pandora440x

GD needed 5 staff when it opened. On opening day there was a 3+ hour wait. TOT was similar. Having extra staff may not necessarily improve efficiency, (because there is a maximum point at which extra staff add no benefit - the law of "diminishing returns"), but if all those staff are doing is chatting to waiting guests, at least the uests have something to do. Credtitng Tony Braxton-Smith with reducing staff in the operations department is nonsense. These reductions were made at the appropriate times. It's kind of ironic that changes made to the Human Resources section , for example, under Tony's stewardship are now being reversed to some degree now that he is gone. There is no doubt in my mind that Tony fulfilled the aims the board of directors gave him. And good on him for that. It's brutal justice that those that live by the sword, or in Tony's case ruled by it, met thier end in similar fashion.

Thanks djrappa. I would be horrified if any park operated a broken/unsafe attraction. If I thought that DW was doing that, I would dob them into the Deptartment of Wokplace Health and Safety myself!

I bet the new ride has a flame theme.

Precisely, Joz, penalty rates were given away by previous negotiators years ago. Your current pay rates apparently have those bought-out penalties built into them today. How fortunate for us all. So what's happening at the moment with the negotiations?

I would like to say that I am a bit offended by Richard's recent comments. In particular this little gem: "There's not a single area or department of Dreamworld that couldn't benefit from huge improvements in this area, and it would be very simple to solve." OK, Richard, let's hear your suggestions. In doing so, can we see some costings and budgets for your suggestions? I'd then like to hear how you are going to sell these ideas to the board of directors and shareholders. Let's not forget the inclusion of staff in your consultation process. If it's so simple, then why aren't you our new CEO? There are other aspects to theme park management than capacity, or pushing the cattle through. I think you summed it up best yourself when you said: "You couldn't say what needs to be done without knowing what's going on in the first place. "

Yes, I have worked at Dreamworld, and am still there today. I reject djrappa's suggestion that I am "protecting my park" in my comments. I do not, and will never have a problem with realsitic suggestions and statements on this website. I have never been one to be backward in coming forward in making suggestions for the operations department. As for revealing a bit more about my experience for Slick, isn't that what pandora's box is all about? I certainly was looking forward to your explaination of the "park" function of the TOT though. (no, I don't mean the e-brake) What a dissapointment that you didn't deliver!

"WET MESS" may also include a drink spill, ice cream spill etc. "OPERATIONAL" does NOT mean that the ride is broken. A broken ride will not be operated, EVER. Theme park operators have what grown-ups call a "duty of care". The term "operational" may include something simple, for example a log at the Log Ride requiring bailing out as some rubbish is blocking the auto-drain. Or maybe an indicator bulb on a control panel is blown. Get the idea? "CODE 6" refers to a situation in which the ride cannot be operated, for example a power failure isolated to that ride. There are many other calls, and these calls are not limited to amusement park use. They will be different from organisation to organisation, and cover many types of things. What one place on the coast calls a "code yellow" is something totally different to another park. Oh dear.

"WET MESS" may also include a drink spill, ice cream spill etc. "OPERATIONAL" does NOT mean that the ride is broken. A broken ride will not be operated, EVER. Theme park operators have what grown-ups call a "duty of care". The term "operational" may include something simple, for example a log at the Log Ride requiring bailing out as some rubbish is blocking the auto-drain. Or maybe an indicator bulb on a control panel is blown. Get the idea? "CODE 6" refers to a situation in which the ride cannot be operated, for example a power failure isolated to that ride.

1. Giant Drop 2. Spooky Coaster 3. the rest aren't worth the fuss. That's right, even TOT!

So for an extra $6 a week (25 minus 19) MW staff are going to eventually vote yes, and still relinquish weekend penalty rates. Wow, that's really generous of park management. They should be proud.

SLICK, I was wondering if you could share your wealth of knowledge of the TOT at Dreamworld. Could you please describe what the purpose of the 16 red digital readings in the operators area are for. Could you also tell us what the "park" function does?

G’day BIGMAL. As a current employee I would also like to kick that Supervisors butt. 1. Years ago the Wipeout had 6 water jets. These were fired at operator discretion. These were removed due to corrosion issues, as well as guest complaints emanating from getting wet. Boo Hoo. 2. I agree, adding more staff in non holiday periods is STUPID, and staff numbers are mostly right. I am sure that extra staff could be placed on rides, but at what cost to consumers? Think about it the next time you are in the checkout line at the supermarket. Ask yourself: Why am I waiting while 50% of the checkouts are closed. Ask yourself the same at the bank too. The issue I have frequently discussed with Supervisors is that certain rides need additional staff on certain days, and certain times. For example, Cyclone from opening until mid afternoon would be a far more efficient ride, in non-holiday periods. I have researched this, based on ride data kept on each ride in the park, and I can assure you that I know what I am talking about. (I began working at DW prior to the Wipeout). It's all about finding a balance for customer service and cost. sometimes it may seem that the balance is not right, but try to think outside theat 1 day... budgets are done for longer periods. I have to disagree on the point that Operators receive close to $20 an hour. Almost all Operators at this level are full or part-time employees, who receive lower rates than the casuals. 3. TOT uses LIM (linear induction motors), but the suggested reason that the ride does not operate in wet weather because of the relationship between moisture and electricity is simply dumb. There are 3 broad reasons for not operating the TOT during rain. These are: traction, rider comfort (at that speed rain feels like needles), and drainage. Safe traction does not occur with a wet track. The sliding of the wheels leads to the development of flat spots on the wheel – bad when the track is dry, just imagine the unbalanced ride going 160kph! Rider comfort – imagine the crybabies! Drainage – the TOT car does not have drainage, and any water trapped inside the car floor would lead to rust. In regard to covering the track with a 300 metre tunnel… are you joking? What an eyesore. Even with a full tunnel, the car would still trail water back over the LIM’s after the vertical portion of the ride, thus making this suggestion a waste of money and ondeed thread space. Nice try. 4. Lifts on rides, no thanks. There seems to be a large focus on this website on pushing numbers through. I’m sorry, but I have never thought of guests as cattle. What ever happened to a bit of customer service? Did you ever notice that the people operating the rides are actually real? Sticking cameras in lifts would only give the vandals something else to break, thereby costing the park, and in turn our visitors more $. 5. On the issue of gum and tagging raised elsewhere in this thread: have you ever seen someone do that? Ever done it yourself? Don’t. I hear plenty of people whine on this site about waiting in queues, you want more staff, another rollercoaster, blah, blah, blah. Every time someone has to peel away gum, or remove tags (people my age call it graffiti) it costs money. I would much rather see my employer spending that money on the improvements you all desire so much. If you ever see someone doing that crap, tell a staff member. Hopefully I'll be that staff member. Pandora's box is open!

Some questions: Is the 3% increase on offer to occur immediately? Is there a back-pay component? How long will this proposed agreement run for? Is there a committment from park management to reduce waste, and consult with staff and the union further on other proposals? If MW employees were not operating under a certified agreement, they would have recently recieved a $19 a week pay increase under the relevant award. This $19 a week increase does not ask employees to work on weekends without penalty rates. Why should these employees put up with such paltry offers?