Rolls Royce

[MRG]

WOW! I can only assume your post is designed to provoke a reaction. “Working at 25%” “militant workforce”!!!
In the past 2 decades the barnoldswick workforce has bent over backwards to protect jobs. Short time working, pay cuts, pay freeze’s, while at the same time embracing modern working practices designed to improve efficiency.
Rolls Royce’s policy of offshoring jobs is gathering momentum, and I see it as a betrayal of their UK workforce!

As you say though, you have limited knowledge! Which your statement clearly proves

For the last 2 decades a good proposition of the Barnoldswick workforce have nigh on worked to rule, purposely did just enough and never above and beyond and took a decent wage for it. More unforgivingly, they would make it impossible for the lads who wanted to give 100% with a ‘we don’t do things like that around here’ attitude. For them staff this will bring them crashing down to the real world and some will never work in this industry again as those in this field know what’s been going on and will avoid employing them at all costs!

[Bigvince]

For every job lost at RR barnoldswick, there will be 1 or 2 lost in the supply chain (other engineering firms).
It’s hard to see where these workers are going to find alternative employment at this time

[TVC15]

For every job lost at RR barnoldswick, there will be 1 or 2 lost in the supply chain (other engineering firms).
It’s hard to see where these workers are going to find alternative employment at this time

Yes really difficult situation.
Aircelle in Burnley also getting rid of a third of their 750 workforce but many of these have already got jobs - a number at BAE who are on another big recruitment drive. BAE have even agreed to take on all the apprentices from Aircelle. A number of people have walked away with a redundancy payment and into higher paid jobs at BAE.
Another big defence type company in Bolton also taking on people in this industry.
Tough times for those impacted and their families but hopefully they find new jobs soon enough. I know at Rolls Royce there were a number of people who had been on the waiting list for voluntary redundancy for years so many of these will now have been agreed.

[Bigvince]

Most if not all of the RR employees waiting for voluntary redundancy have already received it, as a result of the 200 or so redundancies announced in the previous 2 years. The new job losses will be compulsory redundancies I’m afraid. Sad times indeed

[Siddo]

For the last 2 decades a good proposition of the Barnoldswick workforce have nigh on worked to rule, purposely did just enough and never above and beyond and took a decent wage for it. More unforgivingly, they would make it impossible for the lads who wanted to give 100% with a ‘we don’t do things like that around here’ attitude. For them staff this will bring them crashing down to the real world and some will never work in this industry again as those in this field know what’s been going on and will avoid employing them at all costs!

Sadly, I 100% agree with this. I have worked in aerospace in Burnley, Darwen and Manchester and this attitude existed particularly on the shop floor, usually to eke a job out to guarantee their overtime.
The sheet sheet metal workers in particular think the fact they served an apprenticeship means the world owes them a living.
I have also worked in the lean and pacy automotive industry where every second counts, and the attitude and commitment is totally different.
I fully understand why they would transfer the work out as the shareholders and management simply do not get value for money in this area.

[Burnley1989]

Sadly, I 100% agree with this. I have worked in aerospace in Burnley, Darwen and Manchester and this attitude existed particularly on the shop floor, usually to eke a job out to guarantee their overtime.
The sheet sheet metal workers in particular think the fact they served an apprenticeship means the world owes them a living.
I have also worked in the lean and pacy automotive industry where every second counts, and the attitude and commitment is totally different.
I fully understand why they would transfer the work out as the shareholders and management simply do not get value for money in this area.

I’ve been heavily involved in both having spent time working at Nissan, completely different attitude to a BAE

[Jakubclaret]

Sadly, I 100% agree with this. I have worked in aerospace in Burnley, Darwen and Manchester and this attitude existed particularly on the shop floor, usually to eke a job out to guarantee their overtime.
The sheet sheet metal workers in particular think the fact they served an apprenticeship means the world owes them a living.
I have also worked in the lean and pacy automotive industry where every second counts, and the attitude and commitment is totally different.
I fully understand why they would transfer the work out as the shareholders and management simply do not get value for money in this area.

That same culture & ideology has been prevalent for decades down there & plenty of other industries, it's heavily frowned upon doing anything extra as it becomes expected from others, the general pattern is you all agree upon a set target throughout all the shifts, you do anything different from that you become alienated from the core of the lads & labelled a brown noser, just not worth the hassle & animosity so it's easier to go along with the gang you fit in like a glove that way.

[MRG]

Big Vince? You’ve gone quiet on this??

[Bigvince]

Unfortunately every workforce contains a few bad apples! But my experience tells me that the majority of the workforce are willing to get the job done. 30 years ago there was plenty of evidence of the working culture which you describe. But over the last 3 decades I saw that attitude decline considerably, if it hadn’t been for the change in working practices, and the steps taken by employees, which I mentioned in a previous post, this decimation at the Barnoldswick plant would have happened many years earlier!
They’re are many good workers employed at Barnoldswick site, Who face an uncertain future, please do not tar them all with the same brush

[Top Claret]

It sounds like Rolls Royce is a throw back to the 70s work culture when people just turned up for work but did little.

[bodge]

Can't comment on the culture but there were some good lads there who certainly weren't shirkers like Tom Forster, Brent Taylforth and Brian Traill.

[TommyJohnson]

My limited knowledge of a good selection of the RR workforce suggests that there will be a fairly sizeable amount of people who have spent years working at 25% as part of a militant workforce who are about to join the real world. No wonder so many of them are petrified about what the future holds.

I also believe that this poor work ethic that they are rumoured to have doesn’t make them too attractive to other local engineering companies when applying for vacancies.

Tough times ahead for many now the gravy train has come off the tracks

Correct

We had an oldish chap who had just been made redundant from RR start at our place the other week. He lasted a month.

You could tell he wasn't used to actually doing some work. He made a mistake and damaged some blades when questioned about management denied it and left on his own accord.

[conyoviejo]

Can't comment on the culture but there were some good lads there who certainly weren't shirkers like Tom Forster, Brent Taylforth and Brian Traill.

Had some laughs with Brian,especially on the racing trip from T blades

[cricketfieldclarets]

My limited knowledge of a good selection of the RR workforce suggests that there will be a fairly sizeable amount of people who have spent years working at 25% as part of a militant workforce who are about to join the real world. No wonder so many of them are petrified about what the future holds.

I also believe that this poor work ethic that they are rumoured to have doesn’t make them too attractive to other local engineering companies when applying for vacancies.

Tough times ahead for many now the gravy train has come off the tracks

Without knowing the ins and outs especially at rolls. A guy I know who worked in the same industry and recently joined bae pretty much confirmed that.

‘It’s brilliant. Get paid more. Do less. And there’s a pub next door’.

[Bigvince]

Without knowing the ins and outs especially at rolls. A guy I know who worked in the same industry and recently joined bae pretty much confirmed that.

‘It’s brilliant. Get paid more. Do less. And there’s a pub next door’.

Which pub is next door

[Burnley1989]

Which pub is next door

Not sure if the name but there’s a pub at BAE, literally on site if I remember correctly

[tim_noone]

Not sure if the name but there’s a pub at BAE, literally on site if I remember correctly

They had a function room years back... theres a bigger eating house pub across the road....they pulled the older one down recently.

[Jakubclaret]

More clubhouses than public houses I wouldn't fancy my chances bypassing security wandering in off the A59 to sample a pint of thwaites.

[Lowbankclaret]

For the last 2 decades a good proposition of the Barnoldswick workforce have nigh on worked to rule, purposely did just enough and never above and beyond and took a decent wage for it. More unforgivingly, they would make it impossible for the lads who wanted to give 100% with a ‘we don’t do things like that around here’ attitude. For them staff this will bring them crashing down to the real world and some will never work in this industry again as those in this field know what’s been going on and will avoid employing them at all costs!

I was part of the union committee (Staff) who negotiated the new working practices.

If my memory is correct 50 hours of overtime was consolidated into into the annual wage. The shop floor got 17% extra to consolidate shift pay.
I am not going to go into all what happened, but the Company messed up big time
As you say about two years later the shop floor did a kinda work to rule and forced the company to start paying overtime again. It over spent by around 1.5 million that year and over time has been paid ever since.

In 2019 I was told the highest shop floor earner was a little over £75,000.

As for effort, I would say use the 80/20 rule. 80% did what was needed to be done. 20% did next to nothing all day and got away with it on a big wage.

[Lowbankclaret]

We'll see, without anyone nevermind everyone being incorrect let's see if I'm right my track record so far suggests I will be because I'm knowledgeable, too many people seem to be experts on RR but so far I'm the only person I say something is going to happen & it does happen, similar to the Covid-19 everything was predicted months ago & is happening exactly as described, but what do I know.

It’s ok, I was on strategy meetings before I left, and the experts could not agree on future engine designs or what blades to use.

What is fact is Ultrafan has been put back to 2030.

[Jakubclaret]

It’s ok, I was on strategy meetings before I left, and the experts could not agree on future engine designs or what blades to use.

What is fact is Ultrafan has been put back to 2030.

That's true, I'm swerving this thread now it's become plainly obvious a certain contingent are only permitted to be correct all the time & opposing opinions however meticulously constructed aren't welcome