when you say “true it’s not a 40% pay rise”, does that mean you knew what you originally said was incorrect when you wrote it?
Maybe you should read what I actually said:
and some management level engineers get an improvement package that is worth between 12% and nearly 40%.
Of course if any network rail engineer isn't happy about the work shifting from days to more nights/weekends they always have the option to hand their notice in and go to work elsewhere for more stable hours.
Some already have resigned over rosters. I don’t know the reasons for everyone leaving (obviously). But I do know that in some places, the number of vacancies is high enough that local management are finding it difficult and are asking for the “pause” in recruitment (agreed between the company and the unions earlier this year) to be relaxed.
Also, ask yourself why Network Rail are so convinced that they can give a no compulsory redundancy agreement for maintenance and infrastructure staff, and why they think this will work, with enough of the staff leaving via a voluntary severance scheme?
Im guessing the issue is that as NR has banned red zone working along with making sure line blockages can be managed safely its pushing a lot of work into nights and weekend possessions and thus the current team structure isn't optimised to that way of working. That said this isn't of the workforces making and whilst it theoretically makes it safer for them (i have a view that working in the dark brings other risks albeit less risky than being hit by a train) they shouldn't be penalised in this way. Yes tell the workforce we are moving to this way of working for reasons , y & z and we need to amend your t&c's and open up a dialogue with the union. Then from the savings you make by reducing the number of staff no longer required for lookout duties you recycle this back into the workforces pay. Whats happening here is a pay rise is being linked to agreeing this the two are separate issues.
The frustrating thing is, is that working at night, in either a T3 (engineering occupation) worksite or in a line block (safeguarded), is not always safer than working with lookout protection. A properly implemented lookout warning system is perfectly safe. And mistakes can be made that mean that a safeguarded/separated (lineblock) may not be as safe as it should be.
Let’s look at some examples.
I don’t consider a T3 worksite to be safe if while you are concentrating on your work, a ‘360’ on track machine (like a JCB) which is holding a 60 foot rail drives right up to you, while the rail it’s carrying swings nearly above your head. Yes, this has happened.
Or where either the T3 protection boards or the worksite marker boards are placed in the wrong place. Again, this has happened. {Outside a worksite, the line is to be considered as open to train movements (engineering trains, on track machine etc.) unless there are no movements in the whole T3}.
Especially in junction areas, mistakes with line blocks can be potentially deadly.
One time there was a mistake with the points number that staff were working on. So the protection was arranged for one set of points, but the staff were working on another set of points… this may even have been a typo, as the difference between the two point numbers was a single digit.
Another time, the team leader did not understand that the safe system of work pack with the line block form did not protect the whole junction. Even though the planned work required this. As far as the signaller was concerned, one line was still available and open to traffic. So they ran a train on this line. It was just luck that the staff on the ground that had been working across all the lines happened to be clear of this line when the train travelled through the junction area.
Once, when a line block was overrunning, at the change-over between signallers, the signaller that had just come on duty got confused. Removed the reminder appliances and signalled a train into the line block. Luckily the signaller on the adjacent workstation realised and the protecting signal was put back to red before the train went through.
The unions are disappointed that Network Rail are not using available technology to make lookout protection safer. There are various systems that automatically generate a warning. And which could be used (some of these are existing technologies or systems that are available right now), rather than this catch all no ‘red zone’ working.
We can’t even cross a railway line now. Even if it’s a 15MPH line with good sighting distance.
Working at night where your body clock is messed up, appears to cause health problems in later life.
Working at night increases the risk of falling over an object (or hole) that you did not see.
Working at night means you have to take site lighting as well as all the tools and equipment to site. Most teams don’t have any form of transportation to use in a line block on the railway line. So it’s a case of carrying it all while walking (it could be two miles or more).
And now they want less staff which will make it even harder…
www.bbc.co.uk
