Re: Guards to Drive During Olympics?

[craigd@lios.apana.org.au (C. Dewick)]

In <7vnb1u$i25$1@newsource.ihug.co.nz> "Greg" <gregg@ishug.co.nz> writes:

>> There is no way that I want to be working a 9.5 hour shift, with a 20
>minute
>> mealbreak (that's all we get now, plus some walking time which makes the
>> minimum mealbreak time 32 minutes), and spending up to 4 hours driving one
>> train without a break (that does not include changing ends at a
>terminating
>> station BTW) at the start of the shift, and doing the same thing after my
>> meal break...

>sheesh typical aussie griping .. nzr drivers have done those hours for years
>.....

So did I when I was driving freight trains at Enfield, but on the suburban
trains there is a completely different set of working conditions, and the
nature of the train operations on the ETR side means that there is a lot
more stresses than for a shift on a freight train (in any normal situation
anyway).

The current rostering agreement limits the maximim *rostered* shift to 8:33,
however overtime payment starts at 7:36 since we don't get a mandatory
rostered day off each fortnight like the office workers do (ie. we have
rostered 10 day fortnights while the office staff generally have rostered 9
day fortnights).

As for mileage, we can run up to 209 km's per shift before an allowance
becomes payable for excess km's. About 10 percent of all suburban ETR
diagrams have us running marginally over 209 km's per shift, but generally
nothing more than 215.

As for the mealbreak issue, the 32 minute minimum time breaks up to 6
minutes walking time to/from a mealroom, and 20 minutes actual 'crib' time.
So in reality we only get a 20 minute mealbreak. Most office workers get at
least 30 minutes, or up to an hour, depending on the nature of their work.
And they stay in one place all day...

Regards,

Craig.
-- 
            Craig Ian Dewick            |       Stand clear - jaws closing
 Send email to craigd@lios.apana.org.au |  Visit my Australian rail transport
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