Going Underground
I read an interesting article the other day about the success of the RMT union - in driving up the salaries of its members employed on the London Tube.
Apparently the basic salary of a Tube driver is £42,000 a year for an average 37.5 hour week. But on top of that drivers get overtime, free travel for them and their spouse, a customer service bonus and generous employer pension contributions.
Which means that some driver can be earning up to £60,000 in pay and perks.
By 2015 the basic pay of a Tube driver will rise to around £52,000 a year - far higher than the salaries enjoyed in other public service jobs, for example:
Teacher with 5 years experience - £32,000
For the equivalent police officer - £31,000
Firefighter - £28,000
Trained Nurse - £25,500
Soldier with 5 years service - £24,500
Now I'm all in favour of people enjoying good pay and conditions - which reflect the skill and responsibility involved in their jobs.
But all that appears to be happening here is that the Tube drivers are being paid inflated salaries - much more than their jobs are really worth because they are relatively unskilled.
And for years the constant threat of stirke action has continually ratcheted up the cost - to the public purse.
Because this isn't a class war that's underway with some vicious employer exploiting the workforce - in fact it's the other way round.
The workforce and the RMT union are the ones exploiting the public - who are digging ever deeper to pay for the costs of the service - from fares and taxes.
And to cap it all the Tube drivers are being paid more money - and want even more again - just to work normally in the summer of 2012 - when the Olympic Games are in London.
Now to me that's just old-fashioned syndicalism - trade unions out to maximise what they can get - without a moment's regard for anyone else.
So far successive governments have failed to come up with a solution - but if things continue the way they've been going I can foresee driver-less trains being tried - on some of the routes.
