Driven out by criticism in Environment report
Saturday 12th November 2011, 2:30PM GMT.
Island Coachways MD Hannah Beacom.
ISLAND Coachways was so incensed by comments made about the company by Environment that it pulled out of the bus contract talks, it has been revealed.
While both have since largely tried to maintain that their association was strong, an email sent to deputies by the bus company reveals just how far the relationship has actually broken down.
ICW is angry about:
- an implication that it had connived with the landlord of the bus garage to stop the States approaching him
- a tone it believes suggested it manipulated a dominant position
- an implication that its ‘loyal’ service has prevented a competitive tender and
- the embarrassment of being approached by the media about the vision for a road transport strategy released in November’s Billet d’Etat before it had seen it
Environment meets deputies on Thursday to explain its position as the scheduled bus service crisis grows.
Thursday 23 February
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Oh dear! Oh dear! Do I hear our rattles being thrown out of our pram? You musn’t criticise us cos we’re perfect. For God’s sake grow up and deal with it! Anyone who thinks ICL are the ultimate in perfection should try travelling on the buses or, worse still, having to work for the company.
Before you go on a witch hunt I am not a driver. You’ve silenced them all by removing their right to free speech and forbidding them to speak to the Press. Nice democratic move that.I have never suffered the misfortune of working for ICL, and for that I will always be grateful, but my heart goes out to those who are working for the company, and who are suffering as a result of it since they stand to summarily lose their jobs at Christmas, and who must shut up and put up and suffer their fate in glad silence; something I note that the management do not seem to believe in doing.
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Coyote,
If you are not an employee of ICW then how do you know that those working for the company are suffering? Or is this an assumption? One must never assume because it most certainly makes an ass out of you!!
As a frequent user on the buses, I have made the effort to speak to the drivers and those who I have spoken to are infact behind their employer, Hannah Beacom 100% with no bitterness towards her or the company at all because at the end of the day she is just doing her job!
If it were any other company, I’m certain you wouldn’t be so quick off the mark as to publicly criticise! There are always 2 sides to the story (and in this case there may even be more) so I would recommend that perhaps you hold judgement on what you think the management team at ICW are doing or not doing as the case may be and perhaps focus on being a little more positive and encouraging for those who are set to lose their jobs.
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hannah & her sisters – one word
PATHETIC
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Whilst the headline does make it look like a hissy fit, we only have at best second hand information to work from. Whilst it does appear like Coachways are having a massive hissy fit, from reading the Traffic ‘strategy’ report I can’t really blame them ! If Environment had treated one of their employees in the same way they’d be facing a constructive dismissal case right now …..
Of more interest to me , as someone who actually uses the bus occasionally , is the fact that Environment seem to have stifled Coachways attempts to improve what everybody else can see is a not terribly good timetable … And in Environmdnts own words they have no interest in trying to entice, let alone gently persuade, people Onto the buses. Let’s just hope the job of looking after public transport goes to another department that is actually interested in it ….
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RIP old guernsey
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The States were putting 300K into ICW every year, over five years ago (wonder what is that figure today)?
Doesn’t that mean they have to justify expenditure and push back on ICW a little ?
With austerity effecting everyone today, could we not consider reducing some schedules to save money. A bus goes by us every 20 minutes, which is great (and yes our family use buses). What happens if that was every hour ?
After all we have the Post Office making reductions to save the island money ?
If the States took a commercial approach to supporting ICW, perhaps such an option (and there could be many alternatives) would resinate with islanders – which do not have the same interests as the board of ICW perhaps ?
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As I understand it the States has full sight of Coachways accounts all the time ….. If they have been siphoning vast sums of money into their private bank accounts then A) good riddance to them & B) shame on Environment for not doing something sooner.
On the other hand, in the extremely unlikely event that Coachways are a bargain and already run the service for less than anyone else could or would , then perhaps the savings demanded were literally more than they could accommodate AND still turn a worthwile profit ( profit is such a dirty word I know, but that’s the difference between a business and a charity )
In which case well done Environment for possibly negotiating us out of a bus service, and almost certainly further into the black hole ….
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Kate
I said that I was not, and never have been, an employee of the company. This does not mean that I do not know some of those who are employees of ICL and it does not mean that I have not seen at first hand the way the staff are treated. Some of the methods used I thought went out with the Stone Age.
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