(28 Oct 2023, 11:28 am)Bazza wrote And by extension job losses.
Remember that GNE provide a service that cannot be outsourced to cheaper countries, they need the employees here.
Job losses would mean, by and large, redundancies, I can guarantee that there will be drivers and engineers happy to take their payments and leave the industry, whether because they are nearing retirement or just happy to go and try something else.
Because of the high staff turn over, there will be a number of staff who were planning on leaving anyway regardless of redundancies.
There will be drivers and engineers who will find work at other operators quite quickly just to fill current vacancies due to the shortages currently being experienced.
If GNE shuts depot(s) and cuts routes, there will be other operators step in to take on routes they could see as profitable, and routes that Nexus and councils will have to keep running. Again creating more jobs for displaced drivers and engineers.
So if I was currently a GNE driver I could see the current dispute as a bit of a gamble, with either a vastly improved renumeration package or at worse a move to another operator ( in the case of ANE and Stagecoach) with a slightly better package that I now have.
With the current driver shortage, it is likely the only ones left unemployed are those who possibly shouldn’t be employed in the first place.
And of course managers and ancillary staff.
I know this is a simplistic view. But quite an accurate one I think.
Not to mention with the very heavily linked upcoming franchising coming into play, someone like First or Rotala might fancy a depot up here so when they come around they have a foot in the door to go for something bigger.
Ironically what GoNorthWest done pretty much.
(28 Oct 2023, 11:50 am)Adrian wrote I agree with the sentiment of this, but I do think Nexus should be doing something; they should be urgently reviewing any contract/secured service work that Go North East is contracted to deliver, and either terminating it due to non-performance, or look to put it out to emergency tender.
Remember when GCT were in this situation a year or so ago, with not having the ability to deliver what they'd signed up to? Everyone was calling for their heads then.
Yeah agreed with the contract work, same with Co. Durham to be fair. Similar to what Northumberland County Council have done in Hexham pretty much. The suggestions seemed to be to tender out stuff to cover the likes of the 20, 56 and X1 though.