Southern and FCC

[GingerbreadMan]

Hi Everyone,

I was just after some information really. What is Southern or FCC like to work for (esp out of Brighton)?

I currently work for an employer who treats their staff really really bad so am a bit cautious with regard to where my next move may be!

TIA

GingerbreadMan

 

[Fincra5]

Hi Everyone,

I was just after some information really. What is Southern or FCC like to work for (esp out of Brighton)?

I currently work for an employer who treats their staff really really bad so am a bit cautious with regard to where my next move may be!

TIA

GingerbreadMan

Well when I was at Brighton Depot (for SN) It was really good. Great bunch of people to work with

 

[raildude]

Anyone got any thoughts on First Capital Connect as an employer? Passengers don't have a particularly positive view...

 

[francisoldfield]

for the most part passengers will never be happy as for Southern I like working for them. I'm not at Brighton but do go through a fair bit. As long as you don't sit on the senior drivers table (which me and my trainee colleagues did without knowing!) you'll be fine!!

I can't speak for FCC but to be honest some of their drivers pass on our trains and they seem happy enough..

 

[Dave A]

I currently work for an employer who treats their staff really really bad so am a bit cautious with regard to where my next move may be!

You must work for Heathrow Express...

 

[GingerbreadMan]

Haha not quite!

It is another TOC though!

 

[HH]

FCC TL drivers work a circadian rostering system. This particular bit of nonsense goes back to a failed BR experiment that was never removed. It's now so ingrained at Bedford it will probably never go away. Perhaps it will suit you.

Anyway what it means is that the roster follows a three week pattern, in week 1 you have Mon/Tue as Rest Days, week 2 Wed/Thur, and week 3 Fri/Sat. In week 2 you shift from lates to earlies.

Standard rosters are much more varied and tend to have more rest days on a Saturday.

Note also that there is no compunction to work Sundays on FCC. OTOH if you're after money there is plenty of RDW, so it suits all types.

 

[driver9000]

Anyway what it means is that the roster follows a three week pattern, in week 1 you have Mon/Tue as Rest Days, week 2 Wed/Thur, and week 3 Fri/Sat. In week 2 you shift from lates to earlies.

Although neither First or Southern, we work to that cycle too. A long weekend every 3 weeks and the ability to plan ahead knowing it won't change. Love it

Sorry to butt in...

 

[HH]

Although neither First or Southern, we work to that cycle too. A long weekend every 3 weeks and the ability to plan ahead knowing it won't change. Love it

What about the Virgin system where you get 1 week off in every 5 (do XC still have that too?)?

In all rosters you know exactly when you have long weekends, so I guess it's the regularity that you like. The problem with these rosters comes in week 2, where you change from lates to earlies with just 2 (optimistic as you may well have come off an 11pm shift at FCC) RDs in between. It's not good from a fatigue point of view.

 

[driver9000]

What about the Virgin system where you get 1 week off in every 5 (do XC still have that too?)?

In all rosters you know exactly when you have long weekends, so I guess it's the regularity that you like. The problem with these rosters comes in week 2, where you change from lates to earlies with just 2 (optimistic as you may well have come off an 11pm shift at FCC) RDs in between. It's not good from a fatigue point of view.

I have no idea on XC rostering.

Of course in all links the rest days are known, the point I was making is that mine will never change enabling me to plan quite far ahead. We don't change late to early mid week, always at the end so if I finish late on Tuesday I'm back in late on Friday. The downside is this means late Saturday to early Monday. On the whole it works well for us and the majority like the fixed pattern. I know there are TOCs that roster single rest days and can even change the rest day pattern. That wouldn't suit me personally.

 

[HH]

Well if you change lates to earlies at the end of the week then the problem at FCC disappears.