Keeping the UK’s roads safe
Lukas, a Traffic Officer for Highways England, joined Prospect when he started training for his role after meeting a union rep in his workplace: “Someone from Prospect actually came in and did a presentation and brought a union rep with them who answered all our questions about the union.”
Lukas is based Doncaster and is responsible for patrolling motorways and busy roads in the UK and responding to incidents such as crashes. Essentially, he makes the motorways a safer place for motorists.
Although Lukas really enjoys his job at Highways England he described it as a ‘role like no other.’ He has done other similar jobs which have put him in difficult situations but ‘nobody else carries out his kind of work.’
Lukas has always decided to be a member of a union at other employers where they’ve been available and although he’s never had to use them, he says ‘it’s been very handy to know that I’ve got them there behind me should I need support.’
The Highways England team work closely together and are always there to support one another: “Our team have a great working relationship,” says Lukas, “we all have the same end goal in sight so we all work to complement each other while we’re out on road.”
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Looking forward to the future, Lukas still sees himself working as a Traffic Officer and he is really passionate about the work he does: “I love the job. I don’t really see much further than being a Traffic Officer at the minute. This is the exact job I signed up to do.”
Being a new starter, the main thing Lukas has experienced being a member of Prospect is how his rota has changed. “We’re having a new rota implemented and having a say, having a vote. It’s getting to vote with my colleagues and making sure that vote actually goes somewhere.”
Lukas recognises the importance of being part of a collective, as “rather than facing challenges alone, you’ve got the whole workforce behind you.”
He also appreciated how easy it is for him to access the union, as there is a rep at his outstation, and the security that being part of a union gives him. “I’d rather have it and not use it then need it and not have it,” he says.