BWW volunteer lock keepers

[Capt Popeye]

todays News contained an item about British Waterways seeking volunteer 'Lock Keepers' to man (or woman) its Locks.

all to do with new legislation or something

is it the way (only) forward ?

 

[ukmctc]

todays News contained an item about British Waterways seeking volunteer 'Lock Keepers' to man (or woman) its Locks.

all to do with new legislation or something

is it the way (only) forward ?

changed status to a charity, loosing money too many managers.
looking for seasonal staff to work for free now.
great job though, free mooring.

 

[Bru]

Keep up at the back, for heavens sake!

The transfer of BW from the public sector to the so called "third sector" has been in process for several years and a key part of that process is an aspiration to build a volunteer workforce to, it is claimed, "supplement" the paid staff (of course, I would never be so cynical as to suggest that volunteers might be used to REPLACE paid staff) using the National Trust as a role model

Volunteer lock keepers are, in any case, nothing new - they've been around on the canals for 20 plus years in gradually increasing numbers (when we first started boating on t'cut, most lock flights still had at least one full time paid lock keeper, by the time we move off the canals, very few paid keepers were left)

The critical problem for the putative new Trust is that the proposed level of funding is woefully inadequate which may delay or even scupper the planned changeover in a few months time

 

[FishyInverness]

The critical problem for the putative new Trust is that the proposed level of funding is woefully inadequate which may delay or even scupper the planned changeover in a few months time

Hear hear,

I had the pleasure of attending a canal users meeting with a friend who runs a canal business for the Scottish side of "The break up" - "British Waterways Scotland" or whatever they will be called, seemed very enthusiastic about the new direction - the majority of the canal users, canal business owners, berthholders, certainly did not....They are expecting higher fees, insecurity over their berths (more visitor berths wanted by the management, less liveaboards and workaboards clogging up their berths!), and less spending on maintenance and facilities.

Admittedly the casual paid Lock-keepers do seem to be paid over the odds from what i've seen, but it's not full-time or long term work - I did have a Victor Meldrew moment watching the TV this morning and seeing the feature - it's a responsible job and therefore should have at least NMW paid for the time given - The big society thinking is all very well for those that can afford it - but there's plenty of unemployed young people out there who could use NMW for a job which would give them experience with boats!

 

[ukmctc]

same **** management, free workers!
but hey great to do away with that BSS and get more boats back in the canal system.

 

[photodog]

Just so peeps know... its not British Waterways anymore...

Its

"The Canals and Rivers Trust."

And the new logo has a nice swan on it.