Guest Max Stafford Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I'd say they definitely don't want people with previous experience. They're more difficult to coerce and browbeat because they know the job and have more of a sense of when those above are trying it on either for advantage or out of lack of professional knowledge. Sadly it infects virtually every workplace in the English-speaking world today. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 When I was sent up north to do my Class 66 training at Doncaster I overheard a manager say to one of the then new recruits who'd joined off the street "you're the new breed... we want to weed out the old BR attitudes''. I kept schtum at the time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 In our school career's library there was a book on working for British Railways which said 'there are always plenty of opportunities to work as a fireman'. Not sure this was totally up to date in the late 1970s but I suppose it was correct when the book was published, The way it was worded certainly suggested you could apply directly for a job as a fireman. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome_whistle Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 When I was sent up north to do my Class 66 training at Doncaster I overheard a manager say to one of the then new recruits who'd joined off the street "you're the new breed... we want to weed out the old BR attitudes''. I kept schtum at the time! It would be interesting to know how many of the new breed are still working as drivers? Since the post-privatisation hike in driver's wages there have been quite a few recruits who hold more paper qualifications than the rest of us. They don't necessarily view the footplate as a vocation and are quick to apply for management jobs or they leave the industry altogether when they discover they're not cut out for getting out of bed at two in the morning. Incidentally, three years in university doesn't appear to give some of them an ability to communicate written English - I once had the misfortune to mentor a graduate trainee manager while he was doing his train handling (so he could tell men who'd done the job for twice as long as he'd been alive what they were doing wrong!) and text-speak was the normal written medium.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Max Stafford Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Those who can do. Those who can't slope off into 'management' at the earliest possible opportunity! Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Quite a few have moved on.... and don't get me started on University graduates who've never been anywhere near a the railway, let alone inside a cab telling me how to do my job..... . I know of one who'd been passed out for driving and within ten weeks had had a (very serious) SPAD due to being a cocky so and so, needless to say he moved on fairly quickly. Professional road learners is one nick name often given to them. As far as I can see (and from personal experience) their 'ethos' is all about making an impression on those further up the food chain and following them up the greasy pole of career advancement, it rarely has anything to do with keeping trains running, the good name of the railway, customer service etc, etc.... the 'fast track / fast buck' mentality of some of those in charge is causing no end of grief on the ground and the problems they leave behind get compounded when the next likely candidate comes along. One slip up in my job and I could find myself on a manslaughter charge, a slip up on their part often results in a gentle ticking off followed by promotion....! I'd best not say anymore else I'll get myself banned from this fine parish! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted August 25, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 25, 2012 . One slip up in my job and I could find myself on a manslaughter charge, a slip up on their part often results in a gentle ticking off followed by promotion....! Very true. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 I've just picked up the other half from her Mum's gaff where she's been delving through some of her Dad's old railway stuff (he passed away nearly four years ago and there are still tons of it to get through), amongst which is a mint copy of the BR staff paper 'Railnews' from June '74.... inside is a page devoted to 'new rates of pay as from 29th April 1974' which include the following footplate grade weekly rates... Traction Trainee and Cleaner - £23.85 (raised to £25.45 after prescribed number of Secondman's turns have been worked representing one year) Secondman 1st year - £25.45 Secondman 2nd year - £26.90 Senior Secondman - £31.75 (after prescribed number of driving turns have been worked representing one year, or after ten years service in the grade or 15 years service in line of promotion) Senior Secondman - £33.40 (after 18 years service in the grade or after 21 years service in line of promotion) Driver - £35.50 (established status, = £1,852 per annum) To put it into perpsective, Railmen / platform staff were on the same £23.85 weekly rate as Traction Trainees! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted August 25, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2012 Don't talk to me about 1974 - I was promoted that year to Management Staff and compared with the previous year my earnings dropped by 1,500 quid as I ceased to be paid overtime and Sunday etc money (but I didn't work many fewer hours although the number of Sundays did drop a bit). The early-mid '70s were the time of big inflation, here are the 1971 rates to compare with those quoted by Nidge - Driver (established status ) £1,341 p.a Weekly Rate - £25.70 Senior Secondman with 18 years in the Grade or 21 in the line of promotion - £24.40 Senior Secondman after the prescribed number of driving turns have been worked or 10 years in the Grade or 15 years in the line of promotion - £23.10 Secondman 2nd year - £19.80 Secondman 1st year - £18.60 Traction Trainee or Cleaner after 21 years in the line of promotion - £24.40 and similarly matching the Secondman's scale Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Due to staff shortages in the London area in the 1960's a notice used to appear at the shed, Springs Branch, every year asking for volunteers to go on loan. Spent three months at Cricklewood West at the end of 1965, met many charaters and interesting people. One day sent to St Albands and spent the day on the Harpenden branch with driver Armitage whose brother was the signalman at Harrow on that fateful morning in 1952. Many north west sheds at the same time also had staff shortages, spent many a day on loan to Newton Heath, Bank Hall, Preston and others. After the 1965 manning agreement two types of secondman vacancies appeared on the list, manning and essential and the 'starred' fireman/secondman, 'starred' if in line of promotion at the time of signing of the agreement, and payment on mileage turns, not if unstarred, and other conditions lost in the mists of time. To miss quote Charles Dickens, 'It was the best of times, occationally, it was the worst of times'. Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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