lock house statements re-visited.

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jane1

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I note that the EA are still pushing out the same press release, probably because there are still no answers. A month on from being told the news about the 'sell off' Lock keepers still don't know if they will be re-housed, or whether they will have to find their own property. They still haven't been advised if there will be a salary increase in order that they can rent a property. How much longer are the EA going to publish the same old press release and how much longer are lock staff going to have to suffer before they get their lives back. You're right not to believe them, if they think so little of the heritage of the River and their staff
 
I know that I am going against the majority here but the statement does say

'No lock-keepers will be made redundant or homeless as a result of this decision.



We plan to phase this in over 5 years.



All 45 locks will continue to be manned on a roster basis as they are now, providing help to boaters and managing water levels.'

If the Thames can be managed better leaving more money for investment in new slipways and toilets then maybe that is what should be hapening.

Fire away !!
 
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...leaving more money for investment in new slipways and toilets then maybe that is what should be hapening.

Fire away !!

[/ QUOTE ]


...and that is where it all falls down.

If you think a single penny will be spent thus, you are dreaming my friend... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
BillyBLoater, I tend to support your view. There are all sorts of issues about the sell off which concern me, but is it really the end of the Thames as we know it?

Interestingly when my wife saw the article on this subject in MBM and that one of my posts had been quoted, before even reading it she just knew that I would be taking the opposite view to the majority. This probably means that I am talking nonsense as usual.
 
No redundancies - clever word. Does that include constructive dismissal if they cannot find suitable alternative accommodation for a lock-keeper and his family? You have missed the point it is our lives they are playing with. What if a lock-keeper doesn't want to up root his kids from their school. Or his wife doesn't want to give up her job to relocate. The EA have advised lock staff that 16 lock-keeper posts will go. That means that remaining lock staff will have to cover two or three locks and weirs. We are not just talking about seeing boats through locks, we are talking about flood defence and River heritage.
 
I think you will find that most boaters if not all do not want to lose the lock keepers or for them to lose the houses but what do we do ? It has come up time and time again that the EA have been told to get rid of non profit making assets by the powers that be but no one is telling us who we ( boaters) aim our comments at so the EA get the brunt of it but it goes no further because they are just doing what they are told to do .
Tell me who i need to speak to and i will let my feelings about this known to the right people as i assume many others will but having a go at the EA is getting us no where fast .
 
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No redundancies - clever word. Does that include constructive dismissal if they cannot find suitable alternative accommodation for a lock-keeper and his family? You have missed the point it is our lives they are playing with. What if a lock-keeper doesn't want to up root his kids from their school. Or his wife doesn't want to give up her job to relocate. The EA have advised lock staff that 16 lock-keeper posts will go. That means that remaining lock staff will have to cover two or three locks and weirs. We are not just talking about seeing boats through locks, we are talking about flood defence and River heritage.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunatley the days of a secure job for life are long gone. Many businesses expect employees to relocate etc. In fact they often have to in order to stay competative. A recent example of this is Vodafone moving 400 staff from Newbury.

If the Thames can be effectively managed with fewer 'live in' lock keepers, why would you continue to run with a surplus. The EA must be run as a business after all.

No one would feel comfortable in a lock keepers position at the moment, but there is a great deal of employment legislation protecting lockies from constructive dismissal etc. An organisation the size of the EA will have so many procedures and processes in place that they would not dare risk any tribunal.

I know this is not a very palatable point of view but life is not always rosy......
 
Any comments on this matter can be sent to that website that they have had set up un their behalf...

http://www.saveourservice.org

It has a (Take Action!) link, to the E-Petition that everyone should be forwarding to all their friends.

There are also links to other relevant sites, and details of how to contact them with your views etc.

I have been told that any letters of support will be submitted with the written petition forms

PLEASE HELP THEM - THEY REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT - NOW!
 
With respect that looks like another website giving another opinion . I already have my own opinion and want to know the best person to tell it to . I have tried Surrey news papers and Ken Livinston as well as a few other MP's that havnt bothered to reply /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif but it seems these are not the right people to contact so who do we contact that will actually do something ?
 
Billybloater, I'm sorry but you have got it very wrong. There are no surplus lock-staff. Lock-keepers struggle to obtain their leave entitlement now, never mind when there is 16 fewer staff. In the winter months lock and weir keepers were double manning and sometimes even triple manning locks. The timing of weir movements is critical. What if the lockie gets stuck in traffic or his car breaks down the results for the people living in that reach, in times of flood, could be catastrophic. The EA has promised extra staff in the summer, that's great. But these will be summer relief staff. What if there is more summer floods (its what's predicted) then weirs will be run by inexperienced staff. It takes years to be able understand the effect of weir movements and be proactive instead of just re-active in times of flood.
 
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