Posted on 11/19/2019 6:50:27 PM PST by Olog-hai
French rail operator SNCF has too many staff and pays them too much. That is the conclusion of the Court of Auditors, in a report that risks inflaming further tensions with employees.
A large number of SNCF staff are preparing for “unlimited” strike action over December and the company has been hit with several smaller industrial actions this autumn as staff say they are demoralized and under pressure.
But the report from the Court of Auditors published today criticized the company for failing to control its wages bill and streamline its staffing.
SNCF has abolished 6,000 full time equivalent posts since 2012, but the auditors’ report says this is not enough and more needs to be done to implement technical changes that will decrease staffing levels.
The report also noted that SNCF is using about 500 temporary workers every year to help with its staffing.
The company was also severely criticized for failing to manage its wage bill. …
(Excerpt) Read more at thelocal.fr ...
Wage increases at the company are automatic based on time served, not dependent on seniority or skill level, and end-of-year bonuses are also not linked to performance. …This is beyond featherbedding, yes?
Good model for Amtrak.
But at least the TGV is fast.
“too many staff”
What business does not have this problem? I guess restaurants have trouble keeping enough workers. But schools, churches, and hospitals have too many staff.
The US rail industry had similar issues. For more than three decades railroads had to maintain firemen on their trains despite the conversion to diesel locomotives that did not require a fireman to stoke the boilers.
Not the hospital I work in. Chronically understaffed.
Are the trains clean? Do they run on time? Are they more convenient than other means of travel? If so, it appears that they have the right number of people.
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