Avanti west coast trains

[Kazzydeyna]

‘Free money!’ Avanti West Coast bosses caught joking about UK government handouts

Firm regrets comments made in internal presentation slides, including managers calling performance payments ‘too good to be true’

www.theguardian.com

I love my job. When i started I was trained by a BR man who showed me the importance of public service.

The business model is fucked up to guarantee huge profits to the "stakeholders" with bare minimum invested in rolling stock, train maintenance, staffing and station improvements.

Train refurbishment has been put on hold in my company. "We're not paying for it and the DFT won't either."

The director who was responsible for that free money presentation has moved to another company on a bigger wage.

With the huge cuts in Network Rail staffing there's been a increase in land slips and track defects.

I'm worried it's going to have to take another huge rail disaster on one of the London bound routes to finally expose the bullshit and legislation put in to stop it happening again. Rather than concentrate on those issues it's easier to vilify front line staff who are the ones that actually give a fuck about the industry and the piss poor service the public get. We're the ones in the uniform so we get the shit whilst the people making the decision sit in their offices miles away from the nearest station they are responsible for.

The whole lot should be under direct operations control. Not the DFT bringing first group and others on management contracts giving them billions of our tax money to dance to their tune.

Well, I at least, thank you for your service mate.
The way public servants have been vilified in this country in recent years is disgusting.
If train drivers earn £67k and can obtain payment of £600 for working their precious days off then I say ‘Bravo, well deserved and well earned’. This is an argument for having strong trade union representations in all industries.
I haven’t followed this thread as I gave up politics threads a while ago as I got sick of reading right wing filth from people just scraping by who have allowed themselves to be driven into the ground but still insist on doffing their caps at the very people who have eroded their standard of living.

And before anybody working in an office on a 9-5, Monday to Friday contract complains that “I only earn £25k, bloody unions” the solution is simple.

Give up your Netflix subscription, stop buying coffee and work harder. That’s how it works isn’t it?

 

[Slipper One]

I noticed the article I read had been updated.

Someone from the BBC obviously skim read the original article in The Times, and saw the £125 figure and stopped reading.

If they’d read it properly they would have seen that the £125 is a set additional fee for working a day off. But then they get paid for the actual time worked on top. Bringing it up to over £400.

Is that 'actual time' a basic rate, plus the additional fee, or an overtime rate, say time and a half, plus the additional fee?

 

[Stephen230]

Is that 'actual time' a basic rate, plus the additional fee, or an overtime rate, say time and a half, plus the additional fee?

I’m not sure mate. I’m not in that industry myself.

But going off the article, it says they were previously getting £495 for a 10 hour shift on a day off.

They’re on decent money but I highly doubt they’re on £49.50/ hour, so I’m guessing it’s at an enhanced rate from a normal contracted working day.

Although it didn’t make it clear whether that original £495 included a set fee either, so I really don’t know is the answer I should probably have stuck with.

 

[TinFoilHat]

This morning some safety glass dropped from the roof at Manchester Piccadilly station. A dispatcher suffered minor injuries and it damaged a train pantograph.

Lucky escape.

 

[Slipper One]

I’m not sure mate. I’m not in that industry myself.

But going off the article, it says they were previously getting £495 for a 10 hour shift on a day off.

They’re on decent money but I highly doubt they’re on £49.50/ hour, so I’m guessing it’s at an enhanced rate from a normal contracted working day.

Although it didn’t make it clear whether that original £495 included a set fee either, so I really don’t know is the answer I should probably have stuck with.

If an average annual salary of £60,500 is used and to keep it simple, use a 39 hour week, then that's basically £29+/hr before any extras or overtime.

That seems like a decent financial reward for the work and conditions involved.

As a basic comparison of salaries for other occupations;
A nurse practitioner averages £41,457, a crane operator £39,000, police officer £33,091, teacher £40,660, ferry captain £52,832.

So why am I being penalized by strikes when it appears that drivers are being generously paid already?

 

[Zubrman]

So why am I being penalized by strikes when it appears that drivers are being generously paid already?

Because the government is refusing to allow drivers a pay increase which, for me at least, means an effective pay cut over the last five years.

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

If an average annual salary of £60,500 is used and to keep it simple, use a 39 hour week, then that's basically £29+/hr before any extras or overtime.

That seems like a decent financial reward for the work and conditions involved.

As a basic comparison of salaries for other occupations;
A nurse practitioner averages £41,457, a crane operator £39,000, police officer £33,091, teacher £40,660, ferry captain £52,832.

So why am I being penalized by strikes when it appears that drivers are being generously paid already?

Is it only the Train drivers Union (ASLEF) striking?

Or are other workers on the railway (represented by the RMT) paid poorly in comparison?

Do you realise it's also not the first time this question was asked? And that it has been explained umpteen times.

 

[Zubrman]

Is it only the Train drivers Union (ASLEF) striking?

Or are other workers on the railway (represented by the RMT) paid poorly in comparison?

Do you realise it's also not the first time this question was asked? And that it has been explained umpteen times.

Aslef (drivers) only. Although expect every other grade in the railway to start striking again soon as the govt has revealed its new plans to fuck them over.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Aslef (drivers) only. Although expect every other grade in the railway to start striking again soon as the govt has revealed its new plans to fuck them over.

I suspect that ballot will be soon.

The "offer" where I am is extra hours and "more flexibility", acceptance of all "new technology", (D.O.O trains will come under this) along with losing 4 leave days.

Well worth accepting 4% for...

 

[pride in battle]

If an average annual salary of £60,500 is used and to keep it simple, use a 39 hour week, then that's basically £29+/hr before any extras or overtime.

That seems like a decent financial reward for the work and conditions involved.

As a basic comparison of salaries for other occupations;
A nurse practitioner averages £41,457, a crane operator £39,000, police officer £33,091, teacher £40,660, ferry captain £52,832.

So why am I being penalized by strikes when it appears that drivers are being generously paid already?

Fucking great money for basically sat on their arse !! And they still strike !!! Fuck em !!!