Dear readers,
I was reading through the papers this morning, thinking who would be the lucky recipient of my next letter, when I received an email telling me that my commute to work next week was going to become a nightmare thanks to a strike by South West trains over pay. I was on the point of flicking off this email when I suddenly glanced at the figures mentioned on South West trains’ website, which I thought I would share with you:
“We met with ASLEF on Thursday 20 March for informal talks in an effort to avoid strike action, and another meeting is planned for next week. They have been offered a pay increase of 4.5% which would give a driver working in the London area a basic salary before overtime of £40,447 for a 37-hour, 4.4-day week.”
Stewart Palmer, our Managing Director said:
“We regret the significant disruption this will cause to our passengers and we reassure them that we will do everything we can to avoid this strike taking place. However if they do go ahead we will pull out all the stops to run as many trains and buses as we can. We are very disappointed that ASLEF has taken this decision as we believe that this is a very good offer in the current economic climate.”
OH - MY - GOD
When public sector workers are lucky to get 2.0% this year, the train drivers who monopolise south-west London are being offered 4.5% but still sodding off on strike. To make matters worse, I find out that these complete jokers earn over £40,000 a year for just 37 hours a week and 4.4 days work - and that’s before overtime!!!! I’m sure all the socialists will be supporting their comrades over this strike action, but I for one would like to see all the drivers who strike fined £1,000 a day for the inconvenience they will cause commuters - then we’ll see who is willing to accept 4.5% and turn up to work next week.
A.Tory
7 responses so far ↓
Candid // March 27, 2008 at 1:55 pm
How can I become a train driver? Looks lucrative to me - and with the added advantage of being able to eliminate stupid people from the population.
Job satisfaction and a ludicrously high wage - I can’t wait to sign up.
Pev // March 27, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I think this is high too (I do a very skilled job for considerably less!) However, as a passenger I’d rather see someone paid well for being responsible for my safety. I’d also hazard a guess that people that aren’t as skilled or earning less and worried about making ends meet are going to not be so on the ball…
Letters From A Tory // March 27, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Well, perhaps, but for people on that kind of salary to turn their noses up at 4.5% when millions of people are struggling to make ends meet is appalling.
Let’s be fair, driving a train is not exactly the most stressful or demanding job in the world so why the drivers think they deserve so much when they earn such a ridiculously high salary is beyond me.
Edland // March 27, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Hmm, I don’t go with the prevailing right-wing view on union labour. If a “profession” gets itself into a strong position with respect to its employer than more fool the employer! Everyone has the right (and possibly even duty) to sell their labour at the highest rate they can - why should train drivers or coal miners be any different?
It’s not a question of “deserving” so much money, it’s a matter of supply and demand, like everything else.
Letters From A Tory // March 27, 2008 at 10:40 pm
A profession has every right to get itself into a strong position with their employer, absolutely agree.
What I don’t agree with is the way this position can be abused and also the fact that employers don’t have the guts to turn round to people are fine them or fire them for striking - which, of course, is the right of the employer.
Will Rhodes // March 28, 2008 at 3:21 am
I think I can see your point, and that being you will have to wait around a bit for another train, or not as the case may be.
But who gave one company the sole rights to run trains on that track? The impetus is that you have one track, one employer and one lot of thieving drivers?
In the name of capitalism and market forces - why doesn’t some one else build another track, run other trains on it and drive the trains themselves?
Weginald // March 28, 2008 at 10:01 am
Good on the train drivers, aristocrats of the working classes. If they wangle a better deal out of a system ( created by your Mr Major, remember) then that is one consolation of a shambles that benefits bankers, teams of lawyers and assorted other paper shufflers. Of course everyone, including shareholders, are basically funded by the likes of you and me through the massive subsidies the Govt gives the railways (far in excess of anything BR got) but the poor old traveller gets a far worse deal.
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