives, consultants, strategists and experts working directly at Group level, rather than for the TOCs they operate (although some are seconded/placed). All of this will be lost unless they are tapped on the shoulder by OLR/DfT/GBR.

First Group also has this sort of structure with First Rail Holdings and Arriva with Arriva UK Trains.

 

[Skie]

Your point would be valid if the senior management and executive function would be transferring, but they're almost certainly not going to be. At best, you'll get the front line staff and junior/middle managers and supervisors TUPEd over to the new entity.

Like other owing groups, Transport UK also has most of their key executives, consultants, strategists and experts working directly at Group level, rather than for the TOCs they operate (although some are seconded/placed). All of this will be lost unless they are tapped on the shoulder by OLR/DfT/GBR.

First Group also has this sort of structure with First Rail Holdings and Arriva with Arriva UK Trains.

They wont be TUPEd no, but a new organisation will still need new staff at those levels too even if some roles are filled before any of the more formal transfers happen. You'd hope there would be some transfer of knowledge, if not outright 'poaching' happening to ensure GBR builds up it's senior leadership teams. They'd be best doing it now (ie, don't do what Transport UK are trying to get them to do) otherwise a brain drain will happen as people see the writing on the wall when the marketplace for their skillsets in the UK shrinks as GBR becomes the only game in town.

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

They wont be TUPEd no, but a new organisation will still need new staff at those levels too even if some roles are filled before any of the more formal transfers happen. You'd hope there would be some transfer of knowledge, if not outright 'poaching' happening to ensure GBR builds up it's senior leadership teams. They'd be best doing it now (ie, don't do what Transport UK are trying to get them to do) otherwise a brain drain will happen as people see the writing on the wall when the marketplace for their skillsets in the UK shrinks as GBR becomes the only game in town.

It's already happening, experienced, senior railway managers are applying some of their skills and experience to the world of bus franchising instead of rail- which is where most of the owing groups are increasingly pivoting towards.

Arriva and First are also doing some interesting stuff around high end software and IT systems development with quirky startup style business units, presumably to unseat some of the more established suppliers like Worldline. I hear that quite a few former TOC/Group SMEs have been placed there. You'd imagine they're hoping to supply GBR with whatever they're building.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Your point would be valid if the senior management and executive function would be transferring, but they're almost certainly not going to be. At best, you'll get the front line staff and junior/middle managers and supervisors TUPEd over to the new entity.

Like other owing groups, Transport UK also has most of their key executives, consultants, strategists and experts working directly at Group level, rather than for the TOCs they operate (although some are seconded/placed). All of this will be lost unless they are tapped on the shoulder by OLR/DfT/GBR.

First Group also has this sort of structure with First Rail Holdings and Arriva with Arriva UK Trains.

James Burles has already bailed to NR Eastern Region although lets hope he can work his magic over there instead

 

[Clarence Yard]

Sorry, most of the senior managers and execs at the TOCs I am familiar with are TOC employees, not HQ staff. When their TOC goes to DOHL, they will transfer under TUPE.

Any HQ staff that “consult” to the TOCs are going to have an uncertain future. As GBR sets up, they will bail, if they want to still have a job in the industry.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Sorry, most of the senior managers and execs at the TOCs I am familiar with are TOC employees, not HQ staff. When their TOC goes to DOHL, they will transfer under TUPE.

Any HQ staff that “consult” to the TOCs are going to have an uncertain future. As GBR sets up, they will bail, if they want to still have a job in the industry.

The named directors at companies house are the ones who may not, or want, to be TUPEd though but of course if OLR want any of those mangers im sure they will suitably offered a remuneration package.

 

[HerneHill]

James Burles should be the outsider to run GBR.

His current move to become Deputy MD of NR Eastern Region is exactly to set him up for one of the top 10 jobs in overall GBR when it comes around!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Oct 2024 ==

Like other owing groups, Transport UK also has most of their key executives, consultants, strategists and experts working directly at Group level, rather than for the TOCs they operate (although some are seconded/placed).

This may be more true for the likes of FirstGroup with their significantly-sized rail consulting arm and Mistral subsidiary which provide a lot of the operational and analytics software, but could not be further from the truth for TUK! You’ll get laughed out of the room if you suggest to any TOC exec there that TUK group has any value-add to TOC decision making or operations at all