DB Cargo UK has told RailAdvent today (06/11) of plans regarding its staffing levels.
The freight operator has said that 95 driver posts will be removed where they have a surplus. Some of these will go through natural attrition, whilst 70-75 posts will be made through redundancies.
This accounts for around 10% of DB Cargo’s train crew.
Andrea Rossi, CEO, released in a statement that due to softening of core markets, and exiting some contracts that were not profitable, the operator was left running 25% fewer trains every week, all whilst using the same level of resources.
Parent company, DB Cargo AG, has informed European entities that it cannot sustain the level of loss being incurred.
Earlier this month, DB Cargo UK entered into discussions with the ASLEF union regarding the proposed staff reduction.
Andrea also said that they have already started accelerating the implementation plan for 2024 to help DBC emerge more reliable and sustainable in the future.
Responses
No, in BR days there was a lot of costs that were written off. Privatisation brought in new locos and wagons as the BR stock was worn out. The problem was caused by senior management that were not that good at retaining work and increasing freight on rail and governments that did not help the industry. Margins were very tight, making a profit or a loss could be that three coal wagons run empty on a 21 wagon train , it would run at a loss. Track access charges does not help. Failed train penalties could run into thousands of pounds.
Nothing to do with privatisation, EWS spent millions on locos and rolling stock, its poor management in recent years, and by a lot of ex BR managers. They got rid of the good managers and kept the chaff on. It could have been so much better. I think its very sad. You have got to keep the customer happy and have your employees on your side. Staff can only be kicked in the ballcocks so many times before they give up.
I worked for BR EWS and then DB nearly 47 years service . I found that most of the staff are first class and would go the extra mile without question. It went down hill after hatchet man Heller came into the company. I took redundancy, I had failing health and also I could see this shit show of a company had limited viability . It was doomed to fail. Local managers were not allowed to manage and were micro managed by their bosses. The employees below were crapped on. I never even got a thank you when I left them. Some staff that left felt the same. The sharp end staff deserve better. You are waiting for the axe to fall working for DB .No one sould work under those conditions.
I started as an electrician at Freightliners Trafford Park Terminal in Oct 1979 and finished at DB Schenker Trafford Park Euro Terminal in Oct 2011, in between it had changed to Railfreight Distribution, EWS 🤮 finally DB Schenker and was made redundant after 32 years.
Let’s hope HM bares the brunt , leaving good drivers elsewhere to do proper work, by by Simon ,
Is that aimed at me by chance
Like most things these days in the UK a total mess – corporate executives fiddle while the company and its employees burn 👎
I was a driver for EWS and left in 2005 for another freight co.
The best thing i ever did….they were a right shower then and now seem worse under the Germans. Seemed to all go wrong when Burkhardt got the push from his American colleagues.
What a daft thing to say..so you want public sector inefficiencies paid for by the public..like on other areas of the railways and London Underground..
Another Tory privatisation mess. Sorry for people getting made redundant but it does not surprise me. We need to renationalise!
No, this is not a socialist state.
The fallout from the stupidity of privatisation, how much waste, duplication and no trial benefit as customers flit between companies leaving outcome like this, my friend finished with DB recently he say the management incompetence is unbelievable, BR should have been left to succeed, which it could have when run by railwaymen.
BR was privatised as it wasted public funds like almost all public sector organisations.
BR was cheap. Surprisingly good value.
Kindly leave your dogma at the door.
Perhaps this is indicative of the wider economy? A proper journalist would ask, if there are any?
So, not true! Trainload Freight – the bulk haulage arm of BR was making a healthy profit at the time of rail privatisation. It ran a very tight ship and understood both marketing and cost control. Sadly, it all went downhill very quickly when sold to the Americans.
No it didn’t, it managed to make profits on most of its services Freight and Passenger.
Please do some research before making daft statements.
Just a complete shower . The managers (if you can call them that) have no plan and no idea. D.B.C. are the worst of all the railfreight companies by far. Everyday is a pantomime. Thank christ I retired june last year.
I worked for them for over 30 years…left the company last year was not a nice experience the way I finished… I’m not surprised by this news only tip of the iceberg.
I’m not surprised that feels sorry for the drivers that are facing redundancy this is why I took the money all those years ago instead of becoming a driver in private enterprise
I was treated badly after long service. DBC deserves to fail, I feel sorry for its staff
Unfortunately DB has not recovered after obtaining EWS which only survived by selling all it’s real estate, something they have done for years
Yes something must be wrong if DBC cannot attract more customers whilst other freight operator are.
DBC is run by imbeciles. Too busy annoying their staff AND customers. Do they ever wonder why other freight companies are expanding?
Spot on
Spot on they don’t care about customers or staff