Tube strike on NYE

[beansprout]

This really bothers me - not only is it fantastically mean (why not have it on Tuesday when we all go back to work?!) but it basically means that a lot of young women will be out tonight with no means of getting home and this will make them prey to all manner of dodgy mini-cab drivers and dodgy men in general. I know we all need to take responsibility for ourselves but hey, people drink and don't make good decisions when they do.

b*stards just wanted the day off

Beansprout - my DH works on the underground (he's at work in central London at the moment and chose not to strike) and he totally agrees with you. So does the local union rep! Striking today is just going to mean that those who have come in to work are going to get a whole load of grief from the customers. If they feel they need to do this then striking on people's first day back at work would cause more disruption and have more of an effect?

Unfortunately it's the likes of Bob Crow and co who decide when to call the strike - not the staff.

NT - thanks for your post. I spent a number of years involved with unions so have nothing against strikes per se but as you say, they still could have caused a lot of disruption but without leaving a lot of people, frankly, at risk. I hope your dh doesn't get too much grief.

Why are they striking? Not more money - again?!

They're not striking over money - they get far too much as it is! My DH would never strike over money.

Basically their working week is being reduced to 35 hours from 38 1/2 (they will continue to work this hours but those extra hours go towards accruing extra banked rest days). As a result of this (with their annual leave entitlement) they will be getting something like 54 days off per year.

New staff rosters are being bought in and alot of staff are being redistributed accross the network. My DH's main concern is that as a result of this, alot of central London stations will be left even shorter of staff at key times of the day which (especially in light of recent events) could present a serious safety risk. Staff are overstretched as it is.

I think the RMT expected that they would get their shorter working week plus extra days off for nothing. I think there main bone of contention is, amongst other things, the way the company have gone around moving staff. Saying that though alot of staff have benefited in that they are being moved to stations closer to home which cuts down on their travelling time.

Sorry - have gone on a bit there!

just being nosey, on avaerage how much does a tube driver get then?

dh is a bus driver, so comparison useful!

Found this in the Guardian from 2002, so a bit out of date

'Trainee drivers earn from £14,000 to £15,000, but once qualified, immediately earn from £25,000 to £30,000, depending on the train operating company. All drivers within a company get the same amount, but overtime can easily increase this by £1,000 a year. London Underground drivers also get free travel on the Tube.

Train drivers get from 35 to 40 days' holiday a year as they often work unsociable hours, and at bank holidays and weekends. '

mmmm, not a bad deal is it?