To think tube drivers are overpaid as most earn 60-70k and get free travel

[nickiredcar]

Surely they are only paid so much because they run a monopoly and people have no choice. I think it's an argument against unions. Considering lots are semi automatic it does seem too high that they are now out earning pilots.

Apparently they are striking because one of their drivers was sacked for failing drugs tests at work three times

Loads of "millionaires" in London can barely afford to maintain their homes, heat and eat!

Wages in London aren't as high as people think, a few thousand in the city earn big money and there's more higher paid jobs but the average isn't that much higher than most other cities especially as london has big areas of poverty.

I've said many times to the how much thry should be paid question that they should make the job an open shop to apply for and let the market decide. At the moment it's massively oversubscribed.

Just like no one replied to my response about security and terrorist attacks that flight attendants on just above the nmw have that similar possibility.

Flight attendants don't also fly the plane and aren't the only person on board to help in a situation though are they? If they got rid of say 4 jet 2 attendants and only kept one, I'm sure higher pay would be given.

But on 5 of the 11 tube lines the drivers dont drive, they just open and close the doors much like a flight attendant. All drivers get the same pay.

It's not a perfect example, nothing will be, but it's got some similarities :)

But they don't just open and close the door, their hand must be on the emergency brake at all times otherwise the train stops. They have to be constantly alert ready to pull that brake and override the train in seconds.

And again flight attendents aren't the only person on baord are they? Even jet 2 has a team of 5 to deal with emergencies etc while the tube driver is the only one available to do that.

And again flight attendents aren't the only person on baord are they? Even jet 2 has a team of 5 to deal with emergencies etc while the tube driver is the only one available to do that.

This is one reason why flying is more expensive than taking the tube.

Thing is in the rail industry tube drivers are one of the lowest paid groups of drivers. Most working for other rail companies earn more, even within tfl, we are the lowest paid drivers. Surely that comparison is more valid than comparing outside industries. Also on senior stations manager received a 74% pay increase this year to 300k. Is he overpaid or are we only worried about the ones that actually keep the network moving?

On all lines, even the automated ones, drivers do manually drive in and out of depots, and they drive manually when signalling systems go down.

A flight attendant I’m pretty sure wouldn’t take over flying the plane in an emergency

TheDisillusionedAnarchist

Surely it shows the benefit of unions. DH works for the tube (not a driver) and is well paid. I work for the Nhs and am not. I don’t resent the RMT but my own union and matyr colleagues working unpaid overtime who contribute to our lower pay.

absolutely totally agree 👍

Kazzyhoward, i couldn't possibly know that is what you meant as you are talking utter nonsence. Wealthy people have assets not huge incomes. Tax relief on pension funds, the wealthier you are the more relief you get, a total obscenity. Council tax bands stopping at band H, £321000 in 1991 values. How is that fair for ordinary people. There is more money in the system than there has ever been, the wealthy are just good at hiding it, with the conivance of the tory government. Yes we do need wealth taxes to produce a fairer society.

Hello, partner of a tube driver here waves patronisingly

Heck does he earn 60-70k, what an UTTER load of bullshit.

You wouldn't believe the amount of things they have to do. They don't just sit in the cab and start and stop the train in the right places. The training is extensive. They are vigorously managed. They test them for substances constantly. They have to learn so many rules, routes, procedures, the law, signals, correct phrases for the right scenario.

They have to deal with arseholes who try to get onto the trains as they are leaving. This is one of the most common causes of tubes running late - disrupt one, disrupt the lot. Domino effect.

His friend, also a colleague, was assaulted a few weeks ago. He's not even a driver; he's on a station, in an office. Understaffing means there wasn't someone at that time of night to stop him. Except that luckily some maintenance were on the track and came to his rescue.

The assaults, both physical and verbal, are daily on all lines. There are repeated suicides and accidents. People take sick whilst travelling. There is so much danger in the underground and many of the staff are risking their lives, day to day/night to night. Hours are often unsociable. Mine works Saturdays for peace of mind because so many don't want to. Getting the job isn't straight forward and many are rejected repeatedly despite people thinking they would be perfect for it.

I've travelled in the cab when he is working (they do cab days for people under certain circumstances and I took our DC who has learning difficulties) and it's full on. You can spend hours isolated from everyone with nowhere to pee, in a tiny cab, with the operators speaking to each other through a comms system. You have to concentrate on your signals, speed, things on the line, the weather, who is on the train, and what's being spoken about. You make announcements. You have to be able to direct passengers to wherever they want to go and know the time map inside out.

My OH may be working class and comes home covered in tube dust (like fairy dust but for cool people) but he's the most real, normal and amazing man I've ever known.

And whilst he earns well, it's not 60k. God, we wish.

I agree with you, it's a hell of a lot!

A nurse is similarly well trained and has a good deal of responsibility for people's lives but gets less than half of that.

@Posthistoricmonsters set OP straight then.. How much does he actually earn?

Leapfrog full time salary is £55,000, drivers do not do overtime, and don’t get any extras for weekends bank holidays etc, the 55 includes it all. Also you get the same no matter how long you’ve been there.
The figures quoted in the press are talking about a test track driver who can do overtime, and also includes his pension contributions

I don't think it's appropriate for anyone to go around posting that sort of information. But it's not even close to 60k. It's not the tube staff's fault that other professions aren't paid what they should be. Our nurses and firefighters and teachers should be earning what my OH does. But just because they aren't is no reason to bash tube staff. They have a great union. The nhs and nut/nasuwt and firefighters unions need to step up and take a leaf from the underground's union.

My OH doesn't even make 55k.

They also have to take days off as leave -as in, if they would be rota'd to work Xmas day, they have to take it as a leave day, it's not automatically granted. No overtime and weekends and nights pay the same.

Also yes nurses should be getting more, but they are two completely separate jobs.
There is no time when a nurse would be solely in charge of 1000 people in a tunnel. Their responsibilities are different.

But it’s not a race to the bottom

www.aslef.org.uk/article.php?group_id=3449

Drivers salary

I didn't know you couldn't do overtime.

Also are Sunday's in the working week for that money?

Yep. Sometimes my OH swaps days with someone and works a Sunday.

I really wish the press would stop verbally bashing tube staff. Their jobs are actually pretty shit, often.

He can drive up to 1200 people at a time. He's not performing medical tasks on needy people, but he's responsible for up-to 1200 alone. And he can be the first responder to incidents/ emergencies.

I have a greater respect for tube staff since meeting him.

Sunday’s are the working week, only days we get extra are Boxing Day or New Years.
We can’t work overtime because of fatigue but if our train is running late then we can claim for that, but normally controllers will try to get us taken off before it gets to that stage to keep us to agreed parameters

I’m happy for them - without them the London transportation system would collapse.

The problem with us Brit’s is that we spend too much time worrying about what others have instead of focusing on what we can do to better ourselves. Good luck to them earning £70k and it’s a shame others in equal roles of responsibility don’t earn this and more

No issue with tube drivers pay - but I'd say prison officers in high security prisons are massively underpaid.
They keep us safe from the most dangerous people in our country, go to work every day facing incredible physical danger, try to manage in severe understaffing situations with a massively poor retention rate for staff.
Shift patterns are irregular and night shift does not earn more money.
They have to work in an environment were 'spice' is rampant among prisoners, where mental health issues abound and plough a path through helping rehabilitate prisoners while coping with the stress of confining them too.
They do a massively significant job for us all but get little recognition for it. Every time we jail a terrorist, rapist, gangster or murderer I think of the officers trying to deal with them day and night.

No - I'm not a prison officer - but I'm glad somebody does that significantly dangerous job, though on their wages I can't think why they do.........especially with the massive underfunding of this public service.