To think this spineless government will give in to grabby train drivers

AFAIK the strike is regarding management not fulfilling promises made in previous pay deals. From what I hear the pay offer itself is acceptable to the union, however there are a series of agreements that were made by management in previous pay deals that haven’t been fulfilled and are now being reneged on. As to what they are specifically I’m not sure.

Have I understood this right?

• The strikes are by TFL workers who work 35 hours a week and want 32 hours (for same pay presumably)
• Average salary is £44k for station workers and £71k drivers based on the 35 hours
• Pension is 27% from TFL and they contribute 5%

If the above is correct, I am just WTF - this is getting ridiculous now.

I can't wait to see the chaos on our narrow streets and lanes. Will be hilarious.

The fun you can have with traffic cones too...

Sorry im not an expert on the DLR, however i concede around the bank loop they may be unmanned because they believe there’s a sufficiently low risk of NCT (I.e.: a single loop and VCC boundary) there and it’s easy enough to get a driver there if it does go NCT.

They may not be called a driver, but there is someone on that train who is trained sufficiently to take over the manual control of that train. Because if the train goes non communicating, it can’t be moved by the system.

Whether you do or don’t, driverless cars will be in the UK before long.

Not wrong. There is no driver driving a DLR train.

Your taxes aren’t going on driver wages.

Exactly

Ok fair enough. No it isn't a race to the bottom but there also isn't limitless cash. I don't personally want my taxes to go to increased wages for train drivers when education/ the NHS / the care sector / the police need it more.
And frankly in a similar vein to you not having sympathy with Londoners because we have better transport than elsewhere I find it hard to have sympathy with train drivers who earn twice what I do just on their base salary. And when you add in all the perks of public sector work it's considerably more than that.
So yeah. I hope they dont get it. But it's easy for me to say that when I dont use the tube that often.

You know nothing, but it really doesn't matter because what you think of me or how seriously you should take my opinion won't stop the strikes.

I think I have made myself very clear. I fully support workers striking for better pay and conditions. So the answer is obvious, is it not? It is not and never should be a race to the bottom. Whether they are "well paid" is a matter of opinion, There are lots of people paid more who do a lot less useful work, in my opinion. But this is the nature of capitalism - there is no such thing as "enough" money or "enough" wages or "enough" profit. If they can win - and that is a very different discussion - then more power to their elbows. They pay taxes too!

You have every right to your own opinion and to express it.

I wanted to understand where that opinion was coming from and how seriously to take it. Now I know. Thanks.

But DO you want your taxes paid on these workers? They already earn upwards of £60k a year.whixh is a lot more than the average nurse or teacher.
If I were you, while I might not have much sympathy with Londoners (I am one btw!) I also wouldn't be supporting another pay rise for the already very well paid train drivers.
The strike won't particularly affect me btw. I love in SE London and we have no tubes here.

😂of course they can pay for themselves.

They have a state of the art transport system. They can even give over 60’s free off peak transport!

Meanwhile the rest of the country puts up with their one bus per hour. How can they pull any revenue from that?!

from LUL: 23/24 budget delivered an OpEx budget surplus. Government funding for TfL (and therefore indirectly LUL) is for CapEx.

Tax grants pay for things like new stock, or signalling upgrades, or new lines (think CrossRail).

LU Staff wages comes out of ticket sales.

https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/march/annual-budget-for-2023-24-shows-tfl-set-to-deliver-operating-surplus

Because the train drivers are greedy and the unions have Labour by the short and curlys!

This with bells on^

I was told that having fuck all infrastructure was my own fault for choosing where I lived. But having bleeding loads of infrastructure and whining because people want decent working conditions is ok because Londoners apparently have no choice on where they live. Like they can't move?

@SteakBakesAndHotTakes Tube drivers are paid by taxpayers, who are increasingly unable to afford cost of living.
Indeed they are paid by taxpayers - and since I am a taxpayer and get no benefit from that because of London centric public policy if I want my taxes to be spent on workers then that's my right.

You know nothing about me. But in case you hadn't noticed, this is a public forum and anyone who wants to, anywhere in the world, can comment on any subject they like. And I will. If you don't like that then tough - go read another thread. I have as much right to comment as you do.

Why should l be caring and empathetic to you.

You live in a big city with a massive integrated public transport system whilst the rest of us live with Stephenson’s Rocket and the equivalent of pony and trap.

You complain about a strike when people are just trying to earn a living and protect their jobs. I have empathy for them instead.

And if we all moved to London it would be undoable. So instead of moaning be thankful for what you’ve got.

How many people have threatened to leave if they don't get a pay rise. Or got a new job and asked their employer to match it. Ever negotiated with your employer to not work Fridays or from home? - People with the power to do this, do this.
When there is only one employer and only one trained workforce strikes happen instead.

Not very caring and empathetic of you

Well, I can... but them I'm employed directly by the GP Partners and not subject to AfC.

London's public transport is now the most expensive IN THE WORLD. Tube drivers are paid by taxpayers, who are increasingly unable to afford cost of living.

But I guess you don't care about any of that, do you?

In a perfect world none of us would have to work and we'd all live in luxury but that's not reality. Maybe you have the benefit of it not affecting you, so you can act holier than thou. If it did affect you, your perspective would shift slightly.

Arguably, you don’t have a dog in this fight. You don’t live in London, you don’t pay the tube fares.

What is motivating you to comment?