Eurostar: Brussels Operational Control Centre

Our ref: HSR

Head Office Circular: NP/200/24

7^th August 2024

To: The Secretary

ALL BRANCHES

REGIONAL COUNCILS

 

Dear Colleague

 

EUROSTAR: BRUSSELS OPERATIONAL CONTROL CENTRE

 

Your Euro Passenger Services Branch submitted the following resolution: 

 

This branch notes the serious safety risk to our members and passengers following the move of the OCC to Brussels on May 10th, 2024. 

 

The major safety risk is that OCC staff are working in roles that they have not been trained to do and where necessary not been validated in either. This includes the Route Supervisor North (RSN), the Route Supervisor South (RSS), Duty Shift Leader (DSL) and the Fleet Controllers. The OCC staff have been expected to work in roles without adequate training and are making decisions without experience or having been validated on rules that are specific to Eurostar Channel Rolling Stock. 

 

Our members, who include Train Managers, Train Drivers, Station Staff and Technicians have a lack of confidence in the OCC due to poor decision making and continual poor communication. Train sets with serious faults are continually being given derogations to run and there is a total disregard for the safety of our members and passengers. 

 

The branch requests that the General Secretary writes to Eurostar seeking an immediate response to the High-Risk Hazard that was submitted on July 24th with confirmation that OCC staff are not covering positions that they are not qualified in and that Eurostar must take immediate action to prevent a serious incident or accident.

 

            At its meeting on 6^st August 2024, your National Executive Committee resolved as follows:

 

            That we note the resolution form Euro Passenger Services Branch and we thank them for it.

 

            We instruct the General Secretary 

• To demand that an emergency meeting of the Joint Safety Council be convened on this item
• To report the lack of satisfactory response from Eurostar to the ORR
• To request that the ORR send a rail inspector to attend the Joint Safety Council meeting as an observer.

 

Should the company fail to respond to correspondence within 7 days of receipt, a dispute shall be declared between our organisations.

 

Members, branches and regional councils to be informed via text and email.

 

            I am acting in line with these instructions. Please bring this circular to the attention of all relevant members.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Michael Lynch

General Secretary