RMT to ballot for strike action.

alx · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:08

Mr Jack said:
Which is dumb. And the corporate culture that expects it is even worse. It's unproductive to the point that they'd be better off just working sensible hours (productivity falls off a cliff when you work too long) and destructive to work/life balance.

I'm not saying it's a good idea, but people do do it in certain high paying industries (i.e. M&A, corporate law etc)

Tunney · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:10

Firestar_3x said:
I would like to 'Work' a 36 hour week, get 40+ holidays a year and get paid almost 50k a year to do it. What job do you need to do to get such riches i hear you say?

Sit on a seat, let the train start and stop itself, open the doors and check everyone is onboard whilst watching for people on the track.

Sign me up!

Driving a tube isn't a private members club. Anyone who likes the sound of the job can apply to become a driver.

Firestar_3x · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:13

Tunney said:
Driving a tube isn't a private members club. Anyone who likes the sound of the job can apply to become a driver.

Yes, until the whole lot is automated.

Caged · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:13

Amp34 said:
So either the TFL management are awful (says a lot about nationalised transport networks...?) or the TUs are taking the ****. There is a strike about every 6 months...

No there isn't :confused:

Tunney · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:16

Firestar_3x said:
Yes, until the whole lot is automated.

If you plan to retire in the next 50 years, you should be fine.

Go apply!

Mr-White · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:17

It should be the commuters who go on strike, constant ticket price increases and a service that's worse when it's not non-existent

MW

[TW]Fox · 9 Jul 2015 at 16:55

Firestar_3x said:
I would like to 'Work' a 36 hour week, get 40+ holidays a year and get paid almost 50k a year to do it. What job do you need to do to get such riches i hear you say?

Sit on a seat, let the train start and stop itself, open the doors and check everyone is onboard whilst watching for people on the track.

Sign me up!

The most amazing thing is that as a conventional train driver starting out you'll get paid much less even though the job is more involved and more complex.

dowie · 9 Jul 2015 at 17:13

Firestar_3x said:
I would like to 'Work' a 36 hour week, get 40+ holidays a year and get paid almost 50k a year to do it. What job do you need to do to get such riches i hear you say?

Sit on a seat, let the train start and stop itself, open the doors and check everyone is onboard whilst watching for people on the track.

Sign me up!

but, but it isn't about pay... it is because London Underground didn't consult them in the manner they wanted and the proposals mean they could work extra shift without proper compensation... oh wait, so it is about pay when you scratch under the surface

frankly the massively inflated salaries for the role reflect the fact that the union has held London Underground to ransom repeatedly over the years... the only plus side is that the long term savings from driver less trains, when they do become feasible, will be easier to demonstrate

Sudden · 9 Jul 2015 at 17:21

dowie said:
but, but it isn't about pay... it is because London Underground didn't consult them in the manner they wanted and the proposals mean they could work extra shift without proper compensation... oh wait, so it is about pay when you scratch under the surface

frankly the massively inflated salaries for the role reflect the fact that the union has held London Underground to ransom repeatedly over the years... the only plus side is that the long term savings from driver less trains, when they do become feasible, will be easier to demonstrate

Do correct me in case I got this wrong (very possible!), but I thought the extra shifts would be like a few extra (night) shifts a year? For which they are paying extra compensation, and the argument is that it isn't enough?

McBain · 9 Jul 2015 at 17:25

The walk from Vauxhall to Euston was painful, roads jammed, footpaths rammed ..... just painful.

The underground workers can lick my plums.

dowie · 9 Jul 2015 at 17:41

Sudden said:
Do correct me in case I got this wrong (very possible!), but I thought the extra shifts would be like a few extra (night) shifts a year? For which they are paying extra compensation, and the argument is that it isn't enough?

I think they have been offered some compensation yes, but it seems they didn't like the manner in which it was offered and they, the subtext suggests, would want to negotiate for more.

Amp34 · 9 Jul 2015 at 18:03

Caged said:
No there isn't

There isn't what? A tube strike at least once or twice a year?!

Amp34 · 9 Jul 2015 at 18:05

dowie said:
I think they have been offered some compensation yes, but it seems they didn't like the manner in which it was offered and they, the subtext suggests, would want to negotiate for more.

It's like all the strikes due to safety (increasing hours/ not enough of a Christmas bonus), but yes, "safety...!

Caged · 9 Jul 2015 at 18:20

Amp34 said:
There isn't what? A tube strike at least once or twice a year?!

The last strike before this was in April last year and only affected some lines as I think it was just an RMT strike.

Maybe you're thinking the planned one in May happened?

Dis86 · 9 Jul 2015 at 18:22

dowie said:
but, but it isn't about pay... it is because London Underground didn't consult them in the manner they wanted and the proposals mean they could work extra shift without proper compensation... oh wait, so it is about pay when you scratch under the surface

frankly the massively inflated salaries for the role reflect the fact that the union has held London Underground to ransom repeatedly over the years... the only plus side is that the long term savings from driver less trains, when they do become feasible, will be easier to demonstrate

Agree with every single point in this post. Unions can be a complete scourge.

McBain · 9 Jul 2015 at 18:55

Caged said:
The last strike before this was in April last year and only affected some lines as I think it was just an RMT strike.

Maybe you're thinking the planned one in May happened?

Wasn't there another strike a couple of months before that last year, January/February? I'm sure there were two last year, so that'd be 3 in 18 months.

36 strikes between May 2000 and January 2011.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/iv-drip/infographic-a-history-of-tube-strikes-9106197.html

MrMoonX · 9 Jul 2015 at 19:04

Firestar_3x said:
I would like to 'Work' a 36 hour week, get 40+ holidays a year and get paid almost 50k a year to do it. What job do you need to do to get such riches i hear you say?

Sit on a seat, let the train start and stop itself, open the doors and check everyone is onboard whilst watching for people on the track.

Sign me up!

This! driving trains is so over paid, the level of responsibility I have far outweighs that of a train yet I get loads less than that.

tbh the RMT give unions a bad name

Caged · 9 Jul 2015 at 19:16

MrMoonX said:
This! driving trains is so over paid, the level of responsibility I have far outweighs that of a train yet I get loads less than that.

tbh the RMT give unions a bad name

Maybe you should get a better job like people tell the tube workers to?

Caged · 9 Jul 2015 at 19:18

McBain said:
Wasn't there another strike a couple of months before that last year, January/February? I'm sure there were two last year, so that'd be 3 in 18 months.

36 strikes between May 2000 and January 2011.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/iv-drip/infographic-a-history-of-tube-strikes-9106197.html

That's an unsourced figure and I can't find anything that agrees with it.

mattyfez · 9 Jul 2015 at 19:25

There's no reason trains can't be automated in this day and age, even automated cars are almost feasible.
Automating a train is far simpler in comparison.