Workers Beer Company - Glastonbury

[WBC-WORKER]

I understood it to be 'giving away drinks because there was no change whatsoever', rather than stealing. However, regardless of the circumstances, I consider it a pretty harsh punishment, and somewhat irresponsible, to chuck a young person off a rural site with no means of getting anywhere or staying anywhere for the night.

The WBC brought in Staff Code of conduct letters that have to be signed by everyone as they enter the WBC Campsite and in there it does cover this -

4. Please be aware that is not acceptable to pass free/discounted drinks to friends, other WBC staff or members of the public – this is theft and will be dealt with accordingly.

I have seen this happened and a person on a different Team who had to have twelve mates who were taking it in turn to place a order with this server.

It was so blatant they were not making any attempt to pay nor the server attempt to collect any money.

I spoke to his Team leader who went nuts and he sorted it out and I am sure he kept a eye on his new recruit after that.

All it takes is a Inexperienced Manager and all of a sudden things can escalate drastically.

Normally they would only eject someone if they thought it was a serious matter - I have only witnessed it when actual cash was stolen but it may be the WBC have changed their Policy although I would have expected them to inform Team Organisers as I am sure that if people were aware that slipping a few free drinks was now a instant ejectable offence they would not attempt it.

Although they have tightened this up over the years I could list a whole ream of Tent Managers and Deputy Tent Managers who are very reluctant to pay for any drinks - they get around this now by passing out Hospitality vouchers which they never appear to run out off.

In the case you mentioned there is still a few blanks that may explain why they took the action they did take.

it is possible that the people involved were spotted handing out free drinks and were given a verbal warning and they decided to ignore this.

Its not clear if their Team Leader { Team Organiser } was consulted -

I know that if any of my Team had been caught I would have done everything in my power that they were not ejected late at night and with their length of service I would not expect that to happen.

I just wish I knew what Beer tent this happened in then at least I could speak to the Tent Manager just to find out what actually happened from his side of the fence.

It does look that the people ejected were new who may have admitted they had been handing out free drinks to all sorts of Mates and they may have been unaware of who to speak to receive a better outcome as there is many ways to skin a cat.

My Team was working in the Village bar which is inside the WBC campsite and normally a incident about someone being ejected would be all over the bar while they were taking their tent down.

Going on the information I have it does appear to be a extreme punishment and not something I have encountered before where cash was not involved.

I do know the official line is that not charging for drinks is stealing .

I will be working in the Village bar at Reading and I will try to get to the bottom of this.

If there has been a policy change then they should have made this clear in advance as it makes no sense keeping this secret.

brian

 

[Sunray]

It all boils down to treating people who are volunteering well. I volunteer for Oxfam and I get treated well and at Glastonbury very well. If they didn't I wouldn't work for them.

If they get a reputation for it, people will not work for them festivals will not employ them as the bar. All round lose for everyone.

Peppermint bars are already encroaching because they offer such a good deal to their 'volunteers'. Allows them to over staff their bar. As a punter faced with two packed bars, one Peppermint the other WBC, i'd go peppermint as I know I'll get served the quickest. These guys are a for profit venture.

 

[WBC-WORKER]

As I wrote in July 2009 ' There is talk of a strike at Reading/Leeds but this is talked about every four/five years and none of the more established organiser even gave it a second thought '

I was at Reading working in the WBC Village Bar and there was no strike that I could spot.

Overall I would say that the staff in general were more happy although I did not have time to speak to all the Team Organisers.

The party on the Sunday was a real cracker - the best I have been to but of course by sods law my Team was working the late shift but it was enjoyable seeing everyone else enjoying themselves.{ and I don't write that in a nasty way }

Well 2010 will be a new year so will just have to wait for the changes that are bound to click in.

all the best brian

ps

to Sunray - Peppermint bars cant be that good as I know at least five people who were Managers with them and they moved over to the WBC and they would never go back again


pps - part of my Team and I am on the left

 

[Rod Sleeves]

I knew that was you

 

[WBC-WORKER]

I knew that was you

Due to the side effects from the treatment of Prostate cancer I was only able to work at weekend events this year and it now looks as if all the cancer has not cleared up so may have to repeat Radiotherapy again although will not know until all the scans are complete in a few months time so I reckon I will be working in the Village for 2010.

At least there is no daft scanners which really does slow me down.

all the best brian

 

[WBC-WORKER]

The WBC contacted me yesterday laying down their deadlines for 2010

The Deadline for the whole year for server Teams is the 1st of March 2010.

Unlike last year everyone who wants to work for the WBC as a volunteer at Glastonbury has to be prepared to catch a Coach on Tuesday 22nd June .

So they may be planning more bars being open on the Wednesday.

all the best Brian

 

[William of Walworth]

Hi Brian

If you get to find out when the Real Ale tent (in the Acoustic Tent field) is planning to open in 2010, that would be grand. With luck that will be included in any earlier openings.

Up to last year you always had to wait til Thursday before it opened. And last year it opened nearly two hours late because of delays in getting their shit together ....

 

[yardbird]

I've just seen this thread and feel that I should have a say, not Glasto related.

I think that the first fest that the WBC were in was Reading when Vince Power got involved with Harold and Barbara Pendelton who were the initiators of festivals in the UK.
Also the first time I met Melvin Benn!!
Fucking chaos and the volunteers were treated badly even then.
I ran the on site workers/staff food and bar and the idea was to break even, so that the food (feeding the army is half the battle) was subsidised by the bar.
The WBC were not allowed back stage passes, otherwise they would have chosen to eat and drink at my place when on a break.
The staff were not treated with respect even then - a couple worked for me the following year
My guys and girls would ask if they could go see a particular band and it would usually get sorted, even on occasion I would take them on to the stage.
I gave up doing it when it stopped being fun and because Melvin is a cunt.
Mind you he wasn't that taken with me after I told him that you don't EVER march into somebodies kitchen without asking - you can't do what I can do, show me some respect. And by the way, the folks from Environmental Health will agree with me totally. You'll find them eating just over there. Now get out of my kitchen and learn some manners!
I got a round of applause after he'd gone

And that's the way the WBC are treated.
A lot of bullying and a lot of bullshit.
Form a union

 

[yardbird]

has to be prepared to catch a Coach on Tuesday 22nd

HAS to be prepared.

Nice.

 

[WBC-WORKER]

Hi Brian

If you get to find out when the Real Ale tent (in the Acoustic Tent field) is planning to open in 2010, that would be grand. With luck that will be included in any earlier openings.

Up to last year you always had to wait til Thursday before it opened. And last year it opened nearly two hours late because of delays in getting their shit together ....

Normally the Coaches will depart from various parts of the country on various days and Teams will be asked to book a specific coach but this is the first time they have sent out a warning that All Teams have to be prepared to catch a Tuesday coach so there has to be a very good reason why they included this warning.

A few years ago it was possible to drive to Glasto and park in the field next to the WBC Camp which was just outside the wall but last year they moved to a new location but this can only be reached from inside the wall so therefor its a lot more complicated to park a car and get the required WBC ID Card so everyone was asked to book coach places.

So they have a very good idea how many are using the Coaches and they all have to be booked in advance so they will know how many should be onsite by the Tuesday evening.

They may decide to stagger some bars but with all the staff already onsite I would suspect they do plan to get them up and running quickly.

Normally the WBC will send out a bar list with all the planned times so as soon as I have that I will post it here.

The Red Flag { real ale bar - image from 2008 } is slightly different to a normal bar as the casks have to be in place to settle before the bar can open for business.

I have never discovered why that has never opened on a Wednesday as its one of the most popular bars although it could be due to when the casks arrive.

I have worked in that bar although I don't drink Real Ale myself they have such a vast range it makes it more complicated to work there although I think I spotted a Cow last year { MDU - that fills 12 cups at a time - normally lager or cider } which does cut down the waiting time - I cant recall seeing a Cow there before but it has to be a good ten years since I worked in that bar.


My Team and I went down to see a friend who is a WBC Manager called Sean Taylor who was playing the acoustic stage

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/glasto-2009/wbc-image-glasto-2009-9.html

Just before he came on we walked into The Red Flag but it was packed so we never stayed for a drink as we knew he would be on shortly.

The acoustic area has always been my favourite area at Glasto but I am just a old Hippy.

Brian

 

[yardbird]

I feel that someone should be duty bound to assist those who choose/have to come by car.

 

[WBC-WORKER]

I've just seen this thread and feel that I should have a say, not Glasto related.

I think that the first fest that the WBC were in was Reading when Vince Power got involved with Harold and Barbara Pendelton who were the initiators of festivals in the UK.
Also the first time I met Melvin Benn!!
Fucking chaos and the volunteers were treated badly even then.

If you mean 1988 that was not the first event as the WBC were involved in various events before they got the contract to work at Reading.

I do know Melvin was not employed by Vince until the early 90's because I first joined in 1989 and I know he was employed by the WBC at the time.

I do agree that Melvin compared to Vince was not easy to work with.

As to who gets back stage passes this is all controlled by the promoter.

If I recall the mess tent was split in two at Reading at least at the old campsite which was hard up against the guest area.

The WBC has learned from their mistakes otherwise I would still not be a volunteer twenty years later.

Brian

 

[yardbird]

Brian
There were three years when Vince was co promoting with Harold and Barbara,
I think 85/86/87 (they didn't get on)
My food/bar area was backstage adjoining the production area about 20 yards behind the main stage (NOT a mess tent!) and I was in a position to organise back stage passes for people who required them.
I had a position of trusted authority.
This was not respected by Melvin - even to the point of offence.
In the mid eighties I ran Dingwalls Dancehall and got on fine with Vince, even organising a workers guest swap between clubs so that if anyone from there wanted to come to my place or vice versa no problems. Also arranged with Camden Palace, The Marquee and on occasion Ronnie Scott's
Melvin had been employed for years as Vince's accountant at The Mean Fiddler not just from the early 90's.
I was an internal auditor for Harvey Goldsmith for a period of time and good at spotting scams.
Let me tell you, in the early days of WBC it wasn't the bar staff that had hands in the till !!
In his early days Melvin was just not professional, just a bully and a boor.
One often finds this in people when they are surrounded by others competent
and knowledgeable in their own areas.
WBC - ever seen the books ?
I can't write here about those early days 'cos I would put myself in a legal area, but you get my drift.
Was Melvin WBC's accountant by any chance?

I truly hope that WBC has learnt from their early days.

Sorry if I've come across as slightly rude, I don't mean to be.
There are quite a few on urban who will vouch for my integrity.
Peace
Yardie

 

[WBC-WORKER]

I can only comment when I joined and I was told he was part of the WBC but he officially left the WBC in the early 90's - it may have been close to when the Phoenix was launched.

I can only comment about festivals where I know one year he was with the WBC and then he had moved over.

So when I wrote ' I do know Melvin was not employed by Vince until the early 90's because I first joined in 1989 and I know he was employed by the WBC at the time '

I was not writing about his private life but his festival work - I worked with him a few times and I do know he was displaying a WBC staff pass at the time - once he moved over he was not issued a WBC Staff pass.

I know where the WBC camp was when I joined so it may have been different in previous years - the camp was at the side of the guest area and the production road - they moved the camp when they expanded the guest area - there has been five separate WBC Camps in that time.

It was possible at least in 1989/90/91/92 to walk from the WBC Campsite into the guest area { via the back of the mess tent { the WBC always call it the Village Bar } and there was a few complaints that they should not be using that route.

it does look that we may be writing about different periods.

 

[yardbird]

I can only comment when I joined and I was told he was part of the WBC but he officially left the WBC in the early 90's - it may have been close to when the Phoenix was launched.

I can only comment about festivals where I know one year he was with the WBC and then he had moved over.

So when I wrote ' I do know Melvin was not employed by Vince until the early 90's because I first joined in 1989 and I know he was employed by the WBC at the time '

I was not writing about his private life but his festival work - I worked with him a few times and I do know he was displaying a WBC staff pass at the time - once he moved over he was not issued a WBC Staff pass.

I know where the WBC camp was when I joined so it may have been different in previous years - the camp was at the side of the guest area and the production road - they moved the camp when they expanded the guest area - there has been five separate WBC Camps in that time.

It was possible at least in 1989/90/91/92 to walk from the WBC Campsite into the guest area { via the back of the mess tent { the WBC always call it the Village Bar } and there was a few complaints that they should not be using that route.

it does look that we may be writing about different periods.

Sorry mate I was not trying to wind you up.
I'm 62 and worked my first festival for Harold and Barbara when I was 17.
We have been friends since then.
The devious manner in which Vince took over the festival was fucking outrageous.
Out of season he bought an available strip of land without which it could not be possible to build the festival.
Melvin was party to this.
Believe it or not there used to be honour and trust in the business.
I'm sure it's all fine now, but the early days of the WBC were very iffy.
The staff were treated like shit.
That was never my manner of doing business.

I apologise to all for derailing the thread.

I'll probably be at Reading this year - backstage of course

 

[William of Walworth]

Normally the Coaches will depart from various parts of the country on various days and Teams will be asked to book a specific coach but this is the first time they have sent out a warning that All Teams have to be prepared to catch a Tuesday coach so there has to be a very good reason why they included this warning.

A few years ago it was possible to drive to Glasto and park in the field next to the WBC Camp which was just outside the wall but last year they moved to a new location but this can only be reached from inside the wall so therefor its a lot more complicated to park a car and get the required WBC ID Card so everyone was asked to book coach places.

So they have a very good idea how many are using the Coaches and they all have to be booked in advance so they will know how many should be onsite by the Tuesday evening.

They may decide to stagger some bars but with all the staff already onsite I would suspect they do plan to get them up and running quickly.

Normally the WBC will send out a bar list with all the planned times so as soon as I have that I will post it here.

The Red Flag { real ale bar - image from 2008 } is slightly different to a normal bar as the casks have to be in place to settle before the bar can open for business.

I have never discovered why that has never opened on a Wednesday as its one of the most popular bars although it could be due to when the casks arrive.

I have worked in that bar although I don't drink Real Ale myself they have such a vast range it makes it more complicated to work there although I think I spotted a Cow last year { MDU - that fills 12 cups at a time - normally lager or cider } which does cut down the waiting time - I cant recall seeing a Cow there before but it has to be a good ten years since I worked in that bar.


My Team and I went down to see a friend who is a WBC Manager called Sean Taylor who was playing the acoustic stage

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/glasto-2009/wbc-image-glasto-2009-9.html

Just before he came on we walked into The Red Flag but it was packed so we never stayed for a drink as we knew he would be on shortly.

The acoustic area has always been my favourite area at Glasto but I am just a old Hippy.

Brian

Cheers for that answer Brian, very informative

Yes, good on you if at a later stage you get to be able to post the Red Flag's planned opening time for 2010 -- thanks.

Deb and I are Info Crew.

There's a possibility that the time needed to settle the ale is less at the Red Flag than would normally be the case with real ale. Our friend Andrew, who's the bar manager/stillage manager at our large ale festival here in Swansea, was at Glasto, and drinking with us last time when we were off duty. He was pretty convinced from what he saw (and he really knows his cask related stuff) that the beers were being served 'bright' -- ie cask conditioned as normal initially, but sealed before delivery to avoid the need to settle the casks after being set up in the tent. So essentially it remains real ale, just a tad compromised, for ease of setting up and to endure consistency of quality and as few as possible duff or cloudy pints. Those are a near inevitability on occasion in even the best run real ale bars and festivals, so I can quite understand why such a busy bar as the Red Flag might cut a corner or two, if they do it.

The beers themselves all seemed fine to drink and all 3 of us sampled plenty of them. I hope the RF does get to open a day earlier this year.

Failing that we have one or two other backstage sources of early ale ...

We love the Acoustic zone too ... sitting on that hill between the RF and the main tent in warm sunshine can be paradise, and with a hell of a view to go with it...

 

[WBC-WORKER]

When Latitude Festival first started in 2006 I do know there was a slight problem over the real ale and they switched to ale served bright either in 2008 or 2009 but as I have not set foot in the back of the Red Flag for ten years I would not make a guess so you may be correct.

If they allow me out of the WBC Village area I will speak to the Tent Manager of The Red Flag this year.

I just hope the Bootleg Beatles play there on the Friday night - they are very good.

Brian

 

[teecher]

Last year Glasto was a bit of a nightmare. The food was crap and we never found out our shifts until the same day. They tried to get us to work until 2 a.m all weekend so we went on strike Sunday and they did give us a better shift. I did Hop Farm too which was much better organised.

My team went to Latitude under a different team leader and one of the lads did get kicked off for giving out a free drink and not using his scanner. He had to fess up to giving his sister a free drink. The daft sod had got his first weekend off after his first child and his first shift didn't start until nine, a bit of an accident waiting to happen in retrospect. He was a very naughty boy but kicking him out in the middle of the night in the middle of the country could be seen as a tad harsh. They could surely have waited until the morning. He had to get a cab back to Colchester, which cost him fifty quid.

I did Reading with a different team and had a much better time. The bar we were on was actually overstaffed if anything. Our team are under probation this year so I'll see how it goes. I have met some great people working with them for the last five years but, like a lot of people are saying, I wouldn't put up with some practices if I was getting paid, let alone a volunteer.

 

[WBC-WORKER]

With great respect the shifts are never going to be perfect and I have lost count at how many times my team had shifts that some thought were unfair but if they worked at more events they would see the shifts even out.Its swings and roundabouts.

I am a fussy eater but I and my team thought the main food at Glasto 2009 to be good.

With regards Latitude are you claiming that he was caught handing out one free drink as I cant work out how he was spotted or do you mean he was not using his scanner all weekend ?

Do you know at what level the decision was made to kick him out as this sounds that they suspected that he was on the fiddle for some time.

So which night was this ?

At Latitude 2009 we were using Festival Republic catering which was excellent.

How were you able to switch teams { groups } mid season as within the organiser rules this is prevented by pre registration.

Sure this used to be common ten/twenty years ago but now that everyone has to be registered by the first deadline and no organiser can swap and change bids { or people } mid season so preventing volunteers moving from Team to Team or do you mean you were working with the same group but it was a different team ?

So is your main gripe with the Tent Manager of the beer tent you were working in or WBC Staffing { the ones in the portacabin } ?

Clearly if you team is under probation this year you will have to be careful as they will be watching you as staffing will speak to each tent manager and will ask for a report at the end of the day.

They used to place teams on probation for three years but not sure how long it lasts under the current rules { as there has been many changes in the past twenty years }

Brian

 

[teecher]

Thanks for the heads up, Brian. I take your point about the shifts; one year we had 12 - 6 three days. I wasn't at the Latitude debacle but he was chucked off on the first night and they only accused him of giving out one free drink/round though presumably suspected him of more.
I don't know how they let us switch groups. I wasn't trying to pull a fast one, just didn't know of the rule.
Chris

 

[WBC-WORKER]

Thanks for the heads up, Brian. I take your point about the shifts; one year we had 12 - 6 three days. I wasn't at the Latitude debacle but he was chucked off on the first night and they only accused him of giving out one free drink/round though presumably suspected him of more.
I don't know how they let us switch groups. I wasn't trying to pull a fast one, just didn't know of the rule.
Chris

Hi Chris - The allocation used to be a best fit Computer program so it all depends on how many was in your Team and they did not take into account your previous shifts from previous events .

You must have noticed they now favour smaller allocations - ten to twenty years ago I used to get 25 places at Glastonbury every year and there was many large Teams but each year they take on more and more Groups so reducing the pot for everyone else.

That guy at Latitude must have been a right fool - I reckon he handed over the drinks without putting his hand out for any payment.

I was working in the WBC Village bar at Latitude { which I will be doing at every event this year } but none of the Tent managers { well the ones who have been doing it for donkey years } mentioned there was any problem hence why I was surprised to read your account - normally someone who gets caught the word spreads like wildfire.

I never spotted the inner Council getting together at Latitude which they normally do if they want to discipline anyone - {{ there was a few cases at Reading { people handing out free drinks } but they just moved them into punishment duty { they have to tidy up the village - they hate it }} but I possibly could have missed it although its unusual that no one was talking about it later.

As you will be aware most of the WBC Office staff were doing their duties for the first time last year so its possible they did not check the rules.

I reckon it will be far stricter this year.

All the bids for this year had to be in by the 1 st of March - they then hand out allocations and then the Organiser tells them the specific names for each event but they can only pick people who have already been registered as being in their team.

Once that e-mail has been sent if anyone drops out they will not allow the name to be changed { unless they have had lots of drop outs then they will bend the rules } - it used to be a lot simpler years ago as the final list did not have to go in until very close to a event so organiser would contact each other and swap people about but with the current rules that is not possible.

last year one day before my team and I took the coach down to Glastonbury I was called up and offered a extra eight place but I had to give the names within one hour so I handed back the places as I already knew most of my Team had their tickets already so there was no point holding back another Team - that is very common for Glastonbury - Reading and Leeds but they always wait until the last day and they want the names asap.

So what events have you requested ?

If you spot me in the village bar give me a shout

I am the guy on the left

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/glasto-2009/wbc-image-2009-100.html

the one who is very friendly to all the staff as long as I don't catch them jumping the queue { I will pull up Tent Managers who will try to sneak past the queue }

All the best brian

 

[c8600]

Is it too late to join up for this summers festival season? I'm a member of UNISON North which appears on the list. Iv sent them an email.

 

[WBC-WORKER]

Is it too late to join up for this summers festival season? I'm a member of UNISON North which appears on the list. Iv sent them an email.

This year the procedure was slightly different than previous years .

All Organisers had to get their bids in by the 1 st of March .

Lets say twelve places requested for Glastonbury - they are likely to cut this back depending on what they represent - Trade Unions will get a higher allocation than say a Community centre so for UNISON North they are likely to get nine places .

The e-mail comes in and offers nine places the Organiser then picks the nine people he wishes on his team.

There is a short period where he can add new members to his Team so in fact if you are lucky you may get picked if for example a person he thought was going to work Glastonbury had to drop out.

You have one main problem - even although I was a Organiser for Unison for about ten years I only know a few other Unison Organisers so if you go via Unison HQ it may take some time before they can track down who is the official organiser.

If you were able to contact them directly all well and good but if you just sent a general e-mail then your best to contact the WBC Office via

[email protected]

and ask them who is the official organiser for Unison North.

Please note to save time your best to quote your unison membership number and your full details { including what department you work at etc etc } as they may be reluctant to hand out details direct to you but they may agree to pass on your details to the Organiser.

You should also give a indication as to which events you would like to do - the more flexible you can be the better.

I have a full list at http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/2010_vol-availability.pdf

- please note the extra requirements for Glastonbury re catching the coach Tuesday 22 nd of June - this may work in your favour as I know on my Team there was many who were unable to catch that early Coach.

if Unison North is a new Team { say with less than five years experience } this can work in your favour as more established Teams tend not to have many drop outs - on my list the only Team I can find is Unison (W Midlands Regional Office) so its very likely Unison North WBC Team has not been going all that long.

By the way there is nothing stopping you from applying to join say Unison (Westminster) but once you are registered you cant move to another Unison Team in the current festival season.

best of luck brian

ps - just found this

http://www.unison.org.uk/file/Young Members Leaflet.pdf


UNISON Northern Region Young Members Group has just recently set up its own Facebook Group —if you are a UNISON member under 27 years of age and would like to join the group please e-mail your name, UNISON branch and personal e-mail address to Dawn Nicholson - 0191 2450861

[email protected]

 

[c8600]

Lots of good info there mate. Cheers.


I emailed them (before reading your post) and got this reply:

Hi John,

Registered organisations recruit the volunteers to fundraise – you will need to contact Unison directly to register your interest.



Kind regards

I have sent a reply asking for the contact details for the organiser so I can contact them directly.

I tried phoning unison but the woman I spoke to didnt have a clue what I was on about .

 

[fakeplasticgirl]

Does anyone know what WBC are like at latitude?

 

[WBC-WORKER]

Does anyone know what WBC are like at latitude?

I have sent a PM to John { johnc86 } with more contact details that should steer him in the correct direction. { anyone else who requires the details please send me a PM }

-----------

The WBC runs the bars at Latitude and the WBC Village { fancy name for the WBC Campsite } has as good a set of facilities as Glastonbury and most of the crew is camped side by side to each other which is miles away from ticket holders.

Its certainly not as crowded to camp compared to Glastonbury although you do have to watch out as certain areas there is a large midge problem although the strong wind last year cured that problem.

Last year we were using Festival Republic Crew catering facilities and they were excellent .

Where the WBC Village is near the guest entry so WBC Coaches can drive in and unload only feet from the village without hassle.

Catching the coaches at the end is also not a problem and with it being well away from the public area it is possible to leave gear at the pick up point as its very safe.

The WBC Bars are smaller than at any other event on request of the promoter so they blend in more to the landscape.

Its a far more relaxed event than any other and you don't need a helicopter to get around the site.

Customers tend to be polite and no one is in any mad rush so you don't get the pushing that happens at Reading. Its a lot less stressful to work behind the bar compared to any other event.

Latitude also has a hidden secret because if it rains it soon drains away so you don't get the mud baths that used to plague Glastonbury { although that is getting better }

So if you get a chance you should check it out .

 

[fakeplasticgirl]

Thanks for the info Yeah, I've been to latitude before, lovely festival! Might be working at WBC (for fairpensions) there this summer! Am a bit nervous though as I've never even pulled a pint before...

 

[WBC-WORKER]

Thanks for the info Yeah, I've been to latitude before, lovely festival! Might be working at WBC (for fairpensions) there this summer! Am a bit nervous though as I've never even pulled a pint before...

We have all been in your position - twenty years ago I had not stood behind a bar either .

In fact it will be more easy for you as they now have hand held bar code scanners so as long as you swipe the correct tag the unit will count up for you.

Normally every Team will swap duties when working at the station - the front station is the counter and if you are working there all you do is serve so all the main drinks are already poured out for you .You may do that for a few hours and then your Team Leader should ask you if you wish to switch and if you do you will be moved to the back station and you could be working one of the machines.

You can see it in this image

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-image-reading-2007-37.html

It may look complicated but all you do is feed it with a dozen pint cups and press the button.

The trick is to always work at the correct pace - I am afraid that some take time to work this out and even when the bar is quiet they will be pouring away and their table will be overflowing with pints even although there is no demand. It takes experience but over time you will learn to work at the correct pace.

I can work out from the position of the unit that image had to be taken when it was quiet { the cups are not in their correct filling position } - compare that image to this one

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/wbc-image-reading-2007-39.html

you will note the cups are now in the filling position { although they will not start pouring until they spot trade picking up } - the person who is pouring for the table next to them has been working overtime as I can count seventy pints waiting when its obviously a quiet period and they could sit there for a good 30/60 mins - you will note at my teams table you cant see any pints .

If its a good Team Leader then at your next shift you will be offered the choice to work at the front or the back - if they don't do this don't be afraid to ask.

When the bar is busy the speed is really cranked up.

At the end of the day you are a volunteer so if you want to have a short break tell your Team Leader and they will allow you to go out the back - don't just wander off as WBC Staffing do spot checks and your Team Leader will be expected to know the exact location of all his team - it does not go down well if he does not have a clue.

Over the years the duration of a shift has decreased so there will not be any seven or eight hour shifts - depending which bar you end up in you may do five or six hours per day. { with breaks that your Team Leader will sort out }

In general most people play by the rules but there is always be a few teams who take the piss and will vanish within seconds of a shift starting and they will reappear just before the shift end - although the Deputy Tent Manager may appears as if he does not have a clue he will quickly spot any jokers in the pack
and they will be told that if they do their Houdini act again they can forget working for the WBC in future.

If you are serving take your time and don't be afraid to ask for ID if you suspect a person may be underage { the guidelines last year was to ask everyone who looked 21 or under for ID - this year there is a good possibility they will move this to 25 } as you can end up in big trouble if the person is underage and you failed to ask ID - at the end of the day if in doubt ask for ID.

if someone asks for six or nine pints - get them to pay in advance otherwise there is a very good chance they will run off as soon as your back is turned { they will run off with the first three/six } - most bars are busy so you stand no chance of spotting anyone who runs off.Some Customers will be less confidant so they will ask for three pints and when you put it on the counter they will suddenly ask you for another pint or a coke in which case keep a hold of the pints and get them to pay up as seven times out of ten by the time you pour the extra drink they will be gone .

This is less likely at Latitude but if you are working at Reading you need to keep your wits about you as some will try to steal if they are given any opportunity. I have seen pints that were paid for stolen right in front of the customers eyes as they were speaking on the phone standing at the counter.

Its a great way to see a festival and you will enjoy it.

brian


ps - more images showing the WBC Village at


http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/glasto-2009/wbc-image-glasto-2009.html

Note the two open air toilets at the top of

http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/2009-2009/wbc-image-2009-2009-1.html

they were being used by the crew next to us - the next two images are the WBC facilities.

 

[WBC-WORKER]

So what has been going on with the WBC in the past 18 months ?

Please note these are my private observations .

Coach access for most of us was better at Glasto 2010 than Glasto 2011 although at least the majority did reach the site { there was a major problem with a Scottish Coach going to Glasto 2011 and another broke down when leaving Glasto 2011 }

The Big Surprise was Reading 2010 when the WBC asked a employment agency to supply agency bar staff - numbers vary although I know the figure was between 80 and 120 - I cant say if agency staff was used at Leeds or not but I know for a fact that there was agency staff at Reading 2010
and they also used agency staff at Hop Farm 2011.

This is a big shift in policy.

Clearly if they don't have enough recruits then they don't have much choice - I know they were short for Hop Farm 2011 { due to the extra day being added } and they asked Organises on several occasions to add in extra recruits but that did not happen at Reading 2010.

I personally would be very weary of working with agency staff - I know that they were kept together at Reading 2010 - I believe they were working in the guest area doing waiter service but not sure where they were working at Hop Farm 2011.

At Latitude 2011 there was a few well established Teams who failed to show up at all - don't have a clue why all I know is they failed to show up.

Due to the bad weather at Glastonbury and Latitude 2011 I would suspect that the WBC has made a trading loss so far this year so they will be looking for a mild Reading/Leeds to help balance the books.

There has been a few people kicked of site for various offences and a claimed Team was barred for serving a underage mystery shopper at Reading 2010 but I know for a fact that at Glastonbury 2011 the WBC staff spotted all tests purchases { although some other operators did get caught out }

The Staff Beer voucher problem is back again - at most events they could only be used at one public bar and the village bar which is very restrictive.

Also since 2010 the policy keeps shifting with regards using old Staff Beer vouchers - at some events they were accepted and at others they were not.

The WBC is sticking with the bar code scanners although lucky enough they are not normally used in the WBC Village Bar { WBC Campsite } where I work.

So time is rushing up to the end of the season - I personally did not have any problems with allocations or shifts and as I tend to work with friends who are Tent Managers you will not be surprised to learn that there has been no problems in 2010 and 2011.

Will I stick with the WBC ? - yes of course I still think its a good way to get to a festival with good faculties provided a person is willing to do the shifts and the added bonus is their Team earnings may do some good.

Sure I am biased as I am the longest serving volunteer on the WBC Books.

I run into people who just don't get it - they do one or two events and they think they should be able to dictate what shifts they do - it does not work that way and really they have to be realistic.Shifts cant be changed or swapped and over a year they should even out.

Due to the bad weather its been tough working this year but the WBC cant do bugger all about the weather.

So has anyone joined in the past 18 months and how did you find it ?

 

[moose]

Looks like being thrown off site now is more commonplace, whereas you expressed disbelief when I said it happened 2 years ago, and you claimed that people were just asked to move to ticket-holder areas. What kind of offences now warrant being ejected, out of interest?