London Underground on strike again

a reply to: woodwardjnr

The point I was trying to make was seeing what the average wage in London was compared to an Underground tube driver.

originally posted by: Shiloh7
a reply to: uncommitted

Oh Dear they earn 50K a year!

How about the huge responsibility for peoples lives in the job they do? What about the hours they work and its dank environment? You don't mention overtime which is likely to make their money up. Would you like to spend your working life under ground as most of them do except for parts that are above etc. You forget its quite a dangerous job also.

Obviously you don't think skilled workers should be paid to reflect the job they do. Clearly they should be content with what they get. Don't you see that by pushing up wages and improving conditions etc those at tne bottom should ultimately benefit as improvements percolate down? Do you just want to maintain the status quo whilst inflation etc continually moved us the cost of living especially on essentials as well as the cost of living in London with a family?

Don't you think that the IPSA gets its salaries set by politicians, its scratch my back and I will scratch yours. We won't touch of their expenses we wouldn't dare unless you think the tube drivers get expenses like our politicians also.

Stop being dramatic. Driving a bus is also a difficult job, arguably a damn sight more so - you think bus drivers are on £50K a year? They have one of the last of the dinosaur type unions which is just out to screw anyone, but then again maybe you agree with that approach.

You sound like you'll be voting for Corbyn, good luck with that.

You're all under the impression that this strike is over pay. It's nothing to do with pay. It's about working conditions surrounding the proposed 24hour tube operation.

Workers want to know what extra maintenance and safety checks, etc, will be provided, which they say is necessary due to added stresses and wear on tracks and machinery that 24hr operation will bring. The new 24hr working will also mean a change of employee contracts and workers want to negotiate what time off they will get because they have families and want a bit of life outside of work, but management want them to accept 24hr operations under present contract conditions without question and it refuses to discuss or settle any queries with them.

How would you like your boss to unilaterally change your mutually agreed employment contract without discussing any effects it will have on your working conditions and on your life?

Don't believe our deceitful government and its media that are telling you this is about money, it is a deliberate lie to vilify honest hard-working people who merely want to be assured that adequate staffing and safety measures are in place for themselves and passengers, and also want to negotiate how best to deliver a 24hr service with minimum disruption to their family lives.

The safety and maintenance of tracks and adequate staffing issues should be a concern for everyone who uses the tube service and you should be giving the workers your support, this is for your benefit and safety too.

Funny, not a single person I know who lives in London has mentioned the tube strike. That's because most people just deal with it. Take the bus , cycle, or walk or if desperate get a cheap taxi, which is still possible, or a combination of methods. Most people can work from home and most companies understand if someone's running a hour late it's no big problem, it's a minor inconvenience, yet I'm sure the government and media will play it out to be a huge issue, which it's not. Get on a Boris bike for fs sake

a reply to: MrCrow

Good - the withdrawal of labour is about the only bargaining tool working people have left and even that has been severely restricted over recent years.

People whinge on about the effect it has on other workers etc - err, that's the whole point.

The standard of living of ordinary, everyday workers has been dwindling for years now whilst those at the top enjoy ever increasing profits of which less and less is being re-invested in this country and its people - enough is enough.

originally posted by: Freeborn
a reply to: MrCrow

Good - the withdrawal of labour is about the only bargaining tool working people have left and even that has been severely restricted over recent years.

People whinge on about the effect it has on other workers etc - err, that's the whole point.

The standard of living of ordinary, everyday workers has been dwindling for years now whilst those at the top enjoy ever increasing profits of which less and less is being re-invested in this country and its people - enough is enough.

While I don't disagree with the sentiment, I'm not sure of the reality. I used to work for what was then a 100% nationalised industry that collected and delivered parcels as part of a bigger organisation that also covers collection and delivery of letters. Locally, a worker was in the habit of throwing items into the delivery van in a manner that was described by someone as throwing a frisbie. Multiple items were damaged as a result and the worker was put on leave pending disciplinary action. The union (CWU) threatened a national strike unless he was allowed to return to work with no blemish on his record and the company caved in.

Personally that to me represents what I have no shame in calling the bad old days, and I'm afraid CWU and RMT are two of the dinosaur unions that don't want to make some kind of movement with the times.

And they could be at it again. When are we getting hoverboards so we don't need this "service" any more?

www.cityam.com...