HCT will give users a say if it is awarded bus service contract
Friday 20th January 2012, 11:30AM GMT.
BUS users and stakeholders will have their say in how the island’s new service is run if negotiations with Environment are successful, the department’s preferred operator has said.
HCT Group’s communications director Frank Villeneuve-Smith, pictured, explained on a visit to the island yesterday, for continued talks with the department, just how islanders would be given a voice.
He was, however, unable to reveal any of the contract’s finer details: ‘All I can say is that negotiations are going well and we hope the deal will be signed within the next two weeks.’
Mr Villeneuve-Smith said HCT Group, which is a social enterprise, had set procedures that it carried out when entering into a new location.
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In my opinion they should not have all the current drivers re-interviewed for their jobs as they are currently doing.
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Dani
I’m not sure if you mean that some drivers are so bad that they shouldn’t even be considered by the new company,or if they are all so good that it is demeaning for them to have to go through an interview to keep their job
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The latter.
I think it is completely wrong that they should be interviewed again.
The bus service is a public service and I think even though it is contracted out the contractor should accept the higher level of social responsibility that comes with public service provision. To me this means providing job stability where ever possible.
The drivers were all originally given their notices just prior to Christmas and told they would be re-interviewed in the next week. I’m not sure if they have even been re-interviewed yet. I expected and still expect a much higher level of consideration to have been shown towards the bus drivers.
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“Dear Bus Drivers
I have received your reference from your previous employer, and was a little disappointed to see that at least one of you were late for work every day last month causing the cancellation of 20 bus services. Also I see that you crashed on average 1 bus a week during the last year, at a repair cost of thousands of pounds.
However you did work previously in this important “public” service so we have decided to give you all jobs anyway without an interview, rather than invite others to apply and select those best suited to the job.
……”
Dani, should this lack-of-interview strategy also apply to those in the “public” health services ? the police ? Fire fighters ?
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Tony
I have been a regular bus user for years and have never had my bus cancelled because a driver was late for work.
There are always accidents on the roads and Island Coachways have maintenance staff such as mechanics and panel beaters to sort out the problems in house. There is no extra cost as it is already accounted for. These things are expected as an operational expense. For all we know the damages are caused by another party and it would be quite unfair to attribute the costs to a driver and use it as a stick to beat them with in their re-interview process.
I would say the people most suitable to driving the buses are the ones already doing it. That’s why they got hired in the first place.
You could always interview doctors for the job but I’m not sure you would get very far. The job can start early, there are long shifts and the pay is something a lot of people on this island would turn their noses up at. In fact most are on work licences from the UK because it’s not a job people want. They quickly learn all their routes and local points of interest and I don’t think you can ask for much more than that.
The only reason why they lost their jobs in the first place has nothing to do with their job suitability or they would already be gone. They are not on long term licences, its not hard to get rid of them if they are not performing. At worst you have to wait a little bit.
They lost their jobs because of a political decision they had no control over and the decent thing to do would to be at least secure as many jobs as possible with the new contractor. All contractors are hired by the States after all. Just to point out that is why it is a “public service”. (I’m not sure why you felt the “” necessary.)
It is not a lack of interview strategy, they have already been interviewed. I would call it a taking care of your own policy. We don’t look at the government as a purely capitalist entity, it is there for the benefit of society after all and it should act like it. It should behave with a higher moral compass and I think other people hold this view point too. Even the new contractor recognizes to some extent its delegated responsibility in this area or it would not bother asking for public input. (Or they realize strategically they will be accepted quicker if they engage with the public).
As to your final query I do not believe there has been historical precedent to all our nurses and fire fighters being sacked and being made to re-interview for their own jobs due to a political process… just before Christmas. I could be wrong here but I don’t think their jobs are contracted out anyway so you can’t apply the same situation to them. However I will be bold enough to say I think if this actually happened to our nurses and firefighters their dismissal would not pass as quietly.
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Whilst I admire your socialist principles, I don’t see why one company should be obliged to ignore the normal recruitment process( allowing them to choose those they consider best for the job) and instead take on all and any staff that happened to be employed by another company. Maybe in a corporate takeover situation – but that isn’t what is going on here.
The Christmas issue is irrelevant – the contract came to an end on 31st December, and Christmas just happens to be a week before then. If the contract ended in July then such a red herring couldn’t even be raised. I was once made redundant in February – I didn’t feel any better just because it was after Christmas.
And I didn’t get 5 months notice – I walked into work one morning, and out again 30 minutes later jobless.
And I didn’t have the security of another company virtually guaranteed to be coming in to offer me a job.
If you ask me the drivers have got it a lot better then many of us in similar situations.
Have you asked any drivers if they mind having to be interviewed for a new job? Have you asked them if they even want to work for HCT ? Do they feel they have been treated badly ? If so, by who ? I think the opinion of someone actually involved at ground level would be very informative at this point ….
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Tony
What is going on here is the States are swapping over contractors and they have the ability to get those jobs secured as part of the negotiation. I refer to all the reasons in my above post as to why this is acceptable. Its not hard to do and considering the impact on all these peoples lives it is the least they can do. It is totally suitable to this specific situation.
Like I said before who else do you think is best for the job? They are importing drivers from the UK. The ones we have now have local driving experience, know the routes and can drive a bus. Be practical, if you were interviewing people for driving a bus you wouldn’t be looking for special qualifications. What else makes someone more suitable? Like I said above too – people arn’t exactly throwing themselves at the role either
The Christmas issue is relevant to my last point. If all the nurses and fighters were sacked before Christmas and made to re-interview it would fan the flames of outrage that I believe would occur if it happened to these individuals instead.
If they do not get rehired it is not 5 months notice. Orinally they were told they would be re-interviewed in a week. That is only a weeks notice and I imagine it is the not knowing that is more of an issue. These people have families to take care of too. Their holiday also got “frozen” for a indeterminable period at the time also, so one driver I spoke to did not get to spend his Christmas with his family in the UK.
I imagine your local Tony so at least you knew where you going to be living. The ones on here on licences have that to worry about too.
I think your own personal experience has tainted your objectivity. You were not employed by the States I presume? That is the relevant factor here. When workers for the States get made redundant in one area they are usually transferred to another.
I have actually spoken with the drivers themselves, we chat fairly often. Thats where my well informed view point comes from. No they are not happy and why would you insinuate they would be? A few left already, and the ones I have spoken to were angry or down right miserable. Feel free not to take my word for it though – go talk to them yourself!
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