Salary of tube and train drivers - why so high?

[TS7]

A tube driver starts at a salary of £49,000 which in a few years can go up to £60,000 (36 hour working week only + 43 holidays). You can't even apply for this role, internal applicants only, so you'd have to start off as e.g a customer service assistant

A train driver has a salary of about £50,000 also.

I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid these amounts, I simply do not know what justifies these amounts, was wondering if anyone knew? There seems to be little mention of level of qualification required. They make a lot of mention about the 'responsibility' and unsociable working hours etc but that's the case with a lot of jobs...

 

[TS7]

What about non tube drivers that are still on what would be considered a very good salary?

All other jobs which pay 50-60k require a tonne load of education, working up the ranks etc etc.

However it seems very woolly for tube drivers? I mean on the basis of unsociable work hours, being responsible for the lives of many passengers on board, bus drivers should also be on a similar wage but they don't even make half that.

You are all very wrong.

The only reason they have a good wage is a strong union and the ability to paralyses the capital when they strike.

This is kind of the reason I started the thread. I did some brief googling about tube drivers and their job. It seems the deal the union has struck is rather strong and personally wouldn't have thought lawful on the face of it.

It's a public sector role which you cannot apply for as an external candidate for no other reason than to give people who are no more qualified than the person on the street but happen to work for tubes, even as a customer service assistant, have priority to apply first

 

[TS7]

Not likely for the vast majority of routes, there is just no way automation could cope if something goes wrong. Maybe 60 years or so but even then there will be people monitoring it.

60 years? lol

It's coming much sooner than that. There's already countries where driverless trains run very efficiently, Dubai is an example. Granted the routes are very simple in comparison to the London Underground but it's frankly not some space age futuristic thing that will take 60 years.

 

[TS7]

One thing people seem to forget... It's a job in central London.

As are thousands of other jobs?

 

[TS7]

The OP who clearly isn't happy that someone earns more than him for doing what he see's a lesser easy job.

Erm, what? My post clearly states that I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid these amounts but was intrigued as to what justifies these amounts given the circumstances. That intrigue remains. I have no jealousy of train drivers and you out of a page of 7 has been the only person to come to that decision based on my post :s