Sun front page- iPads for Train Drivers

[rmt4ever]

Why on earth would a Train Driver need an iPad for their Train Driving duties?

 

[Snow1964]

There are number of other jobs where tablet is preferred to carrying multiple books with all the rules, fault finding, back up information etc.

Not to mention multiple supplements and late notices too. Which all adds to weight and space in work bag

But does seem silly to expect someone to be paid extra for carrying around less, to get same or more info.

 

[FatContr0ller]

An Ipad or electronic tablet to have e copies of all drivers publications is a lifesaver compared to lugging round all your books in your bag.
Also used for company training and communications.

Obviously not switched on while in charge of a train or in a unsecured cab!

 

[GB]

What sort of payment are they looking for? If it’s to cover electricity for charging then fair enough (unless you also use it for personal gains), but as tablets are a quality of life improvement compared to lugging around multiple physical items this is not a battle I’d personally pick/support.

 

[irish_rail]

It's called a technology payment. Like in many jobs, if you increase your skillset then you are rewarded for that. However this has all happened (at my TOC at least) many years ago, and we did get a small payment for agreeing to learn and maintain the new technology. This is nothing new, just sounds like a desperate paper, desperate to anger the increasingly dwindling right wing element of society.

 

[rmt4ever]

It's called a technology payment. Like in many jobs, if you increase your skillset then you are rewarded for that. However this has all happened (at my TOC at least) many years ago, and we did get a small payment for agreeing to learn and maintain the new technology. This is nothing new, just sounds like a desperate paper, desperate to anger the increasingly dwindling right wing element of society.

I did think it was ironic they advertise toilet rolls on the front page, considering how much s*** the Sun comes out with.

I suppose with technology as well there is increased tracking, which is why they may be resisting. I get that

 

[43066]

But does seem silly to expect someone to be paid extra for carrying around less, to get same or more info.

Technology payments are simply a long standing convention within the industry. In a previous industry I used to be paid a “car allowance” of a few thousand per year, despite not having a car!

It's called a technology payment. Like in many jobs, if you increase your skillset then you are rewarded for that. However this has all happened (at my TOC at least) many years ago, and we did get a small payment for agreeing to learn and maintain the new technology. This is nothing new, just sounds like a desperate paper, desperate to anger the increasingly dwindling right wing element of society.

Exactly - it’s a little like when the Daily Mail found out about agreed walking times.

 

[Snow1964]

What sort of payment are they looking for? If it’s to cover electricity for charging then fair enough (unless you also use it for personal gains), but as tablets are a quality of life improvement compared to lugging around multiple physical items this is not a battle I’d personally pick/support.

You can already get the electricity used for business reimbursed (in same way as cost of business phone calls on personal phone), by entering it in box 18 on self assessment form. Another common one is if you have any work clothes with logo, and you wash them, in your washing machine claim tax allowance for laundry too.

Of course if people prefer to pay extra tax, and not claim, that is their choice.

 

[rmt4ever]

There are number of other jobs where tablet is preferred to carrying multiple books with all the rules, fault finding, back up information etc.

Not to mention multiple supplements and late notices too. Which all adds to weight and space in work bag

But does seem silly to expect someone to be paid extra for carrying around less, to get same or more info.

Surely a Train Driver would prefer them in paper form if the train broke down. The iPad can run out of battery or simply crash. A good old paper book cant

 

[jamiearmley]

Surely a Train Driver would prefer them in paper form if the train broke down. The iPad can run out of battery or simply crash. A good old paper book cant

As well as the fact they can't be switched on in the cab........

 

[Chingy]

As well as the fact they can't be switched on in the cab........

They can at my FOC. We are told to have them on at all times & to use an app called Co-pilot for any journey or part journey we drive. We have iPad holders & USB charging points in cab to assist.

 

[357]

Surely a Train Driver would prefer them in paper form if the train broke down. The iPad can run out of battery or simply crash. A good old paper book cant

My last two companies simply used us PDF files to save onto the iPad. While not a full fault finding app, it does however mean you can search keywords and carry much more detailed information than you would be able to in printed format because of said search facility.

As well as the fact they can't be switched on in the cab........

They can be, it's all down to the company involved.

At my last TOC we used TAS. It was great to enter delay codes as the journey progresses and to keep track of departure time from stations (it counts down the seconds to departure).

Timetable Advisory System (TAS) provides train drivers with information on how the train they are driving is progressing relative to timetable. TAS is a form of ‘Driver Advisory System’ but at a lower order of complexity and with more emphasis placed on the expertise and knowledge of the train driver.

 

[Tomnick]

Tablets benefit drivers, undoubtedly, but nowhere near as much as they benefit employers – the savings from not having to get bespoke WONs printed each week for drivers, plus PONs four times a year, will be immense. It'd be a bit of a kick in the teeth to not share some of that benefit at the same time as effectively suffering a ~30% pay cut.

What I believe is actually happening, to some extent at least, is that employers are wanting to make genuinely fair and reasonable pay offers to drivers, but aren't being allowed to by the DfT without justification, i.e. savings that'll fund it. Tablets offer that saving, and in turn the justification that they need to present to the DfT. This isn't just ASLEF.

 

[DarloRich]

Simple advice: Dont read the Sun.

( this seems like a standard jealousy/divide story - don't be used to further the agenda of others)

 

[The Puddock]

Technology payments are simply a long standing convention within the industry.

Only for certain roles. Signallers, for example, have never had technology payments. When GSM-R was introduced my local TOC paid it's drivers a four figure sum each but Network Rail didn't give its signallers anything at all, they just installed the terminals and told them to get on with it.

 

[jfowkes]

Simple advice: Dont read the Sun.

( this seems like a standard jealousy/divide story - don't be used to further the agenda of others)

Agreed. Also note that the headline uses "iPad" but the text reads "iPad style". This is designed to instill anger in the reader.

I suspect that TOCs actually buy something cheap to replace and a bit more impact/liquid resistant. A fairly cheap Android tablet with an inch of rubber protecting it. Or am I wrong?

 

[Turtle]

It's called a technology payment. Like in many jobs, if you increase your skillset then you are rewarded for that. However this has all happened (at my TOC at least) many years ago, and we did get a small payment for agreeing to learn and maintain the new technology. This is nothing new, just sounds like a desperate paper, desperate to anger the increasingly dwindling right wing element of society.

Similar rubbish in the Mail this morning - as to be expected; usual greedy overpaid train drivers stuff.

 

[Dstock7080]

LU has proposed the issue of iPads to train staff for the forthcoming Trains Modernisation package of changes.
Remote booking on/off, rule books and appendices, training modules etc.

 

[Jimini]

Here's the full article in all its, erm, glory (available on their website as well). It's basically a typical rant about strikes etc.:

STRIKING train drivers are demanding even more pay for using iPad style tablets at work. The devices notify drivers of speed limits and safety checks on routes. But militant union chiefs from Aslef say it goes beyond the normal working practices of its members, who usually rely on noticeboards. Around 1,500 tablets are waiting in a warehouse. But they will not be sent out until the deal has been settled. Aslef has already infuriated passengers by refusing to budge on strike action despite an offer that would take train drivers’ average salary up to £65,000 for a four-day week. Transport Secretary Mark Harper slammed the union last night saying: “Aslef continue to stand in the way of vital reforms needed to safeguard the future of the railways.” Yesterday Northern and TransPennine Express drivers walked out in the long-running pay dispute. It came after Southeastern and Thameslink services were hit on Tuesday. An overtime ban is also in place. Aslef boss Mick Whelan has warned that drivers could strike for a further 18 months to secure the pay deal they want. He said: “The Government created a strike situation. “We haven’t had a pay rise for five years. We didn’t seek one for two years of the pandemic, when inflation started going through the roof. “In year three, like every other sector, we sought a pay rise. The Government has decided that we’re not worth it. “The 16 private companies that we work for are making hundreds of millions of pounds.” PM Rishi Sunak has accused firebrand bosses of a “campaign of contempt” during the nine days of walkouts. He is furious at train-operating companies for not imposing new minimum service laws that would provide 40 per cent of services. Mr Sunak also called on Aslef to stop its act of “self-harm”. Ministers and train companies have so far reached agreements with the RMT, TSSA and Unite with only Aslef holding out. The strikes have hit the hospitality industry for £350million this week. Kate Nicholls, of UKHospitality, said: “January and February are already two of the quieter months for venues and this disruption will make it even more painful.”

 

[bleeder4]

This is also in The Daily Mail, The Times and The Express, so a few papers have run with it today.

 

[pompeyfan]

This is also in The Daily Mail, The Times and The Express, so a few papers have run with it today.

The “right” leaning papers? Shocker.

There is a benefit to both sides from tablets, but it may be a departure from current methods of work and so should be negotiated in the normal way.

Note from the posts above that many TOCs have already implemented tablets as part of broader pay deals and changes to T&Cs, I’d imagine there’s not many TOCs that don’t use tablets for a DAS style system and for document distribution, but sure tar all drivers with the same brush, much like with Sundays being inside….

 

[75A]

The papers don't like anvthing modern, since the Internet became so accessible newspaper sales have plummeted.

 

[irish_rail]

Here's the full article in all its, erm, glory (available on their website as well). It's basically a typical rant about strikes etc.:

Reading that I simply despair. How are papers allowed to present such one sided articles presented as fact. It's criminal.

 

[nwales58]

Never get on an aircraft anyone, especially Sun readers.

Electronic Flight Bag has become normal for the reasons mentioned earlier. Seems sensible for train drivers too as equipment and operations become more complex.

Ultimate benefit is to the passengers: right information in the right place at the right time for the person at the front getting you there.

 

[12LDA28C]

Surely a Train Driver would prefer them in paper form if the train broke down. The iPad can run out of battery or simply crash. A good old paper book cant

Very few train drivers I know actually carry heavy items like the Rule Book and Sectional Appendix in their driver's bag. Similarly, it's fairly unlikely that they would carry fault finding books with them, instead relying on their own traction knowledge or getting in touch with the Duty Fleet Manager.

 

[Samzino]

Tablets could solve the lack of information problem that can often leave drivers in the unknown. A live feed of current delays on the line or similar to signal maps but cropped to the surrounding of where the actual train is, could be useful.

I'm sure TOCs that already implement it in the cab have policy on how to use them plus restrict them when in the docket to specific useful applications so to reduce misuse.

Also saved paper. Not having to print out every time a physical diagram if it can be digitally and also updated real time for any agreed changes without a reprint required.

 

[physics34]

The quicker the written press go under the better...

 

[Somewhere]

If its a change to T&Cs, and its saving the employer money, then the union will want a slice of that to agree to it

 

[ScotGG]

No idea but if it's in the Sun of course treat it as BS until a decent source reports it.

By the way, barely anyone buys the sun anymore. Sales down about 80 per cent in past 15-20 years. Still some seem to think its a big influence and what drivel they put out gets covered on BBC News etc.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

So it's not the issue of using iPads (tablets etc.) but more the issues about demanding extra pay for using them as an aid to carry out their duties. Extra pay, what a shocker !? No wonder the public are angry.

Wonder what Claudia thinks....