friz
13-04-2004, 03:42 PM
Heard and read this over the weekend.
Anyone suprised??
NCT staff under pressure to reach 'failure' targets
JIMMY GUERIN
A Sunday Independent investigation can reveal that management at the National Car Testing (NCT) company monitors failure levels at their centres, and when these fall below what is seen as an acceptable level, pressure is put on local managers to have more cars failed by vehicle inspectors.
According to a number of staff, as many as 150,000 cars per annum are failed in order to keep the figures right for the company. In 2003, 303,000 cars were failed at the first inspection and this produced over €9m in additional income for the company.
An internal document sent to one centre manager from NCT head office states, "As discussed this morning on the phone the fail rate in Abbeyfeale (25.9 per cent) and Youghal (29 per cent) have dropped very low in the last period . . . . Please let me know what action you take in relation to this and any feedback. Regards." At the end of the document it read "PS for the last period Skib was up at 38 per cent !!!! (Not bad at all)."
Team leaders at a number of centres have told the Sunday Independent that when the failure levels fall, managers are sent in to prepare reports on individual inspectors who are then pressurised to change work practices so that more cars fail the initial test. A number of vehicle inspectors said that if they complain about the pressure, or if they do not achieve the expected fail rate, they will lose their jobs.
The Sunday Independent asked the NCT management about the monitoring and the reason this is done. The company declined to comment.
Team leaders at a number of centres have complained to management that machines are run-down and faulty which is resulting in more cars being failed than should be. One team leader, Peter Bainczyk, was so concerned that he wrote to management in November 2002.
He said that because the equipment gets worse from week to week he decided to put the company on notice of his concerns. He said that in spite of many complaints to management, no action has been taken. He stated: "We have no bulbs for the cable torches on stage three so we have to make an estimate, not a qualified test."
The team leader went on to say that because of problems with miscalibrated rotophons, cars are failing that should in fact pass. "I would say that 30 per cent of the cars failed on the emissions are failed incorrectly in our test centre."
He told the company in 2002: "If there is ever a check by the Department of Enterprise, Government or similar organisations, there is a lot of trouble ahead for NCT."
Team leaders also said the firm had adopted a policy of replacing Irish mechanics with non-EU nationals. When NCT started there were 42 mechanics employed in Dublin on the day shift and all were Irish nationals. Today there are only eight Irish and about 34 non-EU nationals.
The union which represents the workers in NCT has written to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment expressing concerns that qualified Irish mechanics cannot gain employment with NCT yet it continues to obtain permits to employ non-EU workers.
"The company is employing non-EU nationals as a means of undermining the union's claims for improvements in the pay and conditions of our members despite this sector being ineligible for work permits under your own guidelines and procedures. Your own procedures clearly state that mechanic-motor applicants are not eligible for permits . . . (Please) inform us as to how the NCT has managed to continue to obtain permits despite this group being exempt," the union wrote.
The company has also been advised of results being altered by a senior staff member at the centre for a family member. The car was failed over a dangerous back axle and the customer accepted thisdecision.
However, when the senior staff member heard of the failure he changed the result on computer. The Sunday Independent has copies of both certificates. The only difference between them is that the failure reasons given have been removed from the second certificate. The vehicle inspector then learned the car belonged to the senior staff member's brother.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1162271&issue_id=10715
Anyone suprised??
NCT staff under pressure to reach 'failure' targets
JIMMY GUERIN
A Sunday Independent investigation can reveal that management at the National Car Testing (NCT) company monitors failure levels at their centres, and when these fall below what is seen as an acceptable level, pressure is put on local managers to have more cars failed by vehicle inspectors.
According to a number of staff, as many as 150,000 cars per annum are failed in order to keep the figures right for the company. In 2003, 303,000 cars were failed at the first inspection and this produced over €9m in additional income for the company.
An internal document sent to one centre manager from NCT head office states, "As discussed this morning on the phone the fail rate in Abbeyfeale (25.9 per cent) and Youghal (29 per cent) have dropped very low in the last period . . . . Please let me know what action you take in relation to this and any feedback. Regards." At the end of the document it read "PS for the last period Skib was up at 38 per cent !!!! (Not bad at all)."
Team leaders at a number of centres have told the Sunday Independent that when the failure levels fall, managers are sent in to prepare reports on individual inspectors who are then pressurised to change work practices so that more cars fail the initial test. A number of vehicle inspectors said that if they complain about the pressure, or if they do not achieve the expected fail rate, they will lose their jobs.
The Sunday Independent asked the NCT management about the monitoring and the reason this is done. The company declined to comment.
Team leaders at a number of centres have complained to management that machines are run-down and faulty which is resulting in more cars being failed than should be. One team leader, Peter Bainczyk, was so concerned that he wrote to management in November 2002.
He said that because the equipment gets worse from week to week he decided to put the company on notice of his concerns. He said that in spite of many complaints to management, no action has been taken. He stated: "We have no bulbs for the cable torches on stage three so we have to make an estimate, not a qualified test."
The team leader went on to say that because of problems with miscalibrated rotophons, cars are failing that should in fact pass. "I would say that 30 per cent of the cars failed on the emissions are failed incorrectly in our test centre."
He told the company in 2002: "If there is ever a check by the Department of Enterprise, Government or similar organisations, there is a lot of trouble ahead for NCT."
Team leaders also said the firm had adopted a policy of replacing Irish mechanics with non-EU nationals. When NCT started there were 42 mechanics employed in Dublin on the day shift and all were Irish nationals. Today there are only eight Irish and about 34 non-EU nationals.
The union which represents the workers in NCT has written to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment expressing concerns that qualified Irish mechanics cannot gain employment with NCT yet it continues to obtain permits to employ non-EU workers.
"The company is employing non-EU nationals as a means of undermining the union's claims for improvements in the pay and conditions of our members despite this sector being ineligible for work permits under your own guidelines and procedures. Your own procedures clearly state that mechanic-motor applicants are not eligible for permits . . . (Please) inform us as to how the NCT has managed to continue to obtain permits despite this group being exempt," the union wrote.
The company has also been advised of results being altered by a senior staff member at the centre for a family member. The car was failed over a dangerous back axle and the customer accepted thisdecision.
However, when the senior staff member heard of the failure he changed the result on computer. The Sunday Independent has copies of both certificates. The only difference between them is that the failure reasons given have been removed from the second certificate. The vehicle inspector then learned the car belonged to the senior staff member's brother.
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1162271&issue_id=10715