Workers' Liberty

The absolute cheek of it!

Remember management promising to create the grade of SA(CR) coach, so that all those Stations Assistants (Control Room) who have been coaching other staff in the role could actually get some reward ie. dosh?

Remember LUL management saying they would endeavour to fill all posts with internal applicants? Check this out. Yes, it's an external recruitment ad for duty managers.

Applicants for SSMF have been left waiting for assessment dates due to the very high demand for drivers assessments. Yes, to assess all the external driver applicants they've been encouraging to apply!

You would think that the utter chaos in the internal promotion system would make management realise that privatising it - they handed it over to Reed a few years back - was a really bad idea.

LUL management plan to advertise externally to recruit drivers, with the bizarre claim that there are not enough internal applicants who are up to scratch.

Lots of station staff applied for the RCI jobs that were advertised a couple of months ago. And lots passed the application.

Note to occupational health. When you do the sight test for someone who has achieved promotion to driver, let them wear their glasses. After all, they are hardly going to get in the cab and take their specs off, are they?!

Traffic Circular 38 contained a rather odd recruitment advert. Service Controllers wanted, should have a 'bit of magic' and the ability to 'make problems disappear'!

Could this be an admission by management that mere Muggles can not operate their system? Could that be because of impractical timetables, knackered equipment and stress-packed working conditions?

Fancy an SAMF's job? Then pop down to your local JobCentre!

Believe the bare-faced cheek of it or not, management are actually talking about direct (ie.external) recruitment of SAMFs. Yes, this is at the same time that they are planning to get rid of 270+ SAMF positions and are making it as hard as possible for CSAs to get promoted.

As management advertise for new CRAs, they will no doubt be expecting existing CRAs to coach the newcomers. But despite having agreed in principle to pay them a coaching allowance, they are dragging their feet about actually implementing it.

Staff applying from promotion have been flummoxed to discover that the application form asks them for names and addresses of former employers - and even for exam results from school!

Station staff will have noticed that management struggle to cover posts over a long period - eg. during maternity leave or long-term sickness. Obviously, then, they need to employ more reserves.

Well, you'd think it's obvious, wouldn't you? But management have another plan, which will save them a considerable amount of dosh - at your expense. They want to have a group of staff who hold licences above their grade, then step them up for several months to cover the uncovered post, only to send them back to their lower grade.

The escalator refurbishment at Tottenham Court Road very nearly didn't go ahead, because Reed Recruitment - who now take care of TfL recruitment - failed to recruit enough staff.

As a result of the chaos in the promotion system, plenty of CSAs/MFs who would make perfectly competent Station Supervisors are not getting a look in. They are not getting the job, and not even getting feedback as to why they are not getting the job.

Tried to get a promotion recently? Then you’ll know that the system is chaos. Applicants are messed about with dates for assessments and interviews. And if you fail and want feedback? Forget it.