Heathrow Express: industrial relations, corporate dress and other discussions (merged)

[whole diary]

[FarWestJohn]

That uniform is absolutely appalling - I pity the staff.

If they had made it orange it could have been high visibility and dual purpose.

All very sad - another reason for a strike?

[paul7575]

Reminds me of that schoolboy joke, 'how would you hide an elephant in a bowl of custard?' for some reason... 

Looks like ideal camouflage for that particular situation.

Paul

[johoare]

Oh dear.. If it were April 1st I'd almost understand it..

[Btline]

That uniform is SHOCKING. Somebody please report it to the DM!

Surely HEx will get absorbed into Crossrail. I cannot see it suruvuing in the long term, as it eats vital fast line paths and passenger numbers will dwindle once people can board a Crossrail train straight to Canary Wharf in 45 minutes. I suspect it'll get axed.

[EBrown]

A friend of mine pointed out where she thought Heathrow Express' inspiration came from.

[Lee]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Heathrow Express rail strikes called off

A union has called off strikes on the Heathrow Express after a dispute over disciplinary action taken against two employees was resolved.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union had walked out twice and had scheduled two more strikes for this weekend.

The industrial action had been in protest at the sacking of a driver and action against another worker.

The Heathrow Express rail link runs from the west London airport to Paddington station.

[JayMac]

From Buying Business Travel (13/06/2014):

Heathrow Express hit by fresh strike action

Rail union RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) has confirmed a fourth wave of industrial action across Heathrow Express, in a long-running row over pay and working conditions.

The strikes will take place from midday on June 19 until midday on June 20, and again for 24 hours on June 22.

RMT claims Heathrow Express management ^sabotaged^ this week's (June 11) ACAS talks and has ^resorted to issuing threats to sack hundreds of staff^ if members don^t call off their strikes.

The union said the company is taking "an all-out assault on pay, jobs and safety^.

Heathrow Express has warned it cannot rule out job losses if the RMT presses ahead with further ^wrong-headed^ strike action.

The company issued the stark warning after fresh strike dates were issued by union group the RMT, which claims Heathrow Express^ management plans to cut 201 jobs, freeze staff pay, remove the Customer Service Representative Grade and create a new Grade in its place on ^inferior pay^.

RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said it put forward a viable framework for resolving the dispute, which ^wasn^t even considered^ by Heathrow Express.

^The planned axing of jobs, and the associated freezing and hacking back of pay and working conditions, is a kick in the teeth for the staff who have made Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect the success story that they are today,^ said Cash.

^The staff have stood up and been counted and it is down to company to halt the cuts plans and start talking seriously about a safe and secure future for this vital London transport link.^

Heathrow Express^ managing director Keith Greenfield said: ^Job losses were the one thing our proposals avoided - but the RMT^s wrong-headed path of repeated strikes has added to our costs, forcing us to now consider redundancies.

^From the outset we have warned the RMT that strikes are not the answer as they are increasing costs when we are trying to reduce them. They have ignored this advice."

Greenfield added: ^The RMT leadership alone is responsible for putting its own members^ jobs at risk. We warned them. They ignored the warning. Now, entirely unnecessarily, their members^ futures are far less certain.^

Heathrow Express workers walked out for 24 hours on June 4 and for two 24-hour periods over the bank holiday weekend as part of the ongoing dispute.

[SDS]

HEx is the jewel in the crown of BAA, sorry Heathrow Aiport Holdings, and it makes substantial profits. However since BAA lost most of its airports it has to make the money back somewhere.

I have know HEx senior managers to be backstabbing blackmailing people. (aledged). I do remember a few years ago when HEx were striking over the sacking of their rep that they even asked FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to provide cover. Needless to say when the FGW SSM asked the FGW dispatchers she was told to beep beep!
I also have personally seen the MD solo dispatching HEx trains at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains). Now as far as I was aware at the time he was neither licenced nor should he have solo dispatched as he could not see the full length of the train!

[John R]

Now as far as I was aware at the time he was neither licenced nor should he have solo dispatched as he could not see the full length of the train!

How would you know whether or not he was licenced?  And given the platforms are straight at Paddington, why wouldn't he be able to see the full length?

[SDS]

Because I was told he wasn't licenced by the person who subsequently trained him in dispatch many months later.

Most platforms at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) have a curve on them towards the country end. Which is why when dispatching an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set you are supposed to have 3 people dispatching, you can at a push get away with 2 (and TM^‡(resolve) acting as 3rd person).

 When you have two HEx sets working out of 6/7 you cannot see the full length because of the curve. You can see the curve here  http://tunnellingjournal.com/files/2011/07/Paddington-Station-architects-view-of-completed-PIP-observed-from-Bishops-Bridge-Road.jpeg

[grahame]

Most platforms at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) have a curve on them towards the country end. Which is why when dispatching an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set you are supposed to have 3 people dispatching, you can at a push get away with 2 (and TM^‡(resolve) acting as 3rd person).

Is that the same for inside curve platforms (odd numbers) and outside curve platforms (even numbers?)

[John R]

Most platforms at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) have a curve on them towards the country end. Which is why when dispatching an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set you are supposed to have 3 people dispatching, you can at a push get away with 2 (and TM^‡(resolve) acting as 3rd person).

 When you have two HEx sets working out of 6/7 you cannot see the full length because of the curve. You can see the curve here  http://tunnellingjournal.com/files/2011/07/Paddington-Station-architects-view-of-completed-PIP-observed-from-Bishops-Bridge-Road.jpeg

OK, I understand now. I guess with HST's doors can be left on the catch, but that's not an issue on Hex. Can you remember where he was despatching from, as I would have thought a position close to the front of the train could have a clear sightline both forward and back.

[SDS]

From the TRTS^▸ (Train Ready To Start. A plunger/switch pressed by platform dispatch staff that informs the signaller that a train is ready to depart.) box which is middle London End of 6/7.

[SDS]

Most platforms at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) have a curve on them towards the country end. Which is why when dispatching an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set you are supposed to have 3 people dispatching, you can at a push get away with 2 (and TM^‡(resolve) acting as 3rd person).

Is that the same for inside curve platforms (odd numbers) and outside curve platforms (even numbers?)

Yes. Sometimes you can't see the TGS on an inside curve thanks to the supports for the over bridge. TGS being a danger area as the door does not have CDL^▸ (Central Door Locking).