Not afore time. Water bosses

Hope this works. News item on water bosses. Should have happened many years ago. Fines are not the answer as you and I will cover em.
https://metro.co.uk/
Looks as if not.
News item in the Metro today. On jail sentences for bosses from today if they cover up spillages.
If anyone knows how to do a link please do so.

 

https://metro.co.uk/2025/04/25/dirt...y-22966705/?ito=article.mweb.share.top.native

 

So, as long as they're open and honest about their spillages, they can carry on polluting?

 

It really is a joke mate. Polluting brings fines. That come out of the public purse so to speak. "I know what, we'll increase the rates".
If it was left to operations and maintenance teams. Things would have not been anywhere near as bad.

Operations report issues. And clueless desk staff looking at a spreadsheet to follow meticulously. Leading to maintenance crews without work. Was/is the most major issue. It was called risk management whilst I was there. Probably still is (penny wise megapounds foolish. Shareholders the priority).
Some jobs if done in a timely manner would have cost 100s of pounds say. So along comes the risk factor. Other plant fails, so major incident ensues. No back up. Now we are into the realms of throwing 10s of 1000s and in some cases 100s of 1000s at it to cover arses with hire equipment, for weeks/months on end. + the 100s they would have cost for repairs in the first place.

But the buck lies with upper management who as one colleague said. rightly so. "I wouldn't let em run me a bath" Some of us would bypass the system and do work when asked direct if on site, without permission to prevent failures. It was either do that or nowt.

Too many arse lickers in middle management and on the shop floor. Not willing to confront issues. Those that did, were ignored. Or. The reply was "they won't do owt abart it." They certainly don't if not asked. Rotten to the core some upper management.
I can think of several I'd have put away for many yrs without a qualm. CEO's Directors. HR was a joke.

The amount of workers on the shop floor suffering stress and mental issues because of it. Was astonishing. The queues to see company doctor or nurse. Was way out of control. Possibly again, still is. I had to get out afore normal retirement age or I'd have ended up in an early grave.
I stayed as long as I could bear, out of loyalty to my workmates. No one knew our T's and C's better than me. In maintenance, TUPE. The lot. And I was a thorn in management's side fighting our corner. Even falling out with some weak as piss, fellow shop stewards.

 

So, with your knowledge, presumably going back many years what is your considered view about privatization in the 80's and its effects for the public and the public purse? I'm interested to read. Ta.

 

Should be a documentary made on this

 

He only went to sit in control room
With his sports direct pot of tea and cheese sarnies eh @Hooky feller

 

Thats not what it's saying....by senior management covering it up the company has avoided legal action, the previous sanction for covering up by managers was only a fine...now it will be a potential custodial sentence.Its a good start and should concentrate a few minds.

 

True Jud. As site based during that period me and my fitter mate, Wrighty Waiting for work that never arrived. I was more than happy to move back into the Barnsley area again for 4 yrs And was fuming that I was requested to move back tut meadows again. Because my knowledge of the plant was second to none on the electrical side. But I was only there for breakdowns in effect. As the site was under private companies at that time. Building the new works.. and because of that. Not let loose into the area. Complete and utter ******. As you well know lol.

 

I think Watters’ bosses need sorting as well!

 

I think Watters us full of 5hite

 

Where to start. Those that work for the company still, are simply tied to a contract of silence due to the possibility of bringing the company into disrepute to my knowledge.

I joined in 1988. We had very knowledgeable operations and maintenance managers. Where costs were not the biggest issue and made sure any failures were kept to a minimum or none at all due to fast action . If any equipment was broke down. It would be repaired. There is what is called failure of consent.(spillages or contamination) basically handled by the lads themselves. Never or extremely rarely failing consent. Some issues are unavoidable. Eg Extreme weather events. Flooding. Droughts etc.

Under privatisation. The supposed massive investments did happen to a degree. But that brings along profitability as well.

The maintenance dept. Was then outsourced to WEIRS in 99/00. Working supposedly, more efficiently. But also they needed to make profits. They had a budget to work to and were responsible for any failures. Never happened to my knowledge. As all failures were proven to be YW negligence in not issuing work.

Planned maintenance was a joke. One of the companies we worked for had conmen (We were outsourced to 3 different companies in 10yrs. Weirs/Morrisons half each. Then brought together under Mcalpines then Carillion. That should tell you summat. The contract went to the lowest bidder)
One Conman (by word of mouth and I'd no reason to doubt as they were renowned) for example used to take planned maintenance cards home and fill em in as done. Reason being the company were being paid a fixed amount for each job completed.
At one stage a senior manager told one areas lads, to only spend 15mins on each planned maintenance job. The fixed payment was for an average of 45 mins. (Eg one may take 1hr another 30mins)
All in the cause of making money for the company under false pretences. I confronted him in front of other managers some senior to him. And said that was not acceptable. His face was a picture. That was stopped in its tracks.

One of those companies we were outsourced to hadn't factored in pension contributions in the bid, as in only going to provide the minimum. 3%. I went to Leeds and stopped the handover in it's tracks, I quoted Tupe. (Although pensions are not covered in one sense. They had to be comparable.) We retained our pensions from our previous company after a pow wow. Between YW and the bidding company. We were insourced back in house 2010.

On the operational/maintenance side they instigated a risk management structure. Breaking every rule in the book on compliance and consent. Leading to massive fines. (When caught) spending as I said b4. Millions on hire equipment to get em by.
Instead of repairs being done at the earliest opportunity. Risk management caused massive failure. And no option but to go into panic mode. I saw it happening in waste treatment daily. But what surprised me more than anything. they had done before, was the fact they started to use the same practices in water treatment.
I on many occasion raised issues. But others supposedly knew better. (My arse)

I think I once wrote b4. We had an environment agency director take a position at YW.
I wasn't invited. But at the introduction. I asked her if she felt comfortable now working for a company that pulls wool over her eyes and explained why.
We went from the environment agency monitoring and sampling. To self monitoring because the agency suffered massive job losses. Only visiting at longer intervals. Leaving yw. To report themselves. And still do i believe . It is so open to abuse.
Coincidence or not. She was gone within a month or two at most.

I got so irate as to what was happening I eventually went straight to the top. (CEO) and told her she was either complicit or being lied to by her undermanagers. Directors etc.

Looking back my complaints fell on deaf ears. And as I was suffering work related depression/mental issues I'd had enough and left. Along with my fitter mate on the same day.

It probably doesn't answer your question fully on how it affected the public.
But let's just say.
Higher bills to cover up their mismanagement. To satisfy the owners. profits, obscene rewards for failure.
Massive environmental issues eg. pollutions of the waterways.
Which tbh you are already aware of. But im not sure you're aware of the scale.

 

Thanks very much for taking the time.