Announced today, Networkrail Recruitment Ban

jopsuk said:

private companies go through recruitment bans periodically very often. Usually a misguided attempt to save money; usually ended only when the problems reach high level. Standard idiotic business practice.

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As pointed out above - recruitment bans are often soon followed by organisational restructuring.

It turns out the ban is only on 'central functions' and network operations is apparently unaffected, it's also only for jobs that will increase headcount. Everything else has to go through a board to see how necessary it is.

BRblue said:

I presume your being sarcastic... if not, I give up!

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From past experience, I doubt it!

carriageline said:

It turns out the ban is only on 'central functions' and network operations is apparently unaffected, it's also only for jobs that will increase headcount. Everything else has to go through a board to see how necessary it is.

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Yesterdays announcement was only about central functions. Net ops has been frozen since 5th Oct and was sneaked in under the radar...

Network Rail are in the midst of a massive funding crisis, particularly on CP5 framework packages. A lot of the CP5 schemes were priced in 2008 (badly!) and now the current estimates for the schemes are must higher. This has meant the CP5 budget doesn't cover the workbank originally agreed with the ORR, so a lot of schemes are being deferred to CP6. Essentially the RAMs have lists of schemes they need/want to deliver but they haven't got the cash to do so.

Example is LNW earthworks which I am directly involved with.

In terms of this 'ban' on recruitment, I can't say I'm at all surprised.

carriageline said:

It turns out the ban is only on 'central functions' and network operations is apparently unaffected, it's also only for jobs that will increase headcount. Everything else has to go through a board to see how necessary it is.

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Mixed messages for frontline staff.

Similar controls on recruitment are already in place in Network Operations.

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Network Operations and Infrastructure Projects Delivery are not included."

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Source: Network Rail internal document

Perhaps they've realised that, even with resignalling schemes and loss of jobs, recruiting new starters as signallers is the wrong idea when other signallers are displaced? Equally is it a prelude to privatisation again?

High Dyke said:

Perhaps they've realised that, even with resignalling schemes and loss of jobs, recruiting new starters as signallers is the wrong idea when other signallers are displaced? Equally is it a prelude to privatisation again?

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Part of the problem (and it's only a small part) is incoherent recruitment - with interview panels, inductions and training courses being run many more times each year than is strictly needed. HR have a habit of taking 1 person on every week instead of doing taking on 4 people once a month or 12 people once a quarter, and that has people doing interviews, inductions, training courses and H&S stuff far more often than is needed.

The recruitment operation in Network Rail needs to up their game too - it's not really acceptable to have people coming in for interviews every week, but it works when unemployment rates are high. It doesn't work when people can find jobs elsewhere and won't put up with being messed around from start to finish, they'll stop turning up to interviews, won't apply in future, feedback and recommendations on the various job search engines will put people off and we will be in a bigger mess than we are already when it comes to filling vacancies.

Would be interested in knowing what their pool of recruitment is like.

From what I see a lot of NR's recruits seem to be coming in from Eastern Europe and sadly with some of them their English leaves a lot to be desired.

That will be thanks to them having all the appropriate licenses...

(Note the lack of word training there.)

Nym said:

That will be thanks to them having all the appropriate licenses...

(Note the lack of word training there.)

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Please tell me NR have not stooped to employing un-assessed foreign nationals with nothing more than a paper qualification as a guarantee they know what they're doing....?!

BestWestern said:

Please tell me NR have not stooped to employing un-assessed foreign nationals with nothing more than a paper qualification as a guarantee they know what they're doing....?!

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Don't know about employing, but there are certain agencies that do what you have mentioned.

It's normally inside possessions, I've often had phone calls from people where I would (and have) questioned their licenses and qualifications.

It seems anyone can get a PTS these days.

BestWestern said:

Please tell me NR have not stooped to employing un-assessed foreign nationals with nothing more than a paper qualification as a guarantee they know what they're doing....?!

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NR have not stooped to employing un-assessed foreign nationals with nothing more than a paper qualification as a guarantee they know what they're doing.

There you go, you've been told. Doesn't mean it's true though.

A colleague of mine was doing a site brief and the only 2 words some of them could say was "I understand", when he pressed the point their reply was "I understand", they were then escorted off the site as it was deemed more dangerous to have them on site than it was to have the site undermanned.

Some agencies are recruiting less than ideal candidates.