Locos welcome, UK drivers are not

The start of a new era for KiwiRail begins in the Bay this month with the first of the DL-class diesel locomotives due to enter service in about a week.
Commissioning trials of the Bay's six imported locomotives began as soon as they started to arrive at the Port of Tauranga last November.
KiwiRail communications adviser Kevin Ramshaw said the locomotives arrived later than expected from China, delaying the commissioning which had gone well.
Rail and Maritime Transport Union secretary Wayne Butson said there had been a lot issues with commissioning but none was unexpected.
"They are very different locos and a completely different design," Mr Butson said. "There has been issues but nothing that could not be addressed and worked through. They are a welcome addition to the fleet."
The locomotives had impressive pulling power and speeds, compared with those in the existing fleet that were up to 45 years old.
But the union was unhappy with KiwiRail's decision to recruit up to 40 new train drivers from the UK.
Mr Butson said it was appalling a Government department would recruit overseas at a time of recession and high unemployment.
"It is easier to go overseas and poach foreign labour," he said.
New Zealand was losing drivers at the rate of one a month to chase the big money in Australia. However, many of them now wanted to come back and he believed that should be KiwiRail's focus.
A previous campaign to recruit train drivers from South Africa had seen nearly all the drivers either return home or use New Zealand as a stepping stone to gain employment in Australia, Mr Butson said.
New Zealand would not be a great fit for English train drivers who were used to flatter and more intensive railway networks that were mostly used for passenger transport.
Mr Ramshaw defended the recruitment campaign, saying an increase in freight volumes coupled with retirements and locomotive engineers going overseas had put pressure on services at peak times.
He said KiwiRail had 40 engineers in training at the moment but attracting qualified engineers from overseas complimented local trainees, who took up to two years to qualify.