Cunting tube drivers

[Incredible Monkey Doctor]

That is pretty much it. Self serving wankers determined to cause misery to millions for a pay rise on an already generous package. Grr.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I live in Birmingham, so don't give a fuck!

[MojoJojo]

... tories, the lot of ya.

[Lewis]

Yes, cunts.

£30,000 a year for 32 hours a week. Bastards. Besides the central lines all automated now so all drivers have to do is press two buttons; 'doors close' and 'go'.

Fucking cunts.

[New World Order]

The drivers are not the cunts, the cunts are the people who decided that they should be paid that much for what theyre doing.

LONG LIVE THE TUBE DRIVER !

[Boris Livingstone]

choob drivers shuld be payed more coz they do it in LOL NO dark id like 2cu peeps drive a tube in LOL NO dark tunnles without goin off the rail!!1 plus they have 2watch out for blind tube Mares!!!!111!! and get out evry so often to KILL them wiv HAMMERS!!!11!!!!1

[hencole]

You've got a point there Boris.

I'm just think its counterproductive of them to do in on election day. Ken is the only one who has any time for the tube drivers, so what will those getting home late on Thursday do, vote for somebody else who is willing to give them a good kick in the knackers.

[butnut]

I'm just think its counterproductive of them to do in on election day. Ken is the only one who has any time for the tube drivers, so what will those getting home late on Thursday do, vote for somebody else who is willing to give them a good kick in the knackers.

I was thinking the same, Mr. Hen. I really hope it won't affect Ken's chances of re-election. I would hope that most Londoners will realise that Ken is very much pro-Tube.

[MojoJojo]

Where does this £30,000 a year figure come from?
The Union is demanding a minimum starting wage of £22,000.... which does seem a bit steep, but I don't know what's involved in the job, and I doubt anyone else here does.

Remember, if the companies involved were negotiating, the strikes wouldn't be going ahead either.

See, I said you were all tories at heart. As soon as industrial action threatens to inconvienience you, you blame the workers for being lazy and paid too much. Never mind that the industrial action laws are heavily stacked in the employers favour.

Now, I'm not saying I support the strike - I really don't know enough about it. However, all I see here are people bitching about the unions for striking, with a few obviously exagerated figures, because it inconvieniences them. With no thought it might be the employer's fault.

[hencole]

£30,000 is what most of the tube drivers get paid, sometimes more. Sure they may have to do the less desirable shifts and hours, but seeing as they don't to do that many hours anyway they get a great deal out of it.

[MojoJojo]

Considering that the union requests from Metronet (who are refusing to speak to them),  include "further progress towards a 35 hour week", it doesn't seem like they have that short hours. (obtained from the RMT website).

Still haven't seen any support for this £30,000 claim.

I don't really no if I support this strike, but no one seemed to be throwing in any real support for the strikers. I hoped someone would step up with a bit more information that wasn't so one sided.

[hencole]

I'm just going by what my friend says whos dads a tube driver. Over 30K a year if you do overtime.

[morgs]

I get very agitated when I visit London.  I used to spend a lot of time walking along Green Lane in Harringay.

I am well out of there now, so my sympathies to you, but bollocks at the same time ie When one is tired of London one is tired of life - my arse

[Pinball]

I'm just going by what my friend says whos dads a tube driver. Over 30K a year if you do overtime.

Which begs the question - how does one become a tube driver? ;-)  

Bearing in mind that a graduate's average starting salary is just £14k, and all being "professional" or having a "vocation" means is doing unpaid overtime and being exploited by being v reluctant to strike (e,g. teachers).

[sick as a pike]

how does one become a tube driver?

Train operators undertake a course which lasts approximately 22 weeks and includes two weeks annual leave. Training, in groups of 15, takes place at various locations, including on and about the track, on board trains (both in depots and whilst in customer service) and in train cab simulators.

[hencole]

Only problem Pinny is that you have to have a very clean blood system. ; )

It's what put my mate off from doing it.

[Pinball]

If they take hair samples they could detect cannabis use in the last 3 months. Hmmmm...

[sick as a pike]

That's why you need to use hard drugs; they leave the system quicker.

[Useless dela Cruz]

A lot of the animosity coming from this board probably stems from the fact that most people here are probably  in jobs where they can't strike eve if they'd like to. Nobody's going to give a flying fuck if things don't get photocopied for a day, data doesnt get inputted, marketing calls aren't made etc. It doesnt mean to say the wages are any better or our treatment is of a higher standard - we just don't work in any of the unionised industry's or in an industry that effects people in the way that the tubes, the postal service etc does.
The tube driver may well deserve more money, but they've shot themselves in the foot recently as far as public sympathy goes by threatening to strike over safety concerns, then threatening to strike over the sacking of some maintenance workers who were pissed on the job, then threatening to strike over the guy who was on sick leave but playing squash instead....and so on.

[Timmay]

"My God, the soup machine's broken!!! Everyone gather round... here's what I'm thinking. How about a strike?"

[Incredible Monkey Doctor]

A lot of the animosity coming from this board probably stems from the fact that most people here are probably  in jobs where they can't strike eve if they'd like to. Nobody's going to give a flying fuck if things don't get photocopied for a day, data doesnt get inputted, marketing calls aren't made etc. It doesnt mean to say the wages are any better or our treatment is of a higher standard - we just don't work in any of the unionised industry's or in an industry that effects people in the way that the tubes, the postal service etc does.
The tube driver may well deserve more money, but they've shot themselves in the foot recently as far as public sympathy goes by threatening to strike over safety concerns, then threatening to strike over the sacking of some maintenance workers who were pissed on the job, then threatening to strike over the guy who was on sick leave but playing squash instead....and so on.

That's the core of it... sympathy fatigue. A tube strike does make virtually every Londoner's day hell, so it had better be for a good cause to garner their sympathy. Historically, it hasn't. Safety reasons, the public buys into. Once. Maybe twice. But Crow strikes if someone from LU farts in a meeting with him, so now tube drivers are loathed.