----- Original Message ----- From: "Robin Smithett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 8:47 AM Subject: [canals-list] Re:IWA's Campaign SOS 2010
> One main drive should be to protect the interests of current bank staff. > If the canals are allowed to rot, they can probably be recovered again > (over > a long period of time), but if we lose the men on the ground through > management incompetence, I believe the waterways are finished. > I agree. I recently found out that the BW ground staff got no pay rise this year. I think they must be about the only workers not to. To add insult to injury they were given vouchers which they will probably not use and of course they aren't pensionable. This together with the feeling they have now that they can't use their own initiative is making them very disillusioned. This is the first time I have detected such a feeling and it worries me.. Apparently, if a boater or a guy on the ground notices that something needs doing, the guys just can't go ahead and get it done as they would have in the past. Now it has to be referred up the tree to the planners then the finance people and the guys just have to wait for instruction to come back about whether they can do the job or not. The guys on the ground feel that they are no longer in charge of their section. Also, I gather, when a job is being considered part of the process is how much of a risk is posed short term by doing nothing and more and more work is being left undone as there is, in the opinion of the BW office no immediate risk. This short sighted approach leads to incidents like the Shroppie and the Huddersfield, I fear. I would feel more comfortable if the BW folk in the office had experience and knowledge of canals but they don't. Ann
