Losing more Lockkeepers - just in time for the new season

[thamesinsider]

All of the dozen or so 'temp' relief lock keepers, employed via an agency, who were kept on for the winter have been told today that they will not be employed past the end of February and there are no plans to employ any 'temps' for this years summer season. Last year there were 20+. Suspect unhappy boaters and lots of very unhappy residents lock keepers this summer....

 

[sarabande]

Does there come a time when the lack of trained staff creates a risk to the river users ? Would the agency or the river 'management' then be liable for accidents ?

In other parts of the tourism industry e.g. beaches, that appears to be the case with beaches and pools closed when lifeguards are not available.

 

[harvey38]

All of the dozen or so 'temp' relief lock keepers, employed via an agency, who were kept on for the winter have been told today that they will not be employed past the end of February and there are no plans to employ any 'temps' for this years summer season. Last year there were 20+. Suspect unhappy boaters and lots of very unhappy residents lock keepers this summer....

I'm sure the reduction in staffing will be reflected in a reduction of the license fee, not!

 

[gaylord694]

It's totally up to the individual I would of thought to use at his own discretion...... There's far more risk for a rip tide to wash you out to sea on a beach, but then I suppose there's a good chance with the pollution situation you might get attacked by a large turd but then surely that would be handled by the EA

 

[WoodyP]

I'm sure the reduction in staffing will be reflected in a reduction of the license fee, not!

Does the licence fee cover the cost of providing the navigation on the Thames? Elsewhere I believe that the income is well below the cost of providing the facilities.

 

[oldgit]

£ 9.5m "invested" in 2021.​

"Current income from boat registration charges is £7.86m." ?

 

[Portland Billy]

I started boating on the upper Thames forty years ago.
Smart uniformed, knowledgeable lock keepers on every lock.
Well kept gardens and pressure washed lock sides.
Regular river patrols, and non registered boats removed.

Now moved to the Norfolk Broads. Where there still seems to be some sense of responsibility in preserving of standards.

 

[oldgit]

Now moved to the Norfolk Broads. Where there still seems to be some sense of responsibility in preserving of standards.

Avg wage. 1980 £125.00.
Avg wage 2024 £682.00.

EA advert for Lockeeper.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated person to work outside in a customer facing environment. An opportunity has arisen to recruit two resident lock and weir keepers, one at Grafton and one at Rushey Lock, on the River Thames near Bampton. The role requires you to work to a daytime rota, including covering other lock and weir complexes as and when required.

Salary £23,963 PA or £440 per week...... 24/7in all weathers.

ASDA cashier £425.00 40 hours..... in the warm and dry and no doubt a discount or two.
Both get a uniform.

 

[Barge]

Not the first time the EA has done this, only to renew contracts for the coming season.

 

[thamesinsider]

Oldgit, to be fair (for once!) to the EA, the Asda cashier does not get provided with a house to go with the job. And Barge, yes that is true, but looks very much not happening for them this year.

 

[boatone]

All of the dozen or so 'temp' relief lock keepers, employed via an agency, who were kept on for the winter have been told today that they will not be employed past the end of February and there are no plans to employ any 'temps' for this years summer season. Last year there were 20+. Suspect unhappy boaters and lots of very unhappy residents lock keepers this summer....

Pursued this with EA Thames Waterway Managers earlier this week. There are approx 60 permanent residential and relief lock and weir keeping staff and each year additional seasonal reliefs are hired on a temporary contract basis. In 2023 there were up to 24 - consent has to be obtained for the exact number. In 2023 the EA managed to get consent to retain about 12 of these during the winter months. Normally temporary staff contracts are rescinded at the end of the financial year (31 March) and new contracts issued after 1st April.however this year an EA wide ban on recruitment means no seasonal reliefs are currently being recruited for the coming season. Unless the Thames team are able to successfully challenge this (and we understand efforts are being made to do so) the result will be 25% less lockside staff than last year. We understand that volunteers are not affected but, as we all know, they are only allowed to work provided a permanent member of staff is present on site.
There has still been no official notification to river users about this issue and this information only emerged when river user reps sought clarification of towpath talk.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I started boating on the upper Thames forty years ago.
Smart uniformed, knowledgeable lock keepers on every lock.
Well kept gardens and pressure washed lock sides.
Regular river patrols, and non registered boats removed.

Now moved to the Norfolk Broads. Where there still seems to be some sense of responsibility in preserving of standards.

Indeed. I started 38 years ago when I was 12. A lot of the intervening years were spent on canals but have always lived afloat since 1994.
Things have indeed changed a lot. It was a shame when the Squires garden centre sponsorship scheme was reduced in scope.

What the future holds who knows. Its still a great River. One of the thing which is remarkable is how many generic wide beam canal Boats have turned up. Its incredible how many there are and they will keep on coming.

I like the River more than canals because of the variety of craft one encounters. Its just better although to be fair I did more Boating on the canals in winter than is usually possible on the River.

 

[thamesinsider]

The lock keepers were informed at a meeting last week that its now confirmed, no recruiting into the current vacant resident keeper positions and for first time in recent years NO seasonal reliefs (normally 24+) being taken on. Already seeing the impact with much triple manning (or rather not manning with one keeper stretched across 3 locks) evident up and down the river. The lockies were asked not to let the seasonal staff know any of this, as no doubt the EA concerned that once the seasonal reliefs find out they have no jobs to go to they will not hold back on social media.....watch this space.

 

[Big John]

I think you will find the seasonal reliefs have known for some time. They are not happy. When one of them raised the question he was told he could always apply for a Volunteers position. Some comfort that is with no pay.

 

[Appassionata]

My understanding is the seasonal Reliefs were fobbed off right up to their very last day with a standard, "no decision has been made yet" babble with regards to being invited back around Easter. Whether the outgoing temporary workforce knew or not, however, is irrelevant as they, and their permanent-contracted colleagues, have been treated appallingly. For an organisation (ha - that's a separate debate altogether!) that noisily claims to care about the mental wellbeing of their staff, by destroying people's lives (in some cases) and leaving those left behind to try and put a sticking plaster on a broken leg, I can see my beloved river being bled dry. Well, that saves dredging it I suppose......

 

[Chris_d]

Thinking of cancelling my direct debit.

 

[Celica]

Nearly all EA recruitment has been put on hold, unless they have a incident role. Come April, and into the new financial year, they will start recruiting again. Its all about directors bonuses, don't you know.

 

[Big John]

"

Nearly all EA recruitment has been put on hold, unless they have a incident role. Come April, and into the new financial year, they will start recruiting again. Its all about directors bonuses, don't you know.

Are you sure of this that seasonal staff will be re-employed?

 

[thamesinsider]

All the (unpaid)volunteers received letters this week notifying them that yes, there will be 24 less seasonal full time lock keepers this year and that they are likely to experience reduced opportunities to assist dockside as multiple sites will now be unmanned this summer. They were instructed that this 'sensitive' information was not to be repeated outside the 'volunteer community'.
Meanwhile the seasonal staff left jobless have received absolutely no communication from the EA as being employed via a job agency of course they are strictly 'temps', who can be let go at a days notice despite many of them having been working on the Thames for many years.
What a shambles .....and its very clear we are going to see a LOT less keepers this season.

 

[SkylarkX]

It’s going to be a self service year as the 60 lock staff will be entitled to take their annual leave and with no summer staff to cover and the failure rate of the lock systems I anticipate that hand winding and long queues at some locks will become the norm.