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

I’m sure nobody really wants to live in a world where somebody doing a full-time skilled job can’t even buy a flat.

We live in a world where two people doing full time skilled jobs can't afford a studio between themselves.

It shouldn't be a race to the bottom.

Yes- and you’re the one complaining about some people’s wages being too high Nicki.....

The rail unions need to be broken. They are overpaid and under qualified. The members refuse to do some things because they are either lazy or stupid and have the mentality of the 60s and 70s. They use the safety excuse quite frequently and if safety ever fell on their head they couldn't recognise it.

We live in a world where two people doing full time skilled jobs can't afford a studio between themselves.

Right so we need well-rested tube drivers who dont have to commute a long way. So what’s the problem?

Yout “argument” is wobbling all over the place.

And do you know what them bus drivers can do, stop the bus, call a mechanic to easily fix the problems, easily transfer passangers to other buses, call the police and get a response.

Don't see a tube driver being able to do that when in a tunnel somewhere.

Mothertruck, how much do MPs earn?
Usually people who make silly comments like yours about MPs salaries haven't got a clue how much they actually earn.
It is the same with those who blindly proclaim that teachers and nurses should be better paid, and without knowing what their actual salaries are.
Still, it is a crowd-pleasing view, and I suppose

the wage is what it is my husband works in london and doesnt earn that much but i agree about the striking they go on strike if someone says boo to them

a drugged up emplyee driving a train and they want him reinstated fuck off

The rail unions need to be broken. They are overpaid and under qualified. The members refuse to do some things because they are either lazy or stupid and have the mentality of the 60s and 70s. They use the safety excuse quite frequently and if safety ever fell on their head they couldn't recognise it.

Under qualified how? What qualifications do you expect them to have and how do you know what qualifications they do have?

I don't understand why it would just be down to unionisation.

Surely the same rules govern all unions. Why is the RMT more powerful than the NUT?

How on earth is 60-70k not a high wage?! Take home that is around £900 a week assuming 70k.

I was literally reading a response (on Quora) to the OP's exact question this morning, from a tube driver. Apparently the 60-70k figures is wrong, the maximum a driver earns is about 55K. Take home of £2400 a month, if I remember correctly.

I guess the 60-70K figure could include pension contributions, as someone up-thread said.

But it's not the power of the union, bus drivers have a union and arguably a harder job but get less pay

Deregulation of the bus industry meant that unions were weakened significantly for bus employees. This drove down union membership and also pay and conditions.

Firstly ... Why get upset about what others earn?

Secondly... It's about time the Unions got a bit stronger in this country... They were broken by Thatcherism... and now that is slowly coming back to haunt us. as with examples given above...

Whenever we have issues at work... our business has "Worldwide Changes" except for in Germany where there will be separate consultation ... do you know why? because their works councils are SO STRONG ...

Viva the Revolution, and Well Done to the Tube Drivers for sticking it to the man! ... (Or Woman!) .... High earners in London want to be ferried to their jobs... but they don't want to share the wealth.... Ring any bells?

You sound bitter and envious OP. It’s obviously making you quite vicious and hate filled. I hear CBT can be effective for that.

Moral of the tale; join a union and maintain solidarity with your colleagues and you'll be better remunerated.

Until the industry is modernised or killed off! I'm sure the miners, car workers, shipbuilders, etc of the 70's had the same idea until their industries disappeared. One of the drivers for automated trains is the high costs of driver wages, so it's only a matter of time before the underground is driverless - in the meantime, new lines, such as Docklands light railway are driverless.

Apparently a major downside of the job is that you can have no social life, you work at least one day every weekend and you don't know much in advance what time your shifts will start.

The problem isn’t that tube drivers are paid too much; it’s that most people are paid too little.

THIS ^

When big businesses complain that sales are down and there is no money to be made, and Black Friday was rubbish and the Christmas trade is down umpteen percent, they blame Brexit and the weather etc and none of them ever seem to think that it might be because PEOPLE HAVE NO MONEY!

They are worth it. HTH.

Honestly, they have a good union backing them. It's not their fault that other industries aren't so well organised. There's no reason why lawyers or stockbrokers should earn the same salary as standard while tube drivers (who do a vital job with physical dangers - couldn't be me facing someone throwing themselves at a train for instance) get told they're taking the piss. Its rude and classist

You can't compare to pilots! Tube drivers keep London working, moving so people can work, drs and nurses can get to the big specialist hospitals, children get to school and it keeps an amount of pollution down instead of all these people driving on the flip side no one needs to fly off on holiday and in a world of technology no one needs to fly off for a business conference, it's not essential to a job, I'd say a very small percent of air travel is essential. If pilots are that arsed they can retrain to drive a tube although it finest come with the social kudos of course, I do however think bus drivers should be paid more, people are shits to bus drivers.

except for in Germany where there will be separate consultation ... do you know why? because their works councils are SO STRONG

Germany is different because unions work WITH employers with a common goal and aren't as politically motivated as in the UK.

In the UK, some unions have a publicly stated policy to overthrow the government - that's nothing to do with their own workers' rights - it's just purely political. In the UK, a lot of unions have a default position of opposing business management and won't even contemplate modernisation or redundancies even when it's clearly for the benefit of the business/organisation as a whole.

Surely the same rules govern all unions. Why is the RMT more powerful than the NUT?

They can play the health & safety card - they turn almost everything into a health & safety issue to get what they want.

Completely irrelevant but how cool is this footage?

m.youtube.com/watch?v=-cqBnJGQxNM

@Snuggybuggy you beat me to it!

It is not a race to the bottom!!!

I think it’s the right wage for someone working and living in London, working in crappy conditions. The national living wage is a disgrace in itself. If you think that’s the minimum someone gets paid it leaves it open for employers to pay the minimum, maximising their profit on the backs of the lowly paid workers.
Somehow the government sets this minimum wage lark, and in reality, it’s not a ‘living wage’ at all.
I worked for a huge company that was unionised. I earnt a decent wage, and the union always stuck up for us, and everything was in our best interests. Negotiations would take place regularly.
I also think wages haven’t increased over the past 10 years, adding to why people are questioning why tube drivers are getting paid so much. Good luck to them!