Minutes:
Richard Isaac, Northern Rail, gave the following update:-
Performance – from 13th October-9th December
- short formation 2% resulting in short formation of 90 services
- 9.5% cancellations
- Performance on time – 49.4%
- Time to 3 – 70.9%
- Time to 15 – 96%
- Performance was not where wanted to be and significant improvements had hoped to see
Industrial Relations
Northern was an amalgamation resulting in 6 different Terms and Conditions for employees which presented significant challenges. Although there had been the very welcome recent pay award from Government, weekend working had not been addressed. Currently working on the weekend in the rail industry was voluntary and not in the majority of Terms and Conditions. There was a move to improve that and there was a vote at the Conductor Employee Council today to put a temporary fix in until March 2025 to encourage weekend and Sunday working; it was hoped to get the result of the vote on 28th November. It would be a significant impact for colleagues to change their Terms and Conditions to work a weekend when they had never had to do so before. The Trade Unions had endorsed it but it was not known whether their members would agree. That would significantly improve the service offer at the weekend which was the major source of poor performance. As an operator working volunteers at a weekend was challenging to deliver the rail service to the community.
Further discussion would take place in March around modernisation.
Community Activity
There had been significant work with Rotherham College who had produced a fantastic display on Rotherham Station. Northern Rail was launching it again under the umbrella of “Rail 200” which celebrated the 200th anniversary of the first rail passenger service in the world (which was in Great Britain).
Rotherham College were working with Northern Rail to promote tourist opportunities on the East coast. 50+ students were producing a series of poster displays to promote the East coast as a tourist destination. There was a reciprocal arrangement with East Riding College who were promoting Rotherham and South Yorkshire to the residents of the East Riding area.
Employment Opportunities
Northern Rail was still promoting its vacancies as a result of the railway investment. There were a significant amount of employment opportunities within the rail industry over the next 10-15 years and sharing that directly with Rotherham College to reach the young people in Rotherham to highlight the opportunities within the rail sector.
Rotherham College was involved in a joint rail project with the UK Youth Parliament Engagement Team for the recent Parliament Week. It was hoped that some of the students on the Rail 200 project would present to Sarah Champion MP in Parliament with some other students on some of the partnership work that been doing with them.
Northern Rail had also linked up this year with the Sheffield City of Sanctuary and colleagues from Rotherham. Trips had taken place for some of those affected by the riots in Rotherham and 7 members of the community that were in the hotels during the riots taken to Leeds to attend a joint event with other refugee groups in Leeds.
Richard also introduced Jessica Clarke who would be helping to support South Yorkshire communities.