GWR ON-TRAIN DIVISIONAL COUNCIL

Notes: reconvened OTDC Agenda Meeting 210218 held on 090318 Page 1 of 21 These notes are not intended to be a verbatim account of the meeting but to give the gist of the conversation.

GWR ON-TRAIN DIVISIONAL COUNCIL

Staff Side Agenda

For agenda meeting 21st Feb 2018 and reconvened on 9th March 2018

Matters arising:

Managers working trains: ongoing item

Peer trainers: ongoing item

Ramp risk assessment: paper required

Oxford TE’s: ongoing item

Star mobile issues: ongoing item

2+4 training: J Edhouse to attend Div Ccl meeting

Catering maintenance: ongoing

P.Tanner products invite: P Tanner to attend Div Ccl meeting

STP diagrams: ongoing

Bristol revenue manager: update

Bristol TE facilities: update

Jumpers for guards update

Secretarial facilities :update

387’s in 12 car formation: agency staff still being used (matter arising from agenda meeting 13th September 2017)

Bristol to Cardiff hardship move still outstanding

New agenda items

Revenue:

G4S travel facilities (MH)

New rostering instruction for revenue in East region (MH)

RPI staffing levels at Worcester (MH)

Non consulted changes to revenue strategy booklet (MH)


Catering:

Review date for restructuring package (ALL)

Epos trial update (PJ)

Cash handling regulations (ALL)

Catering staff breaks away from train

Lack of first class catering on IET at weekends (RK)

Guards:

‘Secure train’ issues within diagrams. a) Train managers (MD); b) conductors (SL)

STP diagrams (SL)

Inconsistencies in information available re revenue staff on IET (CR)

Seat reservation problems on IET (MD)

Cardiff TM need for hard ticket machine (MD)

Review of routes specific to each depot ref page 40 of guards harmonisation 2010 (ALL)

Clarification of movement D.Jones to Redhill (NM)

FTA’s:

Penzance guards ref Ad Hoc managers (NR)

Swansea guards turn 1604 (MD)

Swansea guards turn 1011 (MD)

Joint items

Current vacancies for all grades

Guards establishment calculator review

Council request for formulation of minutes to include an ongoing updated list of the following items:

Fixed term contracts

Part time contracts


Agency workers

Grievances

Disciplinaries

Investigatory suspensions

Proposed welfare moves

Internal transfers

Medically restricted staff moves

Staff stood off

Flexible working requests

MFA/AAC

Staff injuries/accidents

Establishments and head counts

Vacancies

Predictive recruitment

Secondments

Ad Hoc manager usage

Any local agreements (to be ratified by OTDC)

AOB:

Guest: Lee Edworthy & Dhawal Sawant – Mobile Ticketing Update

Additional Items added to the Agenda on 9th March 2018:

• Hardship Move

• Comms during extreme weather

• Management Changes Comms from GWR

• Management Side Items


GWR ON-TRAIN DIVISIONAL COUNCIL

Notes of reconvened OTDC Agenda Meeting 21st February 2018 Held on 9th March 2018; 1030 hours

RMT Office, Bristol Present:- FGW Management Divisional / Company / Sectional Council

David Crome (DC) Head of On Board Management Side Chair

Chris Reilly (CR) LTV On Train Divisional Council (RMT) Staff Side Chair

Barbara Fearn (BF) Assistant to Head of On Board Management Side Secretary

Steve Harvey (SH) HSS On Train Divisional Council (RMT) Staff Side Secretary

Martin Day (MD) HSS On Train Divisional Council (RMT)

Jon I’anson (JI) HSS Local Divisional Council Rep (RMT) co-

opted v N Rawlins Maureen Mulligan (MM)

HSS On Trains Divisional Council (RMT) Guests: Lee Edworthy, Head of Retail &

Dhawal Sawant, Program Manager

Nick Mortimer (NM) LTV On Train Divisional Council

Barry West – Full Time Officer, RMT

Nick Cook (NC) West Conductor Local Divisional Council Rep

- Penzance (RMT) co-opted v J Crinks Simon Loftus (SL)

West Conductor, On Train Divisional Council (RMT)

Ryan Kent (RK) HSS On Train Divisional Council (RMT)

Phil Jones (PJ) HSS On Train Divisional Council (RMT)

Apologies:

Colin Barber (CB) Regional On Train Manager, Central

Neil Rawlins (NR) HSS On Trains Divisional Council (RMT)

Jamie Kingston (JK) Regional On Train Manager, West

Jon Crinks (JC) West Conductor, On Train Divisional Council

(RMT) Marlon Henry (MH)

On Train Divisional Council (TSSA) RPI, Reading


Item Topic Action Additional Agenda items for discussion: - Hardship moves;

- Comms during extreme weather; - Management Changes Comms from GWR; - Management Side Items

GUEST: Lee Edworthy & Dhawal Sawant - Mobile Ticketing Update LE: We would like to update the Council on ticketing within GWR and the rail industry,

and we have discussed this with Stations Divisional Council. We would also like to demonstrate some of the equipment to you.

Following on from our last visit back in early 2017 regarding Smart Ticketing. There

is a presentation which will be sent to you after this meeting.

The Torbay trial is being extended across the wider network and Gatelines are

being upgraded for bar code readers. We also have Clipper App which allows people to check tickets are valid for travel and the information has been forwarded via Retail Circulars and other forums and we would like to keep pushing for the App to be downloaded on work phones so that as many people can check tickets as possible.

Will soon be launching mobile ticketing on our network and small flows will be

available over the next month to have every flow which are purely GWR will be opened up for this so we don’t lose revenue.

Smart Cards:

The Government announced at the end of 2016 that they wanted every customer across the UK to be able to use smart cards for rail by end 2018. We have agreed to a particular scope and funding arrangements to make sure we can retail smart cards across our network by end 2018. So, every single Gate on the GWR network will have a smart card reader by the end of this year and Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) will retail smart cards tickets and Smart Mobile Readers. Some Ticket Office machines will retail smart card tickets and we are looking to create hubs at some locations for people to get them as well as our website. It means every Ticket Examiner / Guard will have the ability to check smart tickets when the project is finished, so we need to check as many as possible.

From a ticket point of view, you will predominately see single and return on bar

codes we want to limit season tickets on what we can retail, so focusing on single and return; long term smart card is the solution for season tickets and are more robust than magnetic stripe tickets.

Timeframes are being firmed up with the rest of the industry and Rail Delivery

Group (RDG – formerly ATOC). Our commitment and intention is that everything works for us and RDG will be end 2018.

The Bristol scheme has given us some learning and experience ready for the wider

roll-out and we continue to encourage and take feedback on how we can improve the scheme.


NC: On Day return ticket this would be good, but how do you know with an open return ticket if it has been used.

DS: You can digitally stamp the ticket.

CR: This is Government led which we are all aware of, but the effect to other

grades we don’t represent, so what are the effects on Booking Office colleagues; also the ability of on train staff to be able to issue Smart ticket to smart card and how that system works?

Now all readers are on one piece of equipment is a good thing.

LE: We are putting investment in Ticket Offices and Ticket Office equipment. The

way in which customers want to buy tickets from us is changing and we have to change with that as well as because the Government is wanting this. Our customers tell us they want the human interaction at stations, and we see that as a value to our Business.

To make you aware we do visit other Divisional Councils and are sharing this

information and working through any issues.

CR: It is good to see there is an option for On Train staff to be able to sell these

tickets as well as at Stations.

LE: We recognise that and our customers are telling us this is what they want JI: Do you envisage utilising third-party agencies at stations to sell these? LE: It has been discussed. DS: We have discussed this with the Department for Transport (DfT) and we have

taken the decision not to do that at this moment in time, as we do not see it as adding value to our business.

DS: Anyone who has a Star Mobile feature will be added to Star Mobile to retail a

ticket on a smart card and they press the card to the device and it follows the process including the payment.

CR: Based on them loading an amount on the card? DS: No, it is tickets – it is difficult to load money on the card on the rail network, so

we will look at single, returns, seasons.

LE: We are launching on a product based process - but maybe in the future a ‘pay

as you go’ option if we think it valuable to us, but it is difficult to do at the moment.

SH: Clipper App is it a validation for travel? DS: We can provide a demo on that SL: Does it require good Wi-fi for it to work?


DS: Depends on what you are trying to do if it is checking a ticket no, for information to back office then yes.

NC: What about selling a ticket? DS: No. NC: Star Mobile has so many inconsistencies ie battery life etc is this another thing

that will add to inconsistencies in service and I think you need to iron out those flaws before adding more things to it to create more problems.

DS: We are talking to the suppliers to iron the issues out. NC: If we have had it since April 2017 and there are still issues with battery life and

I can see that this will just add to that, and it means you cannot do your job properly and you lose commission and it is embarrassing in front of the customer.

DS: I appreciate that, and we know about the issues and we are having further

discussions with the supplier.

DC: This will give you better options as if you sell to a smart card you are not

printing out a ticket and will be an easier sale process than producing tickets.

NC: Providing everything works.

DC: This has the potential to make life easier. NC: I agree that it will be a good thing to have but we need to iron out current

issues before adding something else.

DC: This stuff will gradually become right and the technology is coming and we

have to keep up with it as we will not be able to check tickets or sell to them.

LE: We recognise the Star Mobile devise has issues and some we have resolved

and some we haven’t. We have a senior meeting coming up and we will ensure that as functionality is added we don’t break the things that are already there. We are also creating a few more options for checking tickets.

DS: New equipment always has issues and we are trying to resolve them.

You can check where tickets have been scanned as anything that has ‘LBS’

against a location is the Gateline scan.

LE: When you check the ticket through Clipper if there is a question about it ie

having been used before – eg: breaking a journey you can either accept or reject it and it is recorded in the back office and investigated as necessary.

We can also send out the briefing document and if you can collate any specific

questions or issues we can either answer them or look at it for future development.


DC: I am thinking we should create some more ‘super users’ ie Peer Trainers or those who are really keen on this around the business who can go and talk to the Guards and any colleagues who will need additional support with this.

SH: Catering have very little to do with ticketing – there are obvious benefits for

Catering colleagues to use the system and the potential for future opportunities – I am expecting extra training or people available to support those colleagues, is that something that can be done?

DC: We can look at that – it is not something we have considered yet but we could

may be do something via Safety Days as an example.

LE: Our priority is to those grade groups who are doing this now, but we can look

at that for the future.

CR: With that little demonstration I notice the battery on the phone has drained

down a fair bit.

LE: There are some hints and tips you can use to help with battery life and we

acknowledge that these Apps do drain batteries so it is good to follow those or use plug points where you can.

CR: We would need the staff to have the information and training before the roll-out

as we would hate it to come in and people not knowing how to use it.

DC: It is there already. LE: We are here to seek support from yourselves to advise colleagues the tools

are there, and if you can encourage people to have conversations about the Apps and also provide feedback on using it, what we can improve and any problems. There is information in the Retail Circular

MD: It is obvious that we need to go back to the Depots and check people’s phones

and make sure they have the updates and latest Apps etc.

DS: This training was part of the Star Mobile training but we have been sending out

information to colleagues as well.

CR: The idea of ‘super users’ is really good and if we can get that working in all the

depots it would be very beneficial.

NC: Is it quick to use or do you have to press accept all the time? DS: No only if there is a problem with the ticket. Initially it will take time getting

used to where to place the ticket against the phone.

CR: What sort of percentage take-up with this do you envisage?

DS: The RDG were looking at 20%. LE: It is about giving customers another option and hopefully they will use their

services.


NC: What about if the persons phone is flat? DS: It is the customer’s responsibility to be able to show a valid ticket and it is in

the terms and conditions of the ticket.

LE: We can come back and talk about smart cards at another meeting.

CR: That would be really good. NM: Are we going to do ticket on departure on Star Mobile? LE: We are looking at it and are currently testing it as a back-up and will not be

advertising it as an option for customers, so we want to check it is fully working and will also require a wi-fi connection to link to other systems.

Follow-up from 21st February 2018 Agenda Meeting items: CR: At the last Agenda meeting we asked about Oxford and the Star Mobile trial

payment and it has not been paid yet even though DC said it had been signed-off.

DC: It would be good to hear this earlier than now.

CR: I have only just been made aware in last couple of days from the Local Rep.

DC: I will get something out to local managers today.

CR: Comms to Managers what is happening? We are hearing rumours about managers leaving - including senior managers

– we were not made aware ie at Company Council which we will raise that, just to be advised would be helpful.

DC: What I can say is that there have been some changes to the Management

Team and some financial savings to the Business. I can say that it does not apply to the Line Management or anyone in my Team who is being made compulsory redundant. There may be a non-compulsory redundancy within my Team in the future. For our Team we are recruiting new managers within the OBS Management.

CR: Thank you for that.

1. Continuation of Agenda Items from 21st February 2018 Agenda Meeting 1.1 Guards Items: Inconsistencies in information available re revenue staff on IET

CR: It has been confusing that we have found out we are not getting much information other than: can you work this train at this time; however, in MD’s area they are getting much more information and it would be a good to use it across the Business.

DC: I have asked the Teams to share the practise. We have done quite a bit of

work on this so that Control know who is meant to be on the train, so if the Ticket Examiner is not there the Guards can ring Control and ask who is meant to be there.


MD: The information is forwarded to every guard in South Wales via email and

also posted on the notice board so guards know what is happening, but it is not happening in all areas. Also, we asked for phone numbers to be added so we could contact them if necessary.

DC: I will share some news with you. M Hughes (Revenue Protection &

Prosecutions Development Manager) has been managing the East Revenue Protection Team for the last few months, and he is now coming out of that and the East Revenue Protection Team will now work for the Regional On Train Manager, East (D Waite) as they do in the other areas. M Hughes will go back to managing the Prosecutions Team.

MD: Another issue is that the Local Manager sent a text to colleagues saying that

it was agreed at OTDC that it was preferred to lock the train out of use if there was no Ticket Examiner there, even if there is a spare Guard available.

DC: We have not said that – can you take that back.

MD: I will do, and we have also said use a spare Guard. DC: We have also advised Control of that. MD: We have an issue with the 1845 which is a busy train and we are locking out

one set. We have challenged it and said that is not the case.

DC: I will advise my Team of this again. MM: We have examples of it where Guards are not being utilised. CR: Thank you for sorting out the keys for Revenue Protection staff, they are

being issued and they want to pass on their thanks.

Also, I had to speak to a manager that advising that Ticket Examiner could

not work the train as they had not had evacuation training, which they need to have.

1.2 Seat Reservation Problems on IET

MD: Are all colleagues aware that they must report any IET train with seat reservations not working – there is a fix due either this week or next and hopefully it will rectify the problem and a massive surge of people reporting it to Hitachi.

MM: We are seeing paper reservations used. CR: I have spoken to the person sorting out new Cycling Policy (M Youngman) as

we are not happy that people could reserve a cycling reservation as they turn up at the station ie as the train is on the move. I have said it is not feasible or practical as the area should be utilised for luggage if it is empty and we agreed that here.

DC: I am not sure we have done that. They have talked about the dynamic bike

reservation system. I think we should watch what happens with that – it stems back to a House of Commons debate.


CR: In theory it is good but in practicality it would be difficult. DC: Through On Train Safety Improvement Group we have a project on this and B

Roberts (Reading Conductor and H&S Rep) is involved as well as others from other depots.

1.3 Review of routes specific to each depot - ref page 40 of Guards

Harmonisation 2010

NM: It is an issue with a Manager getting Conductors to sign routes they don’t normally do, ie Worcester on units – that they don’t work in their Links which causes problems to Train Managers and is a cheaper option, and Rosters are rostering Conductors to do uncovered Worcester Turns for example and not giving Rest Day Working to a Train Manager.

DC: We can do this, it is in the Harmonisation document and it works. NM: Even if there is no work? When I ask for additional routes they say no as

your depot does not have any work.

DC: It works that we can do it this way but you cannot ask for more routes. I want

to do something with this, for example Reading Guards who are leaning to Cheltenham and it makes sense for Conductors to sign Worcester.

NM: And being paid Train Manager pay? DC: If they work a Turn NM: It is a Train Manager route. DC: If they work an HST they will get paid the higher grade. There are no Train

Manager routes.

MM: Cheltenham was a diversionary route and we have Conductors at Gloucester

and 10 or 11 are being trained on IETs and they have no work. Reading are being trained and some Bristol Train Managers are still to be trained.

DC: In terms of priority we have to get Train Managers trained first, and they have

trained Conductors - they have had down time to do that. Presumably they did not have booked work on that day?

MM: It was Rest Day Working. DC: I am comfortable with that and we have not said we will not train a Train

Manager as we are training a Conductor.

MM: It seems we are wasting resources to train Conductors instead of Train

Managers.

DC: We can do this. CR: What MM is saying is that it possibly looks like a window of opportunity to

train up others before training Train Managers has been taken.


DC: I don’t think you are saying by training Gloucester Conductors it has stopped Bristol Train Managers.

MM: Why are we training Conductors to work IETs when they have no work, is

there provision for them to have IET work at Gloucester, and presumably the work will be distributed across other depots?

DC: It probably tracks back to us training Conductors on HSTs at some depots

and people would like the opportunity. I don’t have a plan to give them booked work at the moment this side of any restructuring deal I have with you.

MM: So no booked work, how will they keep their competence? DC: They will need to have some refresh if they are not working IETs regularly. SL: It is a concern with Gloucester Conductors with the increase in services going

through the Golden Valley and some unit work will be 5 car IETs.

DC: Which is a good reason to do it. SL: It is in view of the future increase in services.

CR: It is about an agreement we have about looking at increased or decreased

work and it would have to come here.

DC: Not necessarily. The Establishment Calculator will say if there is more work

then you need more people and there are people who are trained already. What do you want me to do? I am comfortable with it are you not?

MM: No, I am not. As an example, we have talked about learning Plymouth and

we have been told no, there is no need.

DC: Sometimes we see a need and some logic to doing things ie the upskilling of

Conductors to learn HSTs as there is more high-speed work, but if we do not see a need then there is no need to do it.

MM: My concern is that they do not have work. DC: I appreciate your view and I am acting in the spirit and letter of Harmonisation

and I am doing that at Reading as well.

MD: Getting back to the Agenda item – referring to page 40 of guards

Harmonisation document.

SL: This was raised at a Staff Side about another depot learning a route that a lot

of people already sign.

DC: We can have that discussion in the future. There is also an element of ‘one

guard’ about it.

CR: Which is our aspiration. MD: Having that resource does solve a lot of issues particularly on Sundays.


CR: Can we think about the use of the grades while we are under discussion of

the Guards Harmonisation 2 Package, as we would rather see a Guard on the train rather than a manager.

DC: I am sensitive to that. MD: The outcome of that discussion? CR: There is a fix in the future. DC: I would rather leave it with the Regional Manager to have a look at. CR: And you will feedback to us? DC: Yes. MD: We are learning some additional routes in preparation for upcoming

engineering possessions.

DC: I am aware of that and it also helps with the Sundays situation which can be

very resource heavy for some services.

2. Hardship Move Request 2.1 Exeter OBS to Plymouth OBS

Copy of the applicant’s letter forwarded to DC. SH: We have spoken to the Local Managers who are happy with this request and

there are vacancies.

DC: Request agreed.

2.2 Revenue Protection Hardship requests (CR) CR: There are 2 Revenue Protection Inspectors based at Slough who used to be

based in Paddington many years ago and wondered if for their better work life balance, it would be better for them to be based in Paddington. There is currently one vacancy in Paddington for a Revenue Protection Inspector.

DC: I will need to check on this and come back to you.

3. Joint Items 3.1 Current Vacancies for all grades

CR: We would like the current vacancies for the depot for the grades. We have spoken about this a few times as we have vacancies left in abeyance for a while, and also if they have been signed-off, just so we can keep close to it.

DC: I have some information that I can share with you, however it is a fast moving

situation and I need to give you what you want.

CR: We have to be careful with all grades, for example to say Establishments

against Actual.


DC: Are there things that are causing you concern or specific locations?

CR: We would ask you for that. DC: We are filling vacancies. We have no interest or desire to not fill vacancies as

fast as possible.

MM: An issue was at Paddington at the last diagram meeting where we were -9. DC: We were not and we are not now at that point. We are filling jobs quickly. My

issue is the speed of the process for recruitment and then training.

When you know you have a job you get it on an Authority To Recruit and it

flows through the Business and can take time. It is now an App but still takes time to get the authorisations, and then to HR to get the go ahead to add it to the vacancy list. Then you have the applications and the recruitment process has to be followed and this all takes time which can be 10 weeks.

CR: We understand that. DC: The next issue is training, and that has been an issue but the Training Team

have managed to add in more courses and we are now running 17 courses this year, with 7 or 8 Guards per course. Also, some of those courses will be in Newton Abbot which is good news.

Then you are down to training time and you are looking at anything from 10 –

22 weeks from training to being passed out - depending on route knowledge required.

We have been hit at some depots where we have had a lot of colleague

movement / changes and if that has not been predicted it causes lots of problems within the depot and for the Business. Also, it depends on the depot location and where you are recruiting from ie off the street or from within other GWR grades.

We do have a degree of predictive recruitment and we will automatically recruit

a certain amount of people in a year ie we will recruit based on turn-over we know will be there - from historical data – and we will work out when in the year to recruit those people. This is to create a buffer, but when people leave we do recruit against them, otherwise you then become short without having a buffer.

Another issue is with Driver recruitment which can take a number of people in

one go.

CR: We have different arrangements for people transferring depot to depot or

welfare moves how does that affect your workings?

DC: They are calculated in terms of they were not working in the depot they were

working in when we made the calculations.

CR: So, if a Train Manager wanted to transfer depot to depot they would take

priority?


DC: This is about taking on people before they are leaving, so the person who

wants to transfer may have wait until there are vacancies.

CR: We do have an agreement about transfers ie once in their career. DC: They still have to wait for a vacancy or they may be able to move based on the

predictive recruitment.

NC: Does that include extra services? DC: No that goes into the diagrams, so that drives your Establishment levels.

However, we also look at draft diagrams and can do predictive recruitment for that and also to cover for additional training requirements etc.

MM: Does it include secondments? DC: No. We do replace secondment people depending on the terms of the

secondment and Maternity Leave.

3.2 Guard Establishment Calculator Review

CR: We need to get on with it. DC: We can do it – we will bring C Phillips (Workforce Planning Manager – On

Board & Stations) along. What do you want to get out of it?

CR: Ensuring there is enough scope in the Calculator to cover the work the Depots

have.

DC: You do need to be mindful if you increase the Establishment you end up with

more Spare in the Links, which some locations are not comfortable with. We can do it if you want to.

3.3 Council request for formulation of minutes to include ongoing updated items

(as per the Agenda)

CR: It would be proactive for us to have the list of items on our Agenda. SH: We don’t want to review it each time we will only pick up if there is an issue or

a pattern, which we believe might reduce some of our agenda items.

DC: I have referred this list to our HR Team and I have a statement from C White

(Head of Employee Relations) who advises it would breach Data Protection etc.

I am happy to go through the list however in view of C White’s statement we

have to be compliant.

CR: It is not about the names it is about the numbers. DC: That can also almost identify an individual. Fixed Term Contracts would be a

no.

CR: It is about the Engineering changes with Swansea, Laira and Old Oak

Common.


DC: We have them in Swansea. Part Time Contracts: No – the local reps know about these due to the Links. Agency workers: We don’t have any. CR: We have agency staff working on the Class 387s. DC: They work for Stations not On Board. Grievances / Disciplinaries: you can get that from Company Council. Welfare Moves come through OTDC so you are aware of them. CR: This is to keep an eye on how many we have. DC: As a suggestion if you keep them on the Staff Side Agenda until they

moved, and you can do that with internal transfers and medically restricted moves.

Stood-off: No. Flexible working: no as that is known locally. MFA / AAC: we will not do that – you can get that from Company Council. Staff injuries / accidents: we have that information and can discuss that, and

we do that at our OTSIG meetings and are learning points.

Establishments and Headcounts: we can do that. Vacancies / Predictive Recruitment / Secondments: we can do that. Adhoc Manager usage: we are not tracking that. CR: That is important to us to know if you have enough managers to look after

the staff.

DC: In some locations these people are being used for development

opportunities for the individuals, not because we don’t have managers.

CR: We understand that. We will discuss this later. Local Agreements: CR: They have to come here for ratification, and we do not get any. So you

know, Managers can send them to us as well.

3.4 Comms during extreme weather (MM)

MM: Following the recent bad weather we had an instance of Train Managers stranded on trains with no comms and it became difficult for our colleagues.


DC: I have created a short notice review of the weekend and have included the comms issues, and that has gone into a formal review process. We can say everyone made best endeavours but sometimes it does melt down.

MM: There were issues of nobody answering the telephones. DC: There were melt downs during that period – we have also had some heroes

during that period and we are trying to track all of that and ensuring they are recognised for their efforts.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions?

MM: We had lots of managers on call and it would have been good to have a list of

who was on call.

DC: If you go onto CURLs (on the Samsung phones) there is a system for the

whole GWR on-call structure and you can find out who is on call when. If anything changes that is done on the system.

SH: If there is an incident like this and everyone has a mobile phone – can you

get a message out to everyone to say these are the things you do in this particular situation that could be forwarded.

MM: There must be an order of cover ie who is in charge etc. JI: There was knowledge of this snow coming and it didn’t seem to be planned. CR: What about some hotline numbers for extreme circumstances. DC: You can always ring your Line Manager. CR: But they may not always be able to help. DC: They can be the next default – maybe not 24 hours. I will put that through

about a hotline. Anything else?

NC: There didn’t seem to be a plan and in our case, there were no Train

Managers and only HST Mainline services running.

SL: Some Train Operators stopped services earlier on and we did not do that and

were even encouraging people to travel even though the advice was not to travel.

DC: We did prune the service but we could not just close the whole service down. CR: Also, one message for all staff as it is pointless saying to some staff they can

go home early but what about other staff who were affected and could not go early, especially if a Guard turns up at a station and there are no staff.

MD: In South Wales some locations had no Station staff whatsoever and some

night services had not arrived before the early morning train left. Also issues of taxis taking staff to locations and then the taxi turning back due to the road conditions.


CR: Also issues about Resources advising colleagues they would get a taxi when Cabfind said there are no taxis – we have taken that to Company Council.

4. Management Items: DC: There are a number of things I would like to discuss:

4.1 IET working and Ticket Examiners (TEs) DC: TEs are still working the front half of IETs. We are doing our best and they are

doing their best and doing a great job – some like it and some don’t. We are still locking trains out and we have more and more IETs coming and it is totally unsustainable now.

We put a proposal in front of you which you accepted which was then

subsequently knocked back in terms of a temporary Agreement for Customer Hosts to fulfil this role. We accepted where we were due to the Catering Deal which was going through and off back of the vote - if successful - we were coming here to say let us look at early implementation of a short-term Deal as an early phase of the Catering Deal.

We have to relook at this now and the front set IETs, so my proposal is to

introduce the Proposal to you that we utilise the Customer Hosts on a voluntary basis to elect to become ‘front set leads’ - for want of a better expression - and we ask Customer Hosts who would like to be part of this - and those who say yes we put them through one day of training which I have defined ,and we utilise them to do the role and pay them an allowance on the occasion they do it.

I am happy to put it on a fixed term basis and we can run IETs without fear of

locking out and avoiding the current mayhem we have. We can then leave it in place while we sort out the longer-term solution which is as outlined in the Catering Deal you already agreed - hopefully.

CR: We will have to take the Proposal to our Head Office due to what is happening

with the Catering Deal and see what they will come back with, if the Council are in agreement with this?

Council agreed they were. DC: I would like you to have another go with this please. We are causing grief to

our customers; our colleagues who are confused with this and we are using TEs for the wrong purpose.

CR: As you said we did support the last Proposal. I think yourself or R Rowland

(GWR Customer Service & Transformation Director) should write personally with this proposal to B West (RMT Regional Organiser) also to S Hedley (RMT Assistant General Secretary) stating the reasons for it.

MD: Regarding the remuneration, could we change it - as £20 did cause some

consternation - to the pro-rata rate of pay for the Leading Customer Host?

DC: That was based on all the pay increases we put into the Package.


SH: If you changed it to a percentage eg: 20% it is better than £20. Surely Payroll could work it out.

NC: It is relative to the length of shift they work.

DC: Not necessarily as people will get the payment for doing the role.

NC: A percentage would be better than a fixed amount. CR: So, can we have 20%? DC: You can have the 20%. CR: What do the Catering colleagues think? DC: We will say 20% with a potential to review. CR: If the Council are happy with that? Council agreed they were. CR: Can you also send the letter to S Hedley? DC: I can do that. CR: Can you make the change of £20 to 20% and also get the letter to B West. MD: You are happy to confirm to use any spare Guard? DC: Yes. MD: Would you bring them in on Rest Day Work?

DC: Yes. If you can talk to the local teams and suggest you can get Train

Managers in to do that then I am happy for you to do that.

MD: We know what needs covering.

4.2 Proposal for Voluntary Redundancy Scheme for Revenue Protection Grades

in the East Region

DC: I will give you a Proposal for a Voluntary Redundancy scheme for Revenue Protection grades in the East Region. The reason for this is that there are changes in Revenue Protection as we have seen with ticket retailing, also the structural change with CrossRail and their own recruitment.

We are not having to lose Revenue Protection colleagues but there is an

opportunity to do so and we are in a position where we can offer Voluntary Redundancy to around about 20 people in the East Revenue Protection Grades covering both Revenue Protection Inspectors and Ticket Examiners.


My proposal is – and I will share the paperwork at our next meeting and you can discuss it. I will stress that this is a Voluntary Redundancy scheme categorically and no question of it morphing into anything else whatsoever.

If we do not ultimately find people who want to go and go on the basis we can

let them go through the scheme, I am proposing then we will not do it, but there is an opportunity.

We are doing it as the Business gets very focused on cost and whilst Revenue

Protection bring in a lot of money to GWR, if you take a slice of the East Team do we still get most of the money for what 20 people less cost – there is a financial argument for doing this and making it viable.

This is about exploring if there are 20 people in Revenue Protection who might

like to take the opportunity to leave the Business earlier than they had planned and take some financial recompense to do so.

CR: Do you have figures of grades available ie how many in each grade? DC: Yes, I can get that for you. CR: We have to be mindful of M Henry not being here due to joint Trades Union

recognition.

CR: Are you mindful of Oxford, Redhill, Reading and Worcester for Revenue

Protection grades?

DC: Yes. CR: Are the figures roughly the same as other grades? DC: Yes, we have used that scheme. CR: Around 20, if it was more or less would it be ok, ie you would not need exactly

20?

DC: We could review it, however if there were a lot more who would express an

interest, then we would have to put some criteria in as we would not want to let all of them go.

CR: We would need to make sure we put the right message out. NC: Is there a relocation opportunity ie a Package to move to another region as an

alternative?

DC: There could be if there were vacancies. CR: The Voluntary scheme is for those who want to go. DC: If someone who was in a role in Slough wanted to become a Guard

somewhere we could look at it, if it prompts someone to say that.

CR: We can discuss this further at our next meeting on 12th March 2018.


If you have Revenue Protection Inspectors who do not want to be a Revenue Protection Inspector who want to become a Ticket Examiner is that a possibility?

DC: Yes, that is possible and I am happy to explore that. CR: It would need some discussion based on Terms & Conditions etc. DC: Thank you for that and we will discuss further on Monday.

Meeting dates: •

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30th May 2018

David Crome Signed …………………………… Date …………………………

30th May 2018

Chris Reilly Signed …………………………… Date ………………………..

30th May 2018

Steve Harvey Signed …………………………… Date ………………………..

Documents

GWR ON-TRAIN DIVISIONAL COUNCIL