To not understand what the RMT are in a snit about?

[Sistanotcista]

Going to try and post a link to this article, but it might not work. This is the important extract: “If you earned, on average, £44,000 a year, wouldn’t you put up and shut up just now and thank your lucky stars that you’re fortunate enough to have a job which pays at least ten grand more than the UK’s median annual income of £31,772 (to the Office of National Statistics).”

Why on earth are they striking for better pay? I get that we would all like more (of course!) but their salaries seem pretty fair. What have I missed?

@comealongponds

They are not striking because they are 'cockwombles' they are striking because of pay and conditions. Network Rail want to make thousands of poeple redundant and replace them with agency workers. They stand to lose a lot of their skilled workers who you all rely on to keep the trains running safely. But of course that comes with distruption. Maybe rather that than thousands of people losing their livelihood in an uncertain economy and the railway becoming an unsafe place. It is neither selfish or inconsiderate to the general public to protest about job loses and unsafe working conditions. They have my full support and maybe if it wasn't touted as them throwing their toys out of the pram when 'they are on enough money' people would see the whole picture. The guys at ground level do a dangerous, unappreciated vital job that takes skill. I am pretty sure if there was a rail disaster people would all be shouting why did they get rid of the people who knew what they were doing. More to the strike than wanting more money.

That 44k is incorrect. I bet it was used with drivers salaries. No way are station staff on that as an average. Also Network Rail are on strike so it isnt just the old adage of bloody train drivers

Like a bus driver, who has far more variables to deal with and is far less well paid?

Yep or see the remains of the poor person who has just committed suicide in front of their train.

Any worker should be offered the right to a decent pay rise.

Has striking ever resulted in saved jobs?

Really? You don’t think children’s education has suffered enough due to the pandemic? A huge number of children who don’t have a hope of ever catching up?
Absolutely disgusting

I work in the rail industry and its really annoying when these supposed high wages are quoted because most of us don't get paid anywhere near that.
Yes, train drivers get a pretty decent wage but imagine the responsibility they have.
The people who work on track, who are ensuring that the rail network is safe for the customers absolutely do not get anywhere near £40k plus.
These "boots on ballast" people work hard, long hours in all weather's in a very dangerous job and they haven't had a pay rise for 4 years.
They work alongside contractors who are paid significantly more than them for doing the same job.
The rail employees worked all through the pandemic but you don't hear us mentioned when people talked about key workers.
The strike action however is not only about pay, it's about working conditions and improving safety.
I could quote the pay scales but everyone has their mind made up that we're all a bunch of money grabbers holding the country to ransom.
Such a shame that the country doesn't stand behind us.
Funny thing is the general concensus in the rail industry is we'd forgo a payrise if the government gave the NHS staff a decent payrise.

@ClinicallyProven I absolutely think bus drivers should get paid more or less on a par with train drivers.

it’s not just about money. It’s about cuts to services, not trains but actual services. Significant job losses, the closure of all ticket offices which will have an impact on travellers.

And the reality is that train staff have better wages precisely because they’re prepared to walk out. More people should do the same, then maybe the government will actually do something to enable people to earn a decent living.

Probably because bus drivers don't have a strong union.

I'm not being facetious here but this is literally how it works. Good on the RMT quite frankly.

I don't want an unsafe railway and people should be paid properly for their jobs.

👏👏well said my friend, well said

It's a joke.
We're 2 weeks into an Arriva bus strike in West Yorkshire. I've barley seen a report about it.
And the train drivers are striking next week too
Kids are missing GCSE exams because of no transport.
It's ridiculous...

I support the strikes. They should be well paid and jobs not cut because I would really like to stay alive when travelling by train. And also be able to speak to stuff when I need to. Also, aren't train companies private in this country and pay millions in dividends (while often providing shitty service)? Why not direct your anger at shareholders who are eating up all the profit from your fares rather than at workers who actually run the system in a safe way for you?

Just in case no-one’s pointed it out yet, for signallers in particular it is literally danger money- if they make a mistake they end up in jail!

Drivers: a suicide on the tracks more often than not ends a drivers career. It’s not fun driving a train full of people knowing at any point you could be faced with an obstacle you can’t swerve to avoid and have no hope in hell of getting a heavy train to stop
and therefore have to watch in slow motion as they are quite horrifically
killed.

They want job security and a decent wage for the position they hold, which is keeping people safe.

My Ds works on the railways, he earns approx 26,000 he does shifts works a lot of weekends his rota sometimes means he works nine/ten days in a row he worked throughout the pandemic & usually gets some form of verbal abuse daily so fuck off with the greedy bastards mantra.

Taxpayers money kept the railway afloat during the pandemic?
Because the govt told everyone to stay at home hence the fall in passengers.
No one was made redundant?
Not true, we've had some voluntary redundancies.
None were furloughed?
Because we worked through the pandemic.
Railway has to make savings?
At the risk of safety to staff and passengers.
Add to that the risk to staff jobs by the rail industry taking on contractors.

Some really incorrect assumptions on this thread. Probably because the media will have you believe that it's the highly paid train drivers striking for more money on their already high salaries.

Couldn't be further from the truth. Thousands of railway workers, on £25k, who have worked every day during the pandemic (not from home) will have to reapply for their own jobs, on terrible terms and conditions (more hours, more travel at their own cost) and in the meantime they are paying agency staff far more money and they will replace permanent workers in the not too distant future. It isn't about pay, it's about job losses.

This is the biggest strike in decades, nothing like the regular tube and driver strikes that are threatened. Most people aren't aware of the massive changes ahead for railway workers, if they keep their jobs at all. Yes they need to save money, but it won't be at the expense of the people at the top of the chain, hey?

I don't normally agree with strikes. But in this case there is just too much at stake not to.

It isn't about drivers or their salary that's a complete divisive red herring.
All the other staff, all the lower paid, lower prestige staff that get systematically shafted to ensure profits are higher deserve better and deserve recognition and support.
Jealous bleating about inconvenience and disruption will sound so hollow when underskilled, understaffed and also underpaid agency staff have replaced them. Especially when it's a safety issue or a crash.
Striking is a last resort and, more so now, expensive for the workers.
How many times do you see advice to go to the union when people have issues?
People should ask themselves what it would take for them to sacrifice pay.

Yes some of them get paid a decent rate but their bills have gone up too and they are being denied a pay rise when the companies are raking it in. I don’t blame them, wish my company had a strong union.

My DP works for one of the railway company's that is hit very badly by strike action although he is not a union member and will not be striking. I asked him the same question and he said said he actually had no real idea as to why strike action is happening. He has been without a pay rise for over three years and negotiations for this year are not due to open for several months so nothing has been put on the table because it's not time yet. A voluntary redundancy scheme has been on going since last year and is over subscribed. Mick Cash has banged on about ticket offices shutting and has stated that all TO's will be shut in the next few years but this isn't actually possible and isn't underway anyway. It would appear that the RMT is after cast iron guarantees of zero closures which in a modern business isn't feasible. DP has also been told by a union member colleague that the RMT haven't outlined any pay increases that can be taken back to the members to be voted upon and just seem determined to strike whatever the cost.

Absoloutely this. Its about far more than money. Powers that be will not tell you this though. The general public just think greedy workers want more money. Full support of me and my railway family.

And if they want to save money to boost profits why not start with procurement and agency expenses? Why are they quietly paying 8x normal costs for goods and services? Oh, silly me. Because the contracts are given to their special friends.

I don't work in the industry but they have my full support.

I definitely think that it always helps to read beyond the headlines before judging. The media (or some of it) is capable of whipping people up into outrage via a few well chosen headlines in order because they know that people are often too busy to dig a little deeper and it suits their interest for people not to dig any deeper.

You don’t understaaaaaand OP, then make it your business to understand by getting the facts instead of talking complete rubbish. If more people knew what’s actually happening, they’d most likely be in full support of the strikes.

For this issue and many others people need to be annoyed at the people at the top - not the people at the bottom who the media lead you to be annoyed at!
It's all smoke and mirrors.
Be annoyed at the people who run these companies and the government!