https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68650114
Avanti to pay drivers an extra £600 a shift for overtime!
Avanti to pay drivers an extra £600 a shift for overtime!
I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68650114
Avanti to pay drivers an extra £600 a shift for overtime!
DafT are paying out far more than that on delay repay so not a big price to pay and thats why the've agreed to it. Of course this is the price for failing to train enough drivers over the last 20 years. Risk now is thats clearly the baseline for any operator that has a RDW agreement coming up for renewal.I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this.
Ah right, this makes a lot more sense now.DafT are paying out far more than that on delay repay so not a big price to pay and thats why the've agreed to it. Of course this is the price for failing to train enough drivers over the last 20 years. Risk now is thats clearly the baseline for any operator that has a RDW agreement coming up for renewal.
this board - discussion of livery and names for some hypothetical change!
the politics here is what should be under discussion. What power do a group of northern mayors and Councils have to change the policy of a differently coloured government?
Whilst it may make financial sense for Avanti, I do worry that employees of other TOCs will see this award and wonder why they aren't getting the same.
I'll assume this is a significant settlement otherwise BBC news wouldn't be covering it.
Drivers will get £600 for a shift, up from £125, in addition to their salary.
BBC reporting at it's best, there.It’s not £600 plus basic, as implied above.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68650114
Avanti to pay drivers an extra £600 a shift for overtime!
Whilst it may make financial sense for Avanti, I do worry that employees of other TOCs will see this award and wonder why they aren't getting the same.
In what sense? Other than being a TOC which has a contract with DfT.Avanti is a DfT TOC
As Avanti is a DfT TOC, I assume that the DfT / RDG must have had some say in signing this RDW agreement off?
If so, think its done a big disservice to all other DfT TOC employees that ASLEF have agreed a deal like this while there has been ZERO movement on the national dispute and negotiations for a pay deal for base salaries. RDW payments aren't pensionable, so not only is the current multi-year pay freeze having impact now, but well into retirement too.
If Avanti/RDG/DfT wanted a new RDW agreement, it should have tied to movement on the bigger issue.
edit: having just read post 222 about it being a similar deal to TPE, than beggars even more incredulity.
In what sense? Other than being a TOC which has a contract with DfT.
What are you on about...Rest assured it won’t be the taxpayer that pays for this, it’ll be every other grade within the rail industry that coughs up for this with reduced salary increases.
I could.I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this.
That would only be the case if they would otherwise have got a higher settlement than they actually will end up with. Rest assured that the government would have been tight-fisted with other grades regardless of what they did or didn't offer as a rest day payment.Rest assured it won’t be the taxpayer that pays for this, it’ll be every other grade within the rail industry that coughs up for this with reduced salary increases.
As I wrote, if the drivers get all the pay the there’s little left for others, this is due to privatisation, before this grades were relatively similar now due to bargaining power drivers pay has gone up an awful lot more than others, just a reality and one managers, drivers and unions don’t want open up about.What are you on about...
Quite simply you can run a railway without a cleaner for a day, or platform staff or barrier and ticket office staff.That would only be the case if they would otherwise have got a higher settlement than they actually will end up with. Rest assured that the government would have been tight-fisted with other grades regardless of what they did or didn't offer as a rest day payment.
*Tongue in cheek * Theyll probably get the franchise stripped on the 28th , government say we can't get out of any expensive deals struck(with our say so ) but we will take all the credit for increased perforamnceThe deal was struck on Thursday and will come into force on 29 March, remaining in place for 12 months, the BBC has been told.
You clearly haven't been keeping in tune with what has been happening of late . RMT members were offered a no strings pay increase for the same years ASLEF members are now out on the cobbles trying to get the same for .Quite simply you can run a railway without a cleaner for a day, or platform staff or barrier and ticket office staff.
Pay talks for some toc’s I would imagine get resolved within a morning for a driver whilst other grades within the same toc ask for the same increase and get refused and brushed aside.
When has any RMT member nationwide ever got £600 for a shift or pro rata that to their grade for overtime?*Tongue in cheek * Theyll probably get the franchise stripped on the 28th , government say we can't get out of any expensive deals struck(with our say so ) but we will take all the credit for increased perforamnce
You clearly haven't been keeping in tune with what has been happening of late . RMT members were offered a no strings pay increase for the same years ASLEF members are now out on the cobbles trying to get the same for .
The £600 figure was cynically brought to the table by FirstGroup Plc knowing full well they were going to go to the politicians and the press with it just days later.
Some at the higher end of the grading structure in operations at network rail have fairly generous OT enhancements . Of course the RMT doesn't sanction RDW at any employers AFAIK in the same way ASLEF does so their ability to negotiate RDW agreements is somewhat different .When has any RMT member nationwide ever got £600 for a shift or pro rata that to their grade for overtime?
This isn’t a pay deal this is an overtime deal, vastly different.
As I wrote, if the drivers get all the pay the there’s little left for others, this is due to privatisation, before this grades were relatively similar now due to bargaining power drivers pay has gone up an awful lot more than others, just a reality and one managers, drivers and unions don’t want open up about.
I don’t blame drivers at all by the way, I’m amazed the signalmen were never as astute as this.
Well I was referring to a specific toc, but I can think of others where the pay talks are always before other grades, always, why is that?
Also once the drivers pay is sorted the other grades get the rest, no axe to grind just a reality of kpis and privatisation.
Some signalmen may get good overtime benefits but nothing like that at all.
As mentioned upthread, having gone to Manchester and back to London this weekend to see friends, this agreement is very welcome and already seems to be making a difference. There were few cancellations on the Euston-Manchester route this weekend, and trains seemed to run on time. The staff seemed cheerful and the trains well loaded, but not packed. If that's the outcome of this RDW deal, I definitely welcome it. If and when Avanti seems to be reliable again, it'll pay for itself via increased patronage. My experience this weekend has made me more likely to go to Manchester to see friends/family - the recent unreliability had really put me off.
Nearly spat out my cornflakes reading this! Have you been on the moon the past 12 months? Whilst drivers continue to go to work with zero payrise after 5 years, other grades have ALL had rises that drivers are currently funding. Oh the irony.Rest assured it won’t be the taxpayer that pays for this, it’ll be every other grade within the rail industry that coughs up for this with reduced salary increases.
All toc’s?Nearly spat out my cornflakes reading this! Have you been on the moon the past 12 months? Whilst drivers continue to go to work with zero payrise after 5 years, other grades have ALL had rises that drivers are currently funding. Oh the irony.
ASLEF now need to only renew rest day working agreements to this new £600 going forward. Dft have to realise if its good enough for Avanti , then why not GWR or XC etc etc. Precedent well and truly set.
But it is, the money given to drivers first and what’s left is given to others.Drivers probably do more have greater bargaining power than most other grades, but it isn’t a case of one pot which is distributed between grades; a lot of the driver increases have been due to selling things over the years. In relation to this dispute RMT members have now received a rise whereas ASLEF have not, as noted above, so it’s also not the case that ASLEF always comes first.
High grade signallers get similar pay to drivers and won’t be far off that for a Sunday, especially as they do 12 hours, and have other shift allowances that drivers generally don’t.
That’s good to hear; I know a few people who have said similar.
Maybe a grain of truth in that as following privatisation the most prestigious & best paying domestic TOCs ie GNER & Virgin also appeared the keenest to outsource as many non frontline roles as possible.Signalmen don’t earn what drivers do per hour, saying they do as they doing 12 hours is disingenuous. Even then it’s not £600 but that wasn’t my point, my point was and is other grades will get a lower pay increase due to drivers getting the lions share, I include all toc’s in this and not solely ones in dispute.
It’s bargaining power no more no less.