Tube strikes during GCSE and A levels exams.

[Shoola]

Striking during GCSE and A level exams when so many young people use the tube to get to school and college seems really harsh. Long and uncertain journey times will cause way more stress at an already stressful time. I think they could have supported young people a bit more and picked a different time.

The point of a strike is to cause disruption, isn't it? I shouldn't think anyone was thinking much about exams.

All the young londoners that I teach are thinking about them at the moment. It is a really important time in their lives.

Yes, of course, and that's very natural, but it's like anything else - it looms large for them but the point of a strike is to cause disruption. Surely you and they do know that? If not, whoever teaches them economics and history really needs to crack on!

My niece is in London doing her GCSEs and she and her friends all seem to be being fairly grown-up about it all.

I had a relative who worked for London Underground. He has long retired. Some of his stories will make your hair curl.

They don’t care who they mess around

Of course they know it is meant to be disruptive! It is disrupting the wrong people though. Anyone with any power to make decisions can probably work from home.

They are happening next week, so your niece won't have been affected by them yet.

I hadn’t thought of how it would affect them to be honest, but you’re right.

I was feeling sorry for all the workers who don’t have the option to WFH during tube strikes, & have a choice between struggling in somehow or not getting paid.

it is disrupting the people who usually use it, which is the point. This has knock on impacts that will be considered by the people making decisions from home.

If I was your kids I'd try and organise sleepovers for next week, like three of them sleep at one's house (if not living close) and share a taxi/uber.

Or just do three stops on an Uber if they live on the way kind of thing?

And get up early. Then split the cost. Not great but they need to find a way round it. As they would if they were going to work.

But they only make about £70k per year. What are they supposed to do, just accept it?

It’s more. Every scrap of overtime is charged. Ticket Offices are kept open despite the fact that everyone uses tap and go. I live at the end of a tube line. The guy in the ticket office is on his phone every single time I use it.

For those who remember Bob Crow. He refused to leave his council house despite earning a very large salary and wanted the underground resourced up all in the time in case of a terrorist attack.

What do you suggest they do, though? A totally non-disruptive strike?

You said in your OP you were concerned for A Level and GCSE students, and now you're saying my niece isn't affected yet so her ability to take things in her stride somehow doesn't count?

Does it occur to you that maybe some schools have prepared students for this, told them not to worry too much, and gone over how they can cope?

Don’t strike. Their jobs are completely out of sinc with what they actually do.

Only £70K a year?! Are you having a laugh? Yes they should just accept it. Most of the people using the tube earn far, far less than that.

I thought @Ablondiebutagoody was being sarcastic.

ASLEF seem to think they have a good deal. I think RMT should read the room. The more they strike, the more they’re making an argument for driverless trains so people who earn much less than they do can get to work.

I don't think it is ever considered what events or other things are happening. Other than to make it weekdays not weekends, perhaps.

YABU for thinking the tube drivers striking give a shit about anyone but themselves.

My understanding is the last strike wasn't too bad because most members aren't out on strike

Really hope this gets cancelled

Have they been on strike at exam time before? I suppose they must have. It needs some traction on social media, I think. They might then delay it till after exams!

😂😂😂

You're definitely missing the point of the strike.

Surely most students live close enough that they can find other ways there without using the tube. For example, there are plenty of buses, and most students will also have working legs. Legs can be used to walk to places such as schools and colleges. Legs can also operate bicycles. Bicycles will allow people to get to where they need to be too.

It’s your right not to agree with the strike, but pretending not to understand it, or claiming that this disproportionately affects a small sector of society when in reality it doesn’t, isn’t helping anything.

The real victims of the strike are the people who can’t afford to miss work and will have to travel 2-3 hours to their minimum wage jobs staffing the Prets and the Tescos across central London so people can get their uninspiring lunches.

Honestly I have no sympathy for them. The unions oppose every effort to modernise so we have an antiquated system run by overpaid workers. I thought with the last pay raise they got when Labour first got into power got the avg train driver to like £120k per year? Or maybe that was British Rail?

I think they are completely out of touch and shouldn't be striking at all. I think they can afford to be more community spirited.

The students have already gone through lots of strikes(there was one just a few weeks ago) so they know how to cope. They could just do without the long unpredictable journeys right now.

Yes University exams are also affected. It’s tricky if you can’t get a taxi in. I live 90 minutes away from my university (train, tube, tube) so it makes it a bit much.

Via bus, I just checked, is 155 minutes without any waits. So 2.5 hours.

Lots of london schools have massive catchment areas and a lot of students travel a long way to sixth form college. The buses are often full on tube strikes days so you have to wait a long time for one to let you on.

I agree that it also unfairly affects minimum wage workers. Unlike you, I have sympathy for everyone affected. Why wouldn't I?

Where I live, teachers are striking for a week - barely a month ahead of the national university entrance exams. It was announced months ago, nothing was done about it (I think the government didn’t believe they were that serious).

Thankfully, the families I meet seem to be directing their frustration at those in charge, and not at the striking collective (the teachers).

I was really badly affected last strike. I have mobility issues and couldn’t get a bus as the queues were really long and there were no taxis and no Ubers. I nearly cried and I’m a 53 year old woman. They are massively impactful