FIRST TransPennine Ex-press and Northern Rail have embarked on conflict avoidance courses using dramatic role-play by professional actors to help protect their staff.

The programme of courses for hundreds of frontline staff comes at a time when MPs and the RMT union have launched a campaign to persuade the Government and employers to take all necessary steps to prevent staff assaults.

So far, more than 25 MPs from all parties have signed a Commons Motion tabled by the RMT to persuade employers to use best practice when developing policies to prevent violence against staff.

According to the Rail Safe-ty and Standards Board, one in five rail workers suffers physical or verbal abuse from customers during their careers, with more than 2,000 verbal assaults and almost the same number of physical assaults taking place across the network in 2007.

Last year, Northern staff suffered 151 physical assaults, 78 threats and 335 instances of verbal abuse, so starting
the courses for 300 frontline train and retail staff was an urgent priority.

The courses designed to help rail staff tackle anti-social and aggressive behaviour are provided by training specialist train4change, which provides many other training courses for both Northern and First TransPennine Express.

Northern’s head of training Karen Olroyd said: “It’s very important to us to keep our people safe, and we needed to replace our passive, classroom-based conflict avoidance courses with something more dramatic and effective.
“Train4change’s innovative approach does just that and, after three pilot courses to ensure we’ve got it right, we shall roll out the course to all our frontline people over the next 18 months.”

Of the FTPE staff trained by train4change, 94 per cent said that they found the course very beneficial.

Conductor John Quinn says it has given him far more confidence in dealing with difficult customers. “It’s one of the best courses I’ve ever been on, because actors rather than training staff are used, allowing me to really relate to the content,” he said. “If someone shouts at me now, I take a step back to calm down before speaking to them, which results in a far better outcome for everyone.”

FTPE customer services director Edith Rodgers said: “The course has introduced successfully practical techniques that have helped reduce the risk of violence and assaults, and has played an important part in protecting our staff.”

The RMT has targeted main stations with a leafleting campaign as part of an international day of action to mark Workers Memorial Day.
Part of a global initiative co-ordinated by the International Transport Federation, it aims to take the ‘Unions say no to violence’ message to the travelling public.

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