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LU Night Tube Train Operator - Part Time
- Thread starter Jambo86
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Sterling asked for proof of employment because my referees were taking their time. They were a little annoying about my background checks, long story but they were a little ambiguous with their response. Overall, I found Sterling fairly alright to deal with via email but awful on the telephone.
TfL on the other hand have been excellent whenever I have had to contact them. The background checks took just over a week to complete, but I only knew they were completed because I contacted Sterling & TfL, there's no confirmation email.
I have been advised that it's just a waiting game for start dates now and that they will book me onto a medical when one comes around.
Good luck everyone, I can't wait to get going
Quick question for the guys already working at TFL - I am due to start in Oct but I am also through to driver manger interview with another TOC which is a full time position (unsure on start dates for this but rumoured to be Jan/Feb 2018) - is there anything in my contract to say I have to stay with TFL a specific amount of time after training due to cost of putting you through it all? If anyone can help that would be great. Cheers
Nope, leave whenever you want
PudseyBearHST
Member
Its getting towards mid August (in a week or two), hopefully all those in the pool of the unknown (including myself) may get told whether we will progress to the assessment centre or if it is the end of the line for us 
Last time I got an email was 14th June so it has been an incredibly long wait
Last time I got an email was 14th June so it has been an incredibly long wait
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Tron81
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The key word is crisis lol.. and so many of us are in the pool of the unknown. I hope we do hear back ASAP. The wait is hard and all from a simple questionnaire. Also the same goes for those who applied for ARRIVA RAIL/LORL. many unknowns in the same situation there too
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PudseyBearHST
Member
Hopefully next week. It's such a long wait...
Jetlagged
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In any industrial situation, there is always a discrepancy between versions given by the two sides. Can any of you actually doing the job, preferably on the Picc, give us an accurate picture of what is happening please?
Being in the great pool of the not knowing, I am ready to cling onto any straw going!
Are you listening LUL? We're here, fit and ready to do the job. Just give us a chance.
They recently made a load of Piccadilly Night Tube drivers full time (due to vacancies being available on the Picc) without bringing in enough newbies to replace them. There's some coming in but with training taking upto 16 weeks it's gonna be a while before there's a reliable service.
Nothing to do with sickness (or not enough to cause this amount of disruption), why would managers admit their own mistake?
Nothing to do with sickness (or not enough to cause this amount of disruption), why would managers admit their own mistake?
RJ
Established Member
Combination of the fulfilment of full time roles and sickness.
PudseyBearHST
Member
RJ
Established Member
It's probably the case that daytime cancellations have a higher cost than night time so the priority is to fill those vacancies.
Training takes a few weeks, plus notice periods for those in the pool so guessing the disruption will be ongoing until at least October
Jetlagged
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Thanks Lrd and RJ. I agree the day service is more important, but find it strange that, with so many applicants, they did not start training replacements up earlier. It also begs the question why so many full time positions on one line suddenly became available. What is wrong with the Picc? We should be told!
In any industrial situation, there is always a discrepancy between versions given by the two sides. Can any of you actually doing the job, preferably on the Picc, give us an accurate picture of what is happening please?
Being in the great pool of the not knowing, I am ready to cling onto any straw going!
Are you listening LUL? We're here, fit and ready to do the job. Just give us a chance.
So the story starts with management carrying out a review, or analysis if you want, of passenger numbers and train loads on Picc NT. It was deemed that the current level of service was not necessary and a decision was taken to reduce the number of TPH. Therefore less drivers were required on NT.
They then decided to release 20 Picc NT drivers to full-time roles at Cockfosters and Acton Town depots. This move allowed existing FT Picc drivers to move to their nominated depots (movements are a complicated issue which I won't go into here).
All well and good on paper as, in theory, we've now got the "right" number of drivers we want for our revised NT service, but here's where the company has tripped themselves up a bit. They've obviously not properly factored in for people being off sick, being taken off for corrective training if they've had a SPAD and also things like annual leave blocks and so on and so on. There's many, many, reasons why a driver might not be driving during *normal* NT operation, but here they've cut 20 drivers out themselves, with a view for a reduced service, and then had the issues mentioned above on top of that! We're now suddenly down to around 20 drivers reporting for NT duty across the 2 NT depots, Arnos Grove and Acton Town, when the original quota was around 55 odd.
This has resulted in horrendous gaps in the service, numerous health and safety issues and train cancellations galore, all the stuff that's been widely reported. The unions are on top of it as we speak.
So essentially all that's happened is that the NT has been made worse and that the day service has seen no improvement whatsoever because those NT drivers that came across just plugged gaps created by drivers moving on. A vicious circle of sorts.
So what next, you might wonder? Well there's a group of Picc trainees that are on around week 11/12 and once they come in the Picc NT will be on suitable numbers for the service level that the company has set going forward and a few more current NT drivers will then go full-time. Only then, finally, we can say that the day service has been helped and that the Picc NT is running as it is now intended to be for the near term future.
Hope that all makes sense, there's quite a lot to it and it's easier explained in person to be honest!
PudseyBearHST
Member
Thanks for that detail information but do you think they have already found enough trainees for the NT Piccadilly Line or do they still require more?
I wouldn't exactly know to be honest. I did hear last week though of someone being called and being given a training date for the NT driver role. No idea which line they're being sent to so can't answer your question directly, but just shows that there is still a requirement for NT drivers across the combine.
Jetlagged
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Thanks Jambo86 for taking the time to give us such a detailed and informative response. One small point, in your impression, is the level of sickness in anyway associated with the other problems that you mentioned, i.e. work related, or is this a coincidence?
As a matter of interest, are you able to tell us briefly, what are the rules for reporting sick? In my last job, for up to three days, we were able to self-certificate. When you are only working two days a week on NT, that wouldn't really work.
As a matter of interest, are you able to tell us briefly, what are the rules for reporting sick? In my last job, for up to three days, we were able to self-certificate. When you are only working two days a week on NT, that wouldn't really work.
I've just been given an update that all training courses are full until the end of the year, so for those (like me) still waiting for medical / start date, there is still a long wait ahead.
I did also ask for clarification on whether it was "when" not "if" a training date would be offered - unfortunately I didn't get a definitive answer
I did also ask for clarification on whether it was "when" not "if" a training date would be offered - unfortunately I didn't get a definitive answer
I know some people have been off with stress due to one-unders or near misses with people on the track, but apart from that I can't think of any other work-related reasons why they'd be off, so the answer to your question would be no. Strangely enough though, sickness goes up as soon as probation periods are successfully completed, I'll say no more on that :roll:
The working week on LU runs from Sun-Sat so therefore if you called in sick for a weekend of NT that'd be 7 days self-certified and you'd then need a doctors note if you weren't coming in the following weekend either. 2 seperate occasions of sickness in X amount of time can activate triggers which will lead to a formal discussion with a manager on a local level. I don't have the full information to hand, maybe someone else can fill in the blanks?
Thanks for this, after chasing Sterling TS they've now confirmed background checks have been completed muleteer.Sterling asked for proof of employment because my referees were taking their time. They were a little annoying about my background checks, long story but they were a little ambiguous with their response. Overall, I found Sterling fairly alright to deal with via email but awful on the telephone.
TfL on the other hand have been excellent whenever I have had to contact them. The background checks took just over a week to complete, but I only knew they were completed because I contacted Sterling & TfL, there's no confirmation email.
I have been advised that it's just a waiting game for start dates now and that they will book me onto a medical when one comes around.
Good luck everyone, I can't wait to get going
I can't see them not giving us courses unless funding for NT is withdrawn which seems highly unlikely. It suits my personal circumstances to wait until next year but hope you get a course ASAP.I've just been given an update that all training courses are full until the end of the year, so for those (like me) still waiting for medical / start date, there is still a long wait ahead.
I did also ask for clarification on whether it was "when" not "if" a training date would be offered - unfortunately I didn't get a definitive answer
What's the contact number or email to find out if the background checks have been completed? I sent off all my relovent information about 2 weeks ago now and have had no reply back since.
I've just been given an update that all training courses are full until the end of the year, so for those (like me) still waiting for medical / start date, there is still a long wait ahead.
I did also ask for clarification on whether it was "when" not "if" a training date would be offered - unfortunately I didn't get a definitive answer
Did you contact TfL directly and find out about the courses? How long have you been waiting since all your background checks where completed ??
Jetlagged
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Strangely enough though, sickness goes up as soon as probation periods are successfully completed, I'll say no more on that :roll:
Thanks Jambo. Makes me sick to think that there are some of us that actually want to do the work, but cannot thanks to the slots being taken by those that don't.
We the great pool of, "Why are we waiting?"
Tron81
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Yes it's very frustrating...
I may have painted staff in a bad light there and that wasn't the intention. I think it's genuine sickness but in the sense that you're more likely to power through whilst on probation, whereas having passed probation you're more likely to take the sick leave. Anyway, it's neither here or there, the problems caused on the line were certainly not down to just a few people being off ill.
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