What we are paying CRT for...

[Neil2]

Called in at Tyle Mill on the K&A earlier today to get water. Those who know it will recall there is a lock and a swing bridge which takes a little while to negotiate. As we entered the lock I noticed a CRT van parked by the san station with two guys sat inside. It was there for the 20 minutes or so it took us to do the lock and the bridge, and when we got to the water point the guys sat inside for another half hour or so while we filled up, emptied the loo etc. Then they got out and spent 10 minutes, literally, clearing away some weeds from the entrance to the elsan point after which they returned to the comfort of their van. They were still sat there when we left so I guess they did about ten minutes work in an hour. At no point did they acknowledge our presence or engage with us in any way.

 

Now, there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what seemed at first sight to be a couple of lazy individuals engaged in a somewhat superficial and superfluous activity, and managing to ignore people who pay their wages at the same time.

 

But that's what it looked like, and that's the point.

 

This is the latest of several examples we've witnessed this year where the CRT workforce seem to have some perverse intent on creating a poor image of themselves. Does anyone else recognise it?

[Slim]

Time of day?

[Thorfast]

Does anyone else recognise it?

No

Do you know when their work shift started, when they will finish for the day, when their breaks were due, what their task was? No....so lets all make assumptions and knock CRT again.

[W+T]

As above and i would think that they think CRT pay there wages not boaters, they dont have to communicate with us really. If locy`s then maybe so but no general cleaners of the water ways.

Edited September 21, 2015 by W+T

[gazza]

Gawd strewth!

 

Why were you desperate for them to 'engage' with you?

 

As for the we pay their wages bit? No, you don't, you contribute to C&RT revenue stream, but you do not pay their wages..

My Mrs gets this crap at work, she is a NHS Staff Nurse, the morons that come out with this never stop to think she's a tax payer too.

 

One particularly obnoxious toad got the reply 'you must be worth a fortune mate' from one of her more forthright porters who had no problem leaping to his colleagues defence.

[Guest]

Must say 99% of the ground troops that we have dealt with from CRT have been fine.

It is easy to jump to conclusions about people sat in vans etc, but maybe they were awaiting a delivery, and out of boredom went and cleared a few weeds? There are billions of other possibilities of course.

[tidal]

Must say 99% of the ground troops that we have dealt with from CRT have been fine.

It is easy to jump to conclusions about people sat in vans etc, but maybe they were awaiting a delivery, and out of boredom went and cleared a few weeds? There are billions of other possibilities of course.

Including the possibility that they were monitoring boats and the use of the facilities

Or logging boats

[jenlyn]

Called in at Tyle Mill on the K&A earlier today to get water. Those who know it will recall there is a lock and a swing bridge which takes a little while to negotiate. As we entered the lock I noticed a CRT van parked by the san station with two guys sat inside. It was there for the 20 minutes or so it took us to do the lock and the bridge, and when we got to the water point the guys sat inside for another half hour or so while we filled up, emptied the loo etc. Then they got out and spent 10 minutes, literally, clearing away some weeds from the entrance to the elsan point after which they returned to the comfort of their van. They were still sat there when we left so I guess they did about ten minutes work in an hour. At no point did they acknowledge our presence or engage with us in any way.

 

Now, there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what seemed at first sight to be a couple of lazy individuals engaged in a somewhat superficial and superfluous activity, and managing to ignore people who pay their wages at the same time.

 

But that's what it looked like, and that's the point.

 

This is the latest of several examples we've witnessed this year where the CRT workforce seem to have some perverse intent on creating a poor image of themselves. Does anyone else recognise it?

Low moral, and are not members of this forum.

[Laurence Hogg]

I have witnessed this on some occasions in Wolverhampton Broad St, however its not that they want to sit around, it seems they have no choice.

If a customer calls in and says lock three's gates wont shut, they cant just rush out and do the job, they have to be authorized first by the "manager".

 

This really annoys some of the more dedicated old timers who clearly see jobs needing doing they aren't allowed to touch. I presume this rules all over the system.

[craftycarper]

I pay them so I can keep my boat in there water, also when I reach a bridge I need them to stop the traffic and open the bridge for me(GandS) they also prepare and open all the locks for me when i leave Gloucester and venture up the Severn,which they do quite effectively, I,m also paying for an electrically operated system run by cameras and an app on my phone or tablet, that will replace the bridge keepers and allow me to travel earlier and later than I currently can, so I have know complaints what so ever and if they get to grab an hour to sit on there ass in between doing there job then goodluck to em, did they moan at you for taking to long to fill your tank or come through the lock and swing bridge, I doubt it, so give them the same respect, if the water was not working or you could,nt empty your pooh tank you may have had cause to moan,but they were working and you are just moaning for the sake of moaning, off soap box and on with the onesie

[ChimneyChain]

So if there not running around for 8 1/2 hours a day their lazy sods are they, did you never take an extended break when working. Problem is people only see the bad but never the good.

 

Darren

[MoominPapa]

My contact with CRT staff over the last couple of years has been positive. The guys getting people through the Buckby stoppage were universally cheerful, and working their socks off.

 

MP.

[RockSodem]

Yawn

[OldGoat]

Gone are the days when (some) folks were motivated to do their job. PC, rules and regulations, 'managers' telling them what to do and so on.

'Old School' lengsthmen were given a lot of slack to allow them to do what they thought was required and did just that.

Nowadays there's too much control centrally to make the locals feel that they have any leeway to do what they consider adequate. so they do the job as directed. If it's completed to what level is expected - then there's no incentive to do more 'cos they'll get b*******g. So they don't.

 

Too much control from the centre - from folks who don't have sufficient knowledge of what is needed demoralises the work force - so they take the line of least resistance.

I days of your the gap was filled by a FOREMAN on site or near who could administer an 'admonishment' and having delivered, walk away, get the job done and no hard feelings.

 

Doesn't happen nowadays.

[Nightwatch]

When we used to pay 30% tax,I was in the services. We used to say that every quarter the MOD get us for free.

 

It doesn't work like that I know,but..........

[Martin Megson]

Deleted

Edited September 21, 2015 by Martin Megson

[Arthur Marshall]

Gone are the days when (some) folks were motivated to do their job.

Not sure that's true. Most of the people who actually do the work are motivated to want to do it properly, the main problem is that they aren't allowed to, and often risk their jobs by not following the latest management dictat. i go back to the Harecastle blokes - they didn't want to be forced to stop work in the middle of the day and take their lunch, they would rather have eaten it on the job (which, after all, isn't that onerous once the boats are in the tunnel) but CRT insisted. But there could be a stack of reasons why they were waiting in the van, and the most likely one is that they'd been told to.

[b0atman]

Poor top heavy management the blight of todays England. the management now outnumber the workers.

[nipper]

Yawn

Nice to see you adding to this thread!

Edited because I had second thought and I am beyond caring!

Edited September 21, 2015 by nipper

[Neil2]

Some of the above comments might be warranted if this was a reaction to an isolated incident, but as I indicated, over the past 12 months we've noticed how attitudes among many CRT staff in the field seem to have deteriorated, ranging from unhelpful to downright surly.

 

Maybe it is lack of, and respect, for management, but in the days of BW I seem to remember no-one needing much provocation to have a go at the bosses - but folk still had the common courtesy to pass the time of day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gazza]

Some of the above comments might be warranted if this was a reaction to an isolated incident, but as I indicated, over the past 12 months we've noticed how attitudes among many CRT staff in the field seem to have deteriorated, ranging from unhelpful to downright surly.

 

Maybe it is lack of, and respect, for management, but in the days of BW I seem to remember no-one needing much provocation to have a go at the bosses - but folk still had the common courtesy to pass the time of day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are they supposed to do? Tug their forelock and say thank you for paying our meager wages m'lord? As for their time management, again what are they supposed to do? Stop every boater and explain what their schedule is?

 

Do you expect members of the emergency services, the armed forces, doctors and nurses to make sure they pass the time of day with you because you have paid their wages? Or give you a breakdown of their typically daily routine?

 

I'm am absolutely at a loss as to why this is a big deal?

 

Give the blokes a break!

[MtB]

Given the state of the Elsan at Tyle Mill whenever I have had occasion to use it, I suspect the opinion held by CRT staff on the ground there of boaters is 'beneath contempt'.

 

Things may have improved since I last visited, but somehow I doubt it.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[Neil2]

Given the state of the Elsan at Tyle Mill whenever I have had occasion to use it, I suspect the opinion held by CRT staff on the ground there of boaters is 'beneath contempt'.

 

Things may have improved since I last visited, but somehow I doubt it.

 

I dunno - there's fewer weeds around it now.

 

 

Edited for grammer

Edited September 21, 2015 by Neil2

[tree monkey]

Called in at Tyle Mill on the K&A earlier today to get water. Those who know it will recall there is a lock and a swing bridge which takes a little while to negotiate. As we entered the lock I noticed a CRT van parked by the san station with two guys sat inside. It was there for the 20 minutes or so it took us to do the lock and the bridge, and when we got to the water point the guys sat inside for another half hour or so while we filled up, emptied the loo etc. Then they got out and spent 10 minutes, literally, clearing away some weeds from the entrance to the elsan point after which they returned to the comfort of their van. They were still sat there when we left so I guess they did about ten minutes work in an hour. At no point did they acknowledge our presence or engage with us in any way.

 

Now, there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for what seemed at first sight to be a couple of lazy individuals engaged in a somewhat superficial and superfluous activity, and managing to ignore people who pay their wages at the same time.

 

But that's what it looked like, and that's the point.

 

This is the latest of several examples we've witnessed this year where the CRT workforce seem to have some perverse intent on creating a poor image of themselves. Does anyone else recognise it?

This sort of judgement used to happen a lot to me, try working behind traffic management and stopping for a brew or a bite to eat

I've been swore at, spat at and once had a bottle of piss thrown at the van.

All because during my work day I had the temerity to hold someone's car journey up and to add insult to injury stop for a brew.

making a judgement about someone else's work day based on a snapshot of time and getting all worked up about it is pointless and bloody rude

sorry but this sort of thing winds me up

[Peter X]

They might have been doing some work inside the van. Maybe they had some forms to fill in (or a computer equivalent) to provide information the management need.

 

In my occupation as a computer programmer, I'm generally working hardest when I appear to be doing the least. I might be staring at the ceiling or sitting with my eyes shut, and that means I'm working out a tricky piece of code in my head. To the uneducated manager I'd just look bone idle, so sometimes while doing that sort of thinking when such management are about I would sit looking at my screen but totally ignoring it. I'm sure if a CRT employee wants to look busy there would be ways of doing it; walk up a length of towpath, look meaningfully at some feature then walk back again, making sure to give Neil2 a cheery wave along the way.