Avanti West Coast
Company Council Newsletter August/September 2022
Arrogance – Belligerence – Incompetence
How did they ever let it get so bad?
It’s almost with depressing predictability that the union hears of more industrial relations problems with Avanti West Coast, a management team at the top who are arrogant and belligerent when it comes to dealing with our staff reps – and an utter failure when it comes to resolving ANY of their workers’ issues.
The latest decision, driven by a shortage of trained Drivers, to reduce train service to four trains an hour – a covid pandemic timetable – adds incompetence to the labels that now apply to them. Just as passenger levels pass 90% of pre pandemic figures Avanti West Coast goes into an inevitable but entirely predictable catastrophic collapse – this will leave passengers packed onto what crowded trains that are running – will almost certainly lead to declassification of standard premium and First Class to cope with passenger numbers – heaping even more pressure on hard pressed, stressed front line staff. Train Managers will have to try and manage this chaos whilst catering crews will struggle to provide a level of service that passengers pay for and expect. The truth is the management team know this so we have to ask the questions - do they even care about their passengers and staff… ? The tarnished public reputation - visible for all to see in reviews of the company by passengers on multiple social media pages slipped even further when they blamed the reduction in timetabled trains on the failures of Drivers to work their days off - who would ever have thought you can actually have a day off!… The fact that the Transport Secretary Grant Shambles joined in the attack on workers having the bare faced cheek to have a rostered day off speaks volumes for the different levels of rot running right through to the top. Then came a further attack on front line staff – who
had worked right through the covid pandemic whilst the rest of the country was shut down and many managers retreated to the conservatories to do zoom calls – in a further astonishing outburst Avanti Boss Phil Whittingham questioned the whether levels of staff sickness were genuine – we are now seeing an increase in the hated “managing for attendance” procedures. Away from the chaotic company wide issues unique to Avanti - and in response to the national rail dispute over jobs, pay and terms and conditions (and now pensions are being mentioned too) the Two Tory leadership candidates were in a competition to see who could attack workers the most - talking about “minimum service guarantees” in the event of strike action … although it wasn’t clear whether they’d ever demand Avanti provide a minimum service on non strike days! Obviously, the reduction in timetabled trains has another effect on rosters across much of the business – after previously imposed rosters on one and in some cases two occasions. Rosters are a negotiable item, they are based on agreed parameters – like spare cover arrangements, guarantees rest periods, etc but they are also negotiable with ELECTED staff representatives so there’s a balance of interests – the company gets its trains planned and staffed and the staff themselves get the best possible work/life balance - but on avanti in relation to Train Managers the system has now completely broken down - and staffing levels to provide the advertised, robust catering service for passengers is still a variable shambles. One of the most important jobs for a staff representative is rosters because it governs what we do at work, the quality of the work we have and gets us valuable time off – although it’s a huge challenge to get rostering back on track after all that’s happened it has to be one of our biggest priorities with the company.
RMT – Fighting for Job Security, Fair Pay and Decent Terms and Conditions
DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS
Another huge issue for our members is what happens to staff at times of disruption to train services – both train managers and caterers. People are being expected to work huge amounts of enforced overtime due to late running trains and cancellations. This situation has got worse with the staffing shambles presided over by the company but parameters around what can reasonably be expected from staff in these scenarios must have been in place for years – delays and cancellations are sadly not new to the railway. However, on Avanti West Coast there seem to be different agreements (some enforced without agreement like Avanti handbook provisions) that contradict other agreements. We need to clarify what BOTH sides believe applies and work back to what actually does apply – these rules should be clear and NOT open to interpretation by either side so staff know exactly what is expected of them and their obligations – and management know the limitations of what they can demand from workers. Another issue that applies to both Train Managers and caterers is the support and mechanisms put in place for individuals who get stranded away from their home locations – can the business get them home? What pay will they get if they can’t get home? What accommodation and facilities can they expect and they can’t get home – or to help them get home – RMT have asked for detailed management proposals on this as it needs to be listed clearly what applies in these thankfully rare circumstances.
STAFF OUR STATIONS… IT’S TIME TO TACKLE THE VANDALISM!
It’s now absolutely clear the Tory government and train operators want to physically close every ticket office in the country. This is an act of pure industrial vandalism and, if they get away with it, will leave our railway less passenger focussed, more remote and less accessible. Ticket Offices by the nature of their name sell tickets but they also provide multiple other services from advice an information to sorting out customer enquiries, reservations, railcard sales etc - and giving help when (all to often) the ticket machines don’t work. The train operators and government are obviously terrified of the public backlash ticket office closures will cause so they have now started talking about re-purposing them rather than the reality of closing them - this is a charade, a scam and a lie designed to spin their way to their objective of total ticket office closures. They talk about getting staff out from behind their windows - it’s even suggested staff are trapped behind windows - this is simply rubbish, the windows provide some protection to staff from increasing anti-social behaviour and violence, but more things can be done and arranged for passengers from inside a ticket office. Neither should we forget that the big driver of these changes is saving money and simply taking staff from
“behind the windows” doesn’t save them anything - it’s all about cutting staff, reducing facilities for passengers and cutting the time stations will be staffed at all. As these companies continue to make mega profits Avanti for example is heavily subsidised by the British tax payer – it’s a joint venture between worst FirstGroup and the Italian state railway Trenitalia – does this mean we could see a scenario where British tax payers money indirectly subsidises keeping the ticket office open in Bologna whilst Birmingham New Street closes!?! RMT is planning a major campaign to keep our stations staffed and ticket offices open – commencing on 23 August 2022, postcards, placards and other campaign materials are currently being printed prior to distribution to activists and members – please get involved in this campaign. Contact your RMT Branch Secretary for more information.
RMT MEMBERS STAND FIRM IN BATTLE FOR JOBS, IMPROVED PAY AND CONDITIONS
With inflation now predicted to be heading to nearly 14% (and possibly more in some forecasts) heating and lighting costs, food, fuel and housing costs are rocketing it is astonishing that the train operating companies at the time of this newsletter going to print had offered NOTHING in terms of any pay increase – and were actually demanding cuts to terms and conditions from us! Which planet is the government and Rail Delivery Group on? We have had no pay rise for approaching three years – we worked all through the pandemic, keeping the country running when much of it was actually shut down, government Ministers including the incompetent Grant Shapps heralded us as heroes and they are now treating us with utter contempt. The argument from the government that increasing wages to help keep up with inflation is utterly floored – we have had no pay increase for nearly three years – it is prices and profits that are fuelling inflation not wages. We need a cost of living increase and we are not paying for it by giving up important terms and conditions. #StandFirm #UnityIsStrength #DefendJobs #FairPay #DefendTermsAndConditions #ProtectYOURPension
DESPICABLE DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS
The Avanti West Coast disciplinary procedure states “The disciplinary procedure is not viewed primarily as a means of imposing sanctions but is intended to emphasise and encourage improvements in the conduct of employees”. RMT wonders if some Avanti disciplinary hearing officers have even read that statement let alone understood it. The number of cases where staff make genuine mistakes and are dismissed (many with significant levels of long
service and clean disciplinary records) is a cause for serious concern. How can anyone have any faith into fairness and transparency of this disciplinary procedure when it’s implementation is so at odds with it’s written objective and principles. In appendix three of “Fair and Just Culture” it states clearly that Avanti “… do not tolerate reckless conduct, We aim and expect that all hazards and errors will be reported and evaluated, We expect that system safety will improve” However, the Fair and Just Culture also states “We recognise that people will make mistakes, We understand that even the best trained amongst us can develop unhealthy norms, There is a recognition that some people will make errors or mistakes, Even the best trained amongst us can develop working practices over time that may deviate from the norm (even the best people can make the worst mistakes)” The Fair and just Culture statement goes on to state “as
long as we ensure that we can report accidents, incidents and any near misses or close calls without fear of retribution then safety within the workplace will improve and accidents/incidents will reduce.” RMT agrees with that – it’s vital everything gets reported – it’s also vital that to promote and enhance this culture, workers and their representatives have faith in the fairness and transparency of the disciplinary and investigatory processes … that they really can report without fear of retribution. Sadly, recent cases have left many of us questioning those principles in terms of how they are implemented by Avanti bosses. The Fair and Just Culture text adds “it would be unacceptable to punish all errors and unsafe acts regardless of the origin and circumstances”. It’s time some of their managers acted in accordance with those principles, it’s time to stop the sackings (and review some of those that have taken place).
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STOP the profiteering An RMT report has revealed that the government’s switch to management-fee based contracts guarantee around £124 million each year for train operating companies, restoring profits for the year to £600 million across the industry for 2020-21, with every owning group improving its position during the pandemic year.
The ‘Fat Cats’ have lobbied for these changes because of the failures of franchising and they are now reassuring their investors that there will be regular dividends from their rail operations. Network Rail has also been told by the government to make £billions of cuts. All this is being paid for by slashing jobs, cutting services, closing ticket offices and suppressing the wages of transport workers.
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