Disgusted at the amount of people jealous of tube drivers pay

[Itsawd]

They do a job dealing with the public, unsociable hours and god knows what when they get a jumper. We should congratulate them on doing well, not look at them with green eyes.

Its a free market so if anyone wants a job as one they are welcome to apply!

dopeydawg those are the exact sort of working conditions that could be sorted out if probably unionised.

*properly

Years ago the tube job was crap and not well paid. The unions fought long and hard to gain the favourable conditions we enjoy today. They are currently advertising for night csas if you wanted to joing at the bottom and work your way up.

Dopey, and what has your husband and his colleagues done over the last 15 years to try to improve their pay and working conditions? Do they organise Union meetings, put pressure on management, work collectively to try to improve things?
There is just no point whining that other people have it better when those other people have a long history of working fucking hard together to actively try to change things for the better.

It's like people have been brainwashed into just accepting what we're told we have to and not strive for better working conditions for all. It's ridiculous.

Well said Whatthefuckname

If people are going to get annoyed about the unreasonableness of a group of peoples pay, why don't they start with footballers? Tube drivers have worked their way up to a decent wage and its largely thanks to their unions that their so well looked after.

Because Tube drivers are stewards of our public infrastructure, whereas football players would earn fuck all if the hordes of gormless football fans refused to fork over ridiculous sums for the privilege of queueing up to watch them play for 2 hours?

If they are not asking for more money, what ARE they asking for then?

Last time I used the tube regularly the stations were regularly being evacuated for bomb scares.
London grinds to a halt without the tube drivers. Even the overpaid investment bankers rely on them.

London nannies are paid far more than anywhere else.

YANBU

If you demonise ANYONE for their right to strike then you are carrying out the legacy of Maggie Thatcher. Neoliberalism (ie I'm ok Jack, screw the rest of you) is precisely what brought the UK to the shitty state it is in now with zero hour contracts, benefits to top up inadequate wages etc. Don't hate the tube drivers for being on 50k and not taking shit, strike yourself to get better wages rather than hating people with the balls to do so.

That is very unfair, Whatthefuck.

How is it unfair?
We currently have the legal right to join a union, and to take an active part in it. Workplaces that are unionised generally have better pay, holidays, health and safety ect.
What is unfair about saying don't complain about your terms and conditions if you're not willing to get involved in trying to improve them?

If people are going to get annoyed about the unreasonableness of a group of peoples pay, why don't they start with footballers? Tube drivers have worked their way up to a decent wage and its largely thanks to their unions that their so well looked after.

Supply and demand - 90% of mm could probably driver a tube if they wanted to/were permitted. Not so many could play world class football.

AyeAmarok
*Oh FFS, here we go again.

Cue all the "WAAAAAH nurses/teachers/whatever only get paid 20k and its so unfair" comments.*

I doubt that you would get a teacher saying that as they/we earn more than that.

I have no idea what a tube drivers job entails as I have never done it.

I have done night shifts when I worked in the "real world" though and they where not pleasant to say the least.

But my question to you is:-

When teachers go on strike next (if they do) or if someone on here says I could be a teacher its easy.

What will back the teachers up?

finish that properly

What will you say to back the teachers up?

We are asking that the new rosters for night time are drawn up under consultation with the unions. Not just produced and displayed as they have been now. We are asking for some consideration to our work life balance. The new rosters I've seen reduce the weekends off from one in three to one in 14. No amount of money could make up for those rosters being brought in. Additionally a driver doing the night turn would finish at 8 am on Sunday morning and be back in work for 8am Monday. That's your day off. And things would be even worse for station staff but I don't have the details for that as I work on the train side

50k isn't a massive amount, not for London, good on them for having the balls to be strongly unionised.

Of course they have a Union.
Of course they support it and actively work to improve pay and conditions.
What part of my post suggested anything else?

I would have a lot more sympathy for them if they went on strike by simply opening the gates and not making anybody pay for a day.

I know there are people who are on, for example, zero hour contracts and have no way of getting into work or are so delayed their pay is severely reduced.

These strikes always hit the poorest the hardest, the people not being paid much without much leave who actually have to be at work to clean things or wipe people's bums or answer phones and can't just work remotely. The ones who don't have a car and can't afford a taxi or a hotel room or a driver. Who have to use all their leave up on strikes rather than holidays.

I'm sure many private sector workers would love to be unionised. After all, union members have better packages and wages than non-Union members. But most of them know if they join a union them they will lose their job, or won't be promoted. It's very easy to say 'Why haven't you unionised' but the vast majority of private sector workers have to put keeping a roof over their head and food on the table before lofty political principles.

It was implied by the complete absence of any mention of union activity.
But if they are actively campaigning for improvements and taking an active role then that's great. I've not heard of them doing any public campaigning, work to rule, strike type action but I might well be wrong.
I'm sorry if I got the wrong end of the stick I just get so frustrated with people who think that being a member of union is enough, when really they are using it as an insurance policy in case they are ever in trouble.
So many people don't realise that an effective union relies on active members, people actually getting involved and turning up to meetings, voting in ballots and actually being wiling to stand shoulder to shoulder with their colleagues in direct action if negotiations have failed.
But my apologies if your husband does do all those things and I got it wrong.

And 'A Union' isn't a ruddy magic bullet anyway.

My father was a printer. 7 year apprenticeship, including bookbinding etc when he trained in the 1950's - a real skill.

Mid 1980's the printing industry was going through massive changes (think Wapping...). My father, 25 years into the job, left work on a Friday, went back on the Monday to find computers and trained 17 year olds doing parts of his old job. His pay and conditions were to change. The men were upset, the Union advised them to 'walk out'. They did and spent 6m on a picket line. They were all fired and most of them never worked again.

So, please don't talk to me about 'just whining that other people have it better when other people have a long history of working fucking hard'.

My Dad and my H worked 'fucking hard' and ALSO have worked with their Unions. And they still had a tough time for not much money. My H's company has one of the highest staff turnovers you could imagine - they have a rep for 'firing first and asking questions later', relying on employees to be too stressed / Union to be too rubbish for anything to be done about it.

Lazy I suspect that would be totally illegal to fail to charge customers for the day. They have to take action within the boundaries of the law although I do like your idea!
So many people in the private sector are afraid to join unions, you're right, or they don't even realise it's an option. I do think the TUC has a role to play in promoting trade unionism in the private sector but that's a whole nother soap box for me to get on!

Sorry for horrible x post!

You also don't start in the NHS as a Band 8 nurse, you go in as band 5 and work your way up

Nice to see AyeAmorak hating on nurses again!!! And you work your way up to a band five ffs, a minimum of three years at university you dont just get a band 5 job and work your way up to a band 8!

There is currently a ban on overtime as part of the action. Trains are not being given their safety checks and so aren't going on the road. It's causing delays every day but Id guess not many are noticing.