[Yudster]

I WAS TIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Still am.........

[Bonanzoid]

I've only heard one of Greg James' summer job thing on Radio 1, but can anyone tell me if the others have been as bad radio as today's pish?

[Johnny 1989]

Annoying (well making me sad) today is knowing that I have to go to a meeting on Friday afternoon (with 20 odd others) to find out if we have jobs or not Bad times

Fingers crossed that you're kept on Jill

I kind of know how you are feeling, as I've said before on here 2/3rds of my office have been made redundant except for my department & another department, however on Monday they said that the managers of those departments were in threat of redundancy. That then leaves us lot, of which we're just about struggling with the mega increase in workload, however if the shareholders in the US want more * cuts, they'll have them. I honestly think our shareholders want to destroy our firm, I really do.

Thanks Johnny, we'll have to wait and see. Had a big scary memo saying we HAD to be there, even if we aren't due to work that day, so it must be big.

I hope things get better for your place

Bloody hell, that does sound serious, well fingers crossed for you.

Thanks also, I really hope it does get better at my place, but as it stands, it's getting worse & worse

[Johnny 1989]

Being tired is annoying me. I had a late night on Tuesday because I went to Mr Y's squash team's match (they lost), and then had to get up at 5.30 on Wednesday morning because he had to be in work early on Wednesday. And today and tomorrow there are rail strikes so in order to make sure he can actually get into work (there are four trains this morning and four this afternoon) I had to get him to the station at stupid o'* again this morning.

Finding it hard to be annoyed (well, too annoyed) with the rail unions though - Network Rail are the only franchise that have given minimal payrises this year (about £200 a year - all the other franchises have done much more) but at the same time they have awarded Network Rail managers 10% of their already inflated salaries, plus large bonuses. Also, the franchise has loads of vacancies in every department which they refuse to recruit, so the staff they have got are often effectively doing more than one job each. The strike is a pain in the arse, but all things considered, I can't really blame them.

As someone who has used the GER Line for years (when it was Network South East, then Great Eastern Railways, First Great Eastern, One Railway & then National Express East Anglia, of which I assume you are refering to) they really have got worse & worse. As you say lack of staff means that everyone is doing 2, 3, 4 peoples jobs each. I have noticed this at Stratford in particular where there would be 2-3 staff in their "monitoring" office, 2-3 on both metro platforms & 1 on the express platforms. All the staff used to smile & be very helpful, this was back in the NSE days

Fast forward to 2009 & under NXEA there's hardly any staff, they all look pissed off & won't help you with anything "Outside their remit". They look knackered & seem to do far longer shifts than they used to.

Yet pity those poor shareholders as they won't get asd much profit as they did a couple of years back, boo-hoo my heart bleeds for those dozen or so overpaid *

Bloody hell I've gone all Bob Crow, that's not good!

[jocky85]

How far down does NXEA go then? I know Stanstead and Liverpool St? I use First Capital Connect, some of the services I can get are NXEA but fortunately I don't think either of the ones I get to and from work are NXEA so I think I'll be able to get home ok!

[Yudster]

And yes, of course I meant National Express, not Network Rail - what a tit.

[MK Chris]

No. Network Rail don't operate trains, they operate and maintain the railways (I think.) National Express operate trains and buses (but not trains for much longer, aren't they the ones who had their franchise confiscated?)

[Boboff]

[quote="Johnny 1989 As you say lack of staff means that everyone is doing 2, 3, 4 peoples jobs each. I have noticed this at Stratford in particular where there would be 2-3 staff in their "monitoring" office, 2-3 on both metro platforms & 1 on the express platforms. All the staff used to smile & be very helpful, this was back in the NSE days[/quote]

I know this is a mute point, and I should know better than to disagree with Yuds, and Johnny, but I have to say it.

A person can only do one persons job, you can not possibly work three full time jobs at the same time. You are a person with a job, what varies is the amount of time you sit on your arse doing nothing, or even posting on forums, and the time you actually engage in the activities you are paid to engage in.

If people work to the best of their ability, you can only do one job.

People are lucky to have Jobs if you ask me, latest research shows that Directors and CEO's pay is now 20% less than what it was in 2007. The enforsed increases in minimum wage over the last 8 years have created allot of the problems in the jobs market we see today.

The overly unionised transport sector has historically maintained high levels of perks, and inflexibility in working practices. It's about time they had to work for a living and understood that is quality of service to the customers who pay thier wages is what matters.

On a possitive note we went to Plymouth on the train the other day, from a Branch line station near us, the train was on time, clean, new, the staff were flexible and friendly, offered fare advice and smiled. The only down side, two fat twenty somethings who both worked for the Railways who insisted on discussing Railway Politics and staffing, re-organisation and managers sat two seats apart from each other at the tops of their voice, they annoyed me and made me ralise that allot of railway staff are overweight trainspotters, who have yet to loose thier virginity.

[Yudster]

If you look at the figures for the different franchises you will see that most of them have implemented good pay and conditions improvements over the last few years, and also as you say, management and directorial salaries haven't risen much if at all. However National Express is the one glaring exception to this aparently, having frozen pay increases for last year and awarded less than 1% this year to staff, whilst not only increasing management salaries by 10% but increasing director's bonuses by between 15 and 70%. I know rail workers moan a LOT, but I can't really blame them here at the moment.

[Johnny 1989]

If you look at the figures for the different franchises you will see that most of them have implemented good pay and conditions improvements over the last few years, and also as you say, management and directorial salaries haven't risen much if at all. However National Express is the one glaring exception to this aparently, having frozen pay increases for last year and awarded less than 1% this year to staff, whilst not only increasing management salaries by 10% but increasing director's bonuses by between 15 and 70%. I know rail workers moan a LOT, but I can't really blame them here at the moment.

Exactly, when the franchise was First Great Eastern all stations (bar fare dodgers paradise Maryland) were staffed all the time, now with NXEA several of them are hardly staffed at all.

NXEA made £2.5B profits last year, their staff want a 2.5% pay increase & 4% more drivers on the routes. The problem is that NXEA is made up of four franchise areas originally, First Great Eastern, WAGN, Anglia Trains & Stanstead Express, as people have left those franchises they haven't been replaced, staff get bounced round.

Speaking for our work place, the time I'm on here is when I'm either on my lunch break or on a "cigarette break". It's not a case of us been sat on our arses doing nothing, however the problem is they have one person doing a job, of which no one else in the regional office knows about. If that person is on holiday or off sick the particular problem can't be resolved because everyone else in that department hasn't been trained on that work because the other two or three that did know it were made redundant because of "over staffing", when before all these redundancies started we actually needed more staff as we were struggling most of the time.

It's the same in loads of office at the moment, the share holders & directors can't take that they may not get as many profits for a particular year so they slash staff levels ridiculously, the problem is that if you still have the customers but not the amount of staff to do the work you end up losing profits anyway.

[Jill]

Bloody hell, that does sound serious, well fingers crossed for you.

Thanks also, I really hope it does get better at my place, but as it stands, it's getting worse & worse

Aye, I'm getting quite nervous about it. If it does mean i'm a gonner then the thought of getting a new job is scary as there are so many unemployed out there. I've been quite calm about it at work, making jokes with the others about it, but inside i feel sick.
I'm sorry to hear your place is gettin worse, if i'm sacked then i'll come n sort 'em out! hehe - will gimmie summut to do

[Johnny 1989]

Bloody hell, that does sound serious, well fingers crossed for you.

Thanks also, I really hope it does get better at my place, but as it stands, it's getting worse & worse

Aye, I'm getting quite nervous about it. If it does mean i'm a gonner then the thought of getting a new job is scary as there are so many unemployed out there. I've been quite calm about it at work, making jokes with the others about it, but inside i feel sick.
I'm sorry to hear your place is gettin worse, if i'm sacked then i'll come n sort 'em out! hehe - will gimmie summut to do

Yeah that's the best thing to do, think positive and it should (hopefully) calm your nerves.

No point coming down to our office, the people that need "sorting out" are all in the USA, that's why our UK branches are treated like shit so much.

[Jill]

Bloody hell, that does sound serious, well fingers crossed for you.

Thanks also, I really hope it does get better at my place, but as it stands, it's getting worse & worse

Aye, I'm getting quite nervous about it. If it does mean i'm a gonner then the thought of getting a new job is scary as there are so many unemployed out there. I've been quite calm about it at work, making jokes with the others about it, but inside i feel sick.
I'm sorry to hear your place is gettin worse, if i'm sacked then i'll come n sort 'em out! hehe - will gimmie summut to do

Yeah that's the best thing to do, think positive and it should (hopefully) calm your nerves.

No point coming down to our office, the people that need "sorting out" are all in the USA, that's why our UK branches are treated like shit so much.

Yeh, tis stupid though. Us admins are the glue! hmm the u.s.a yeh, maybe i can wash cars for the flight fare

[Nicola_Red]

Today I am annoyed by the fact that I have toothache and need to go to the dentist. I've known for ages that said tooth needed filling but I've been ignoring it cos I've been broke. However, a day after I've laid down a deposit for a new tattoo it decides to start hurting again. I could have used the cash to visit the dentist and get it fixed instead...but that's not gonna happen now. Sooo irritating.

[Boboff]

You can site specifics, I can't agrue them with any alacrity, but..... Things happen for a reason, if the shareholders are not happy, they will not buy into a rights issue to buy new rolling stock etc, now I know that this is all simplistic, my primary fear is that in the current economic climate we are ripe for another winter of discontent, and that is not going to be good for anyone. If everyone sucked it in, worked hard, strengthened their own personal, as well as commercial, and national balance sheets for a while, we might have half a chance of not falling even further behind China and India and Japan, who are all posting high single figure growth digits whilst we argue in a stagnating pool of moans and groans.

Thats all really, people can vote with thier feet, at the end of the day if the deel on the table can be bettered else where they would leave and the company would be forced to address the so say inadequacies in thier offer (I just realised I am on my wifes laptop and without Mozilla my spelling must have been rank, sorry!) So really the staff have a responsibility NOT to strike, NOT to cause deiruption and further financial problems in our economy.

Thats what I think, but then I am a pig.

[Yudster]

All the best Jill, hope it goes ok later.

[Jill]

Thank you Yudster - Will let ya's know tonight

[Jill]

My job has been put on risk. There is a 99% chance i'll be made redundant by mid September

Totally gutted

[Johnny 1989]

My job has been put on risk. There is a 99% chance i'll be made redundant by mid September

Totally gutted

Sorry to hear that Jill

[Boboff]

Be possitive babe, grasp the nettle and plan for the future. You are key and central, eat you friends, keep you wits about you and protect you and yours.... do it now.

Really sorry, to hear the news, but be strong and plan it right.

[Jill]

Cheers guys Trying to put on a brave face and be positive - struggling a bit tho

Will start job hunting tomorrow

[Boboff]

Star

[Yudster]

Ah, sorry Jill - but Boboff is not only right, he's gooooood. Best of luck girlie.

[Jill]

Thanks Yuds

Been having a look online for jobs but there aren't many about for me at the mo. Gonna do a microsoft office specialist certification thingy to add to my C.V.. Every little helps.

[Bonanzoid]

Excuse the French, but what a * idiot.