Prescott says privatised railways "seriously flawed"

[form49]

Today Johnny two jags announced that the privatised railway system is seriously flawed.
Is he now going to start thinking about the proposed "Railtrack of the skies" and how "seriously flawed" that is likely to be.

[North of the Border]

Lets hope he does think again. I believe that the debate in the Lords starts on Thursday. Bill Brett will be advocating a Trust , like the NavCanada system. This is also the system that the Transport Committee were proposing.

NOTB

[PPRuNe Radar]

Whilst the NavCanada model looks good on paper, just be aware of their record in employee relations and the reneging on promised pay deals made to staff. Longer hours, less leave, and less flexible working patterns were also all part of the great deal offered by the Trust last year to employees. What makes you think a UK trust won't try and pull the same stunt ?


You can read more here

http://www.catca.ca/Media1.html

The grass is not always as green as it looks...................



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PPRuNe Radar
ATC Forum Moderator
[email protected]

[form49]

Speaking of Navcanada working hours, apparantly at the centre in Edmonton, they work 9 on 1 off for six months and then have six months off 'cos they've done the max hours permitted for the year, and coined in all the overtime, something in the region of a total yearly pay packet of $300,000

[Goldfish Watcher]

All very nice to have half of every year on leave.

How on earth would you remain current? Re-validating every year would be a bit of a bind!

GW

[Shazbat]

Before praising the Canadian system....and before ANYONE thinks that privatisation is a GOOD idea (must be absolutely bonkers to think that, but there are some !), please read the following concerning Canadian ATC:

Quote :

"We have been faced with a similar situation since privatization. At that time our regulations became acts of law. So it is now an offence to issue a clearance that results in a loss of separation. The regulator has for the most part not followed up on most incidents but he does issue 4 or so fines a year to controllers up to $500CDN for a first offence. In Canada, a civil court would have to find gross negligence on the part of the employee before he would be held responsible for something that happened as a result of carrying out his job duties. So we were surpised like you to discover that the employer does not pay for these regulatory fines..
We also have the option of a plea bargain with the regulator - offer to pay a reduced fine.

Our association has appealed - and lost - all of them and in the process has created some terrible precident. Controllers responsible for the actions of trainees. Controllers responsible for losses of separation that occur during periods of extremely short staffing, etc. "

Interseting, eh ?????? :mad: :mad: :mad:

[smooth approach]

Now this is more like it. Too many threads talking of strike action in the UK when the real issue is privatisation. 'Two Jags' MUST now look at NATs, PPP etc. The concept is fundamentaly flawed. There are a number of national industries that cannot be allowed to bow to commercial, profit orientated pressures. What we see at the shop-floor is merely an indicator of the problems that management face. The point is: management should not allow itself, or be forced, to be manipulated/influenced by balance sheets. The only way this can happen is for proper funding. ATC is a national asset and should be looked upon and budgeted as such.

Off my soapbox and off to bed.

[Findo]

Form 49 what maximum hours would that be ? They don't have any form of SRATCOH and overtime is the norm.

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Go with the flow ... or you'll miss your slot.

[form49]

No idea what the hours are, all I know (Directly from the horses mouth; a Navcanada ATCO), he works Tower only in some godforsaken place in the middle of nowhere, completely procedural, although he says they're gonna get a secondary only some time in the near future, he and one other ATCO man the positions during a watch and he hasn't had a proper meal break since he started there.
The answer to the question of SCRATCOH is a big fat NO!!!!!!

[Tartan Gannet]

Although I am only a bench bound technician in Avionics I am with you all 100% on keeping ATC in State Ownership and Control and keeping greedy shareholders and the profit motive out. I shudder at the idea of "Railtrack in the Sky!"

But what to do, Phoney Tony Blair's New Labour are as blue as the Tories when it comes to privatisation, they call it PFI or some such thing. If Vague Hague's Old Tories get back they of course are the heirs of Thatcher and would sell anything! I no longer believe in voting, its a waste of time, but I cannot think of a way to prevent ATC being sold for 30 pieces of silver? Any suggestions, short of force?

[Postman Pat]

The best way to stop ppp is to tell the truth about Swanwick. Who is going to buy a business which is about to move to a less efficient system with a phenominal shortage of staff (100 ATCO's short is my bid) where delays due to system capacity will mean less revenue than at present etc etc etc?

[Shazbat]

Hi Postman.......all I can say is.....HERE HERE !!!!!!!!!!

Why, for GOD's sake, isn't anyone interested in the truth about what's going on ?????

But then again I suppose they'll listen when NATS comes to a grinding, and perhaps irrevocable, fall......

......I used to enjoy this job - still do in a way - but it's been ruined by continuous bad management. It just makes me so annoyed that, time and time again, they get away with it !!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[RATBOY]

Tartan Ganet it is even better when the 30 pieces of silver are borrowed and backed by the full faith and credit of the government.

That Canadian trust is a non-stock company that borrowed a bunch of money from banks to "buy" the system from the government, but since they had no colateral they got backing by the government. Can't let the big banks and industry (Raytheon and Canadian Marconi spring to mind) left holding the bag.
but you can pull off a Ponzi scheme if you get everybody to look the other way for a little while.


Barnum was right... "There's a sucker born every minute"

[smooth approach]

Just a feeling; ShazBat's not a happy bear.