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Harecastle Tunnel employees to be made redundant.


wandering snail

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You can only make a person redundant because their job doesn't exist any more.  That's what redundant means.

So after doing that and removing the post from the organisation, utilising a volunteer to continue the duties, wouldn't be a wise move.  It would leave the door wide open for those staff now unemployed to have their day in court.

 

I imagine what has really happened is no one has lost their employment.  More likely a local restructuring has identified duties more important to the organisation and are using the staff to better advantage in order to support the key operations of the organisation.  That will allow volunteers to be trained up to backfill, usually it's suggested that in the future should needs & budgets allow it the posts could return to being active and those filling it as volunteers welcomed as applicants.

 

Then again what do I know?

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47 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The original permanent staff were no longer directly employed by CRT, but via an agency. As they were seasonal, they just didn't get asked to come back. Those that were, had their hours changed without notice. I doubt redundancy rules applied.

 

No, not for agency staff. It's the type of contract that would suit a retired person looking for temp work. It's not altogether a rough deal, if short term suits a person. It is a very poor contract for those looking for full-time employment. People looking for more security, if they have any sense, will not find the agency contract desirable and may elect not to return to the same setup. 

 

Depending on how involved a particular job is, the degree of experience gained is lost each time a person leaves and a new person takes over; and that can happen a lot in industrial settings. It is one of the downsides of a reliance on agency contract convenience being used by industry. 

 

 

 

Edited by Higgs
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I've seen the petition, but I can't find any evidence that it's true.  In any case, isn't Standedge manned by volunteers?

 

I came through Harecastle earlier this summer and was surprised by how little attention I got from the tunnel keeper.  I was expecting some kind of safety briefing after the tragic death a few years back, but nothing came.  I'd read on line that I needed a working horn but no checks were made.  So I'm not sure what the paid staff are doing which a volunteer wouldn't do?

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14 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

I've seen the petition, but I can't find any evidence that it's true.  In any case, isn't Standedge manned by volunteers?

 

I came through Harecastle earlier this summer and was surprised by how little attention I got from the tunnel keeper.  I was expecting some kind of safety briefing after the tragic death a few years back, but nothing came.  I'd read on line that I needed a working horn but no checks were made.  So I'm not sure what the paid staff are doing which a volunteer wouldn't do?

The original staff always made you sound the horn and checked the headlight. They gave you a spiel too, and a bit of paper. The only change I noticed was that they did the spiel further away from us.

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3 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

They were certainly doing a safety briefing and checking horns and lights two weeks ago.

As I say, I got none of that.  I'd booked in advance, and moored up at the back of the queue at the south end.  I walked down to find the tunnel keeper.  He showed me little interest, but noted I was there.  I set off into the tunnel, following the boat in front.  That was it.  I do wonder what I've have missed out on had the tunnel keeper been a volunteer?

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Among the many things I do not understand is; why all the fuss ,briefings etc. when transitting Harecastle. When you go from Tardebigge through Wast Hills and Tardebigge tunnels there are no keepers etc. I appreciate these are two way and therefore don't require marshalling but the risks are still present. Likewise the 3 tunnels when you leave Anderton heading North when you have to abide by the timings .

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1 minute ago, colmac said:

Among the many things I do not understand is; why all the fuss ,briefings etc. when transitting Harecastle. When you go from Tardebigge through Wast Hills and Tardebigge tunnels there are no keepers etc. I appreciate these are two way and therefore don't require marshalling but the risks are still present. Likewise the 3 tunnels when you leave Anderton heading North when you have to abide by the timings .

 

If you think Harecastle is a fuss you should try Standedge tunnel.  Book in advance only, get measured at the entrance in detail, chaperoned transit and three stops to check in with the office by telephone to report progress.

 

It's great! :)

 

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17 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

If you think Harecastle is a fuss you should try Standedge tunnel.  Book in advance only, get measured at the entrance in detail, chaperoned transit and three stops to check in with the office by telephone to report progress.

 

It's great! :)

 

Quoted as the safest tunnel on the system by the chaparones. 

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1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

If you think Harecastle is a fuss you should try Standedge tunnel.  Book in advance only, get measured at the entrance in detail, chaperoned transit and three stops to check in with the office by telephone to report progress.

 

It's great! :)

 

Especially when your chaperone is on crutches!

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1 minute ago, pearley said:

Especially when your chaperone is on crutches!

Alister is his name. Sat on the tug deck on our boat. Gave a nice commentry to my wife. Me of course couldn't hear a thing. Over shot the call in places as his hand signals was all I got. ?

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2 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

If you think Harecastle is a fuss you should try Standedge tunnel.  Book in advance only, get measured at the entrance in detail, chaperoned transit and three stops to check in with the office by telephone to report progress.

I don't remember any of this fuss when we went through in 1974. Getting in and out was a bit of a problem though. HughC.

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6 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

I've seen the petition, but I can't find any evidence that it's true.  In any case, isn't Standedge manned by volunteers?

 

I came through Harecastle earlier this summer and was surprised by how little attention I got from the tunnel keeper.  I was expecting some kind of safety briefing after the tragic death a few years back, but nothing came.  I'd read on line that I needed a working horn but no checks were made.  So I'm not sure what the paid staff are doing which a volunteer wouldn't do?

I read on FB a posting from the person who raised the petition that she was told by one of the tunnel keepers when she came through this week

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7 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I read on FB a posting from the person who raised the petition that she was told by one of the tunnel keepers when she came through this week

So it a petition based on a bit of hearsay.  I wasn't planning to sign.  I'm definitely not now.  Goes to show how many sheep will simply sign anything they're told to.

 

p.s.  She's lucky they even spoke to her.

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3 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

So it a petition based on a bit of hearsay.  I wasn't planning to sign.  I'm definitely not now.  Goes to show how many sheep will simply sign anything they're told to.

 

p.s.  She's lucky they even spoke to her.

I deleted the OPs name as last time a member here reported me for it.

image.png

 

A link to the petition

 https://www.change.org/p/canal-river-trust-no-to-volunteer-tunnel-keepers-at-harecastle-tunnel?recruiter=67276908&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&recruited_by_id=70f47130-d5f5-0130-a149-3c764e0480c1&utm_content=fht-24334571-en-gb%3A3

 

 

Edited by ditchcrawler
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24 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I deleted the OPs name as last time a member here reported me for it.

Surely no-one sanctioned you for leaving the originators name on a post you quoted?  If that's a thing, I'm really missing the point of it! 

 

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One other thing that worries me about using vollies is that they can turn up for duty, or not, as and when they feel like it. Imagine how many people's holidays would be ruined by just one man deciding he couldn't be bothered to attend for one day, including those who had hired from Black Prince at Stoke, failing to get back in time and losing their deposit as a result plus messing up their travel arrangements and delaying the holidays of the people who had hired for the following week.

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1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Surely no-one sanctioned you for leaving the originators name on a post you quoted?  If that's a thing, I'm really missing the point of it! 

 

Some months ago I copied a Facebook message here with the posters name on it. A member here who is also on FB got upset about it.

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