Posted 13th January 2010 | 5 Comments

FCC drivers accept pay offer, and services should improve from Monday

DRIVERS working for First Capital Connect have voted to accept a revised pay offer worth 5 per cent over two years, but the drivers’ union ASLEF is claiming that the acceptance of the offer does not mean that all its members will now return to working overtime and rest days.

FCC said it planned to restore the full timetable from Monday onwards, but also warned that some cancellations and short formations remained possible.

Problems really surfaced last October, as Thameslink route drivers angry at what they saw as an inadequate pay offer began to decline overtime and rest day working. After several weeks of uncertainty and increasing disruption, a formal emergency timetable was introduced on 13 November. FCC managing director Jim Morgan also left his post at about this time, to be replaced by the head of FirstGroup Rail, Mary Grant.

The emergency timetable was revised on 13 December, but off-peak Thameslink services have remained halved. In the meantime, FCC improved its pay offer, which was approved by the ASLEF executive in December and has now been accepted by two-thirds of the drivers.

Although the pay dispute is over, a spokesman for ASLEF told Railnews that the outlook remained uncertain. He said: “Our members are not obliged to work overtime and rest days, and it remains to be seen how many will want to do so now. The real solution is for the company to continue recruiting the additional drivers it needs.”

Thameslink services have been reduced even further this week, because many of the Class 319 units used on the route suffered frost damage to their traction motors. However, the emergency timetable has been restored today, and services are also now returning to the Wimbledon loop, which has been without trains since last week.

Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

  • andrew ganley, sutton, england

    How true all these comments sadly are. My comment is they really couldn't run a railway and glad i dont have to use them.

  • dan, sutton, surrey

    I've been using this line for eight years now and have never had as much disruption as this before for (trying) to get to work. Revised timetables, broken down trains, no drivers, wrong type of snow and to top it all the FCC staff haven’t got a clue what day it is, let alone which train is running. An absolute disgrace!!

  • TrainsRnotUs, St.Albans, UK

    FCC could not run the train track at Legoland ! It's beyond me what this incompetent bunch of fools is doing running one of the busiest commuter services in the country. I can’t understand why this shambles does not get more press. This company is a disgrace and the board should resign immediately.

    There is a petition on the Downing Street website for FCC to have the franchise taken from it. Please pass the message on.

    It seems to me it might finally sink in with them that people have had enough and won’t stand for being treated like MUGS.

  • FCC, St.Albans, UK

    Shambles of a train service – Government should be stepping in, dangerously full trains, Staff have no idea what’s going?! and people jumping over 8ft safety barriers to run over an unfinished bridge?!
    Let me Guess - of the year 2012 it will run smooth as you like....

  • FlitwickCattle, Flitwick, UK

    QUOTE: "No one from FCC has been available to comment since the result of the ballot was announced, or to say what the prospects for restoring the full timetable might now be."

    Maybe they are all waiting around on Platforms like the 70,000 commuters that are unlucky enough to be serviced (giggle) by this shambles of a TOC.