http://uk.news.yahoo.com/tube-drivers-50-000-101300410.html

I think I need a career change.

Bob seems to be crowing a bit there.

Sounds fair enough. It’s expensive living in London

I don’t think I would be comfortable of having the sort of people poverty wages would attract in charge of the lives of several hundred passengers.

😯

£46,000pa is poverty wages?

I don’t think I would be comfortable of having the sort of people poverty wages would attract in charge of the lives of several hundred passengers.

Because the £46k they’re on right now is real breadline stuff.

Cool! They’ll be able to go and celebrate by quaffing champagne. Its ok if they’re still pissed up to **** when they get into work! If they try to sack anyone for it, Bob Crow will call a strike in solidarity with the slighted comrade, and bring the tube to a standstill.

Then appear on the news, baffled that not everyone in the country is offering their unqualified support for this action. The fascist bastards!!!

That if once you have paid him the Danegeld,
???You never get rid of the Dane.

Is that £46k salary, or what they can earn?

As they are two different things in my book – many years ago I managed to double my salary through overtime and call-out – worked a lot of bloody hours though.

I’m quite surprised that in this day and age that tube trains even need drivers.

IanMunro – Member
I’m quite surprised that in this day and age that tube trains even need drivers.

Three little letters for you….
D
L
R

😉

There is a zero tolerance policy with regards to D&A at LU – not something most of you IT warriors would know about. Its a good deal for the drivers – but then that’s what being in a union is for isn’t it?

cfh – assuming that you know anything about signalling (which I know that as a former windsurfing instructor you must have an enormous knowledge of) – just give us an idea as to the cost of making all the trains driverless?

but then that’s what being in a union is for isn’t it?

No – that’s what working for the public sector who you can hold to ransom is for.

I think tube and train drivers deserve a decent wage but some of the stuff they’ve striked over in the last 10 years have been insane.

Windsurfing instructor? eh?

I haven’t a clue how much that would cost, to be honest, and it really wouldn’t bother me. It would be money well spent to get the Tube to run more efficiently.

Making the tube work more efficiently – lots of money.
Pissing off Bob Crow – priceless.

Yes, that too! 🙂

Anyone know how many ‘jumpers’ a tube driver drives into per 10 years/career? I bet that’s hard to put a price on.

EDIT: isn’t the internet great? Apparently an average of one every 10 years.

At a very rough estimate upgrading all the lines to driverless operation would cost more than the 2002-09 PPP contract in its entirety – sounds like an ace use of money to me, but then ideologically I’m not into your kind of thing – certainly the Tories I used to work for recognised that knowing the value of things was better than just the cost…

Gawdon Bennet! – look at the boat on that Crow geezer

Ok, here we go, and I’m expecting to get slaughtered now 🙂

I work for LUL (not a train driver).

46k is what they earn, no overtime is available as they are only allowed to work a certain number of hours a week (although they do get an overtime payment when the service is disrupted and they finish work late).

epicyclo: I think that the point you are making is that they are of a fairly high standard? if so you’d be right.
They train for about six months in driving and the train’s systems, as they have to be able to get it moving if it breaks down in the tunnel. The selection process is pretty tough and most people fail during the tests (tough ones as well) and interview. having someone who is a bit ‘off the wall’ is not an option in charge of 700 passengers on a train in a tunnel!

Binners: Quaffing champagne would be lovely but the rules on drinking are very strict, you’re not even supposed to go on licensed premises with uniform on. You can only have 7 units of alcohol the day before work (zero in the 8 hours prior to work) and can be tested anytime. Instant dismissal for anyone over the limit.

Bob Crow is a knob.
His public persona is hideous, but the RMT union is very effective (I’m in the other union as I got embarrassed at being associated with Crow). I’ve spoken to a lot of people such as coppers and NHS staff that wished they had a union like the RMT.

Anyone know how many ‘jumpers’ a tube driver drives into per 10 years/career? I bet that’s hard to put a price on.

EDIT: isn’t the internet great? Apparently an average of one every 10 years.

Personally I feel more sorry for the Ambulance Technicians and Paramedics who have to go under said trains after they’ve hit someone to try and save their lives, however futile it may be, while being paid just over 50% of what the tube drivers are earning.

That’s hard to put a price on.

Anyone know how many ‘jumpers’ a tube driver drives into per 10 years/career? I bet that’s hard to put a price on.

Another good reason for not having drivers – reduction in trauma.
Can’t we just tarmac over the rails and stick a bunch of these down there?
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byk8LcPovOQ[/video]

wisepranker, +1.

Ditto the pay for soldiers, firemen, nurses etc.

Tube drivers are massively over paid.

Ian, you can’t do that I’m afraid, as it would be “ideologically” wrong apparently.

The RMT said the issue of a payment for working during next year’s Olympic Games in London was separate to the four-year wage deal.

Oh, the poor lambs have to work during the Olympics. Just when they’re supposed to be, errrrr, working.

Tube drivers are well paid, it’s the others that are underpaid.

Tubes could run with no drivers on, but they are usually the first reponse to ill passengers/lost kids/fights/robberies, and the suicides.
Tube staff have to go under the trains as well. Who would slam the brakes on when someone tries to commit suicide? It happens a lot more than the general public realise as most ‘jumpers’ get away with it.

I wouldn’t go on an underground train with no driver/staff. too much to go wrong.

Re the suicide issue – Simple(ish) fix. Install doors, as on the majority of the Jubilee line platforms.

Anyone know how many ‘jumpers’ a tube driver drives into per 10 years/career? I bet that’s hard to put a price on.

Wouldn’t bother me unduly for £50k a year.

I see worse shit on a regular basis for 1/2 of that on my basic wage.

spursn17 – Member
…epicyclo: I think that the point you are making is that they are of a fairly high standard? if so you’d be right…

Exactly. Pay a decent wage and get a higher standard of candidate which means you can have a rigorous selection system to end up with the best.

Does anyone here really want to be on a tube train driven by a thick numpty?

Yup, platform edge doors would help.

Unfortunately they don’t just do it off of platforms. Spme jump off bridges in the open sections, they also climb over the fences and run up and down the track waiting for their chance. Desparate people can be very inventive.

How much should supply and demand influence salaries? We get complaints about over paid tube drivers and bankers but also underpaid teachers and firemen. How do we decide what is fair?

Pay a decent wage and get a higher standard of candidate which means you can have a rigorous selection system to end up with the best.

So you reckon the standard would drop significantly if they were only paid £40k?

How much does a thick numpty typically earn?

Who would slam the brakes on when someone tries to commit suicide? It happens a lot more than the general public realise as most ‘jumpers’ get away with it.

It’s a relatively trivial bit of image processing to spot objects on the line. And not beyond the means of man to track the vectors of humans on a platform and anticipate any that are are about to jump. Probably a lot simpler just to not allow passengers access to the track at stations in the first place though.

they are usually the first reponse to ill passengers/lost kids/fights/robberies, and the suicides.

Really? I’ve seen drivers refuse to get out of the cab when there’s been problems. They just sat there and called the control room and asked them to send police/medical help/power rangers. Usually the first response is another passenger or station staff.

I wish my union was that effective.

Me too 😀

Ditto

Tube drivers are massively over paid.

How much do you earn a year, and for doing what? Does your job involve having to be responsible for the safety of thousands and thousands of people per day, having to have knowledge of life-saving techniques, as well as countless bits of safety equipment, being drilled for emergency situations such as terrorist attacks etc (which actually do happen on the Tube, in case you weren’t aware), etc etc etc?

No, din’t think so. You’re probbly just peed off cos people who you consider to be inferior to yourself earn decent wages. Or maybe you’re angry cos they actually earn more than you do, and you think it’s just jolly unfair that oiks dare to command a higher salary than you can? After all what mummy and daddy did for you, too?

I am well pleased the drivers get paid a decent amount for what they do. Speshly if it pees off some people on here. That’s an added bonus, in my book. 😀

How much does a thick numpty typically earn?

I don’t know, cos you jolly well have not told us what your salary is.