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Matthew,
I have read the comments that you have posted,you don't put up much of an arguement to be fair sir.
Instead you have diverted everything back to yourself.

Look at this for instance:

"As for not factual: find me one person who thinks pulling a lever and pushing a button on a train is more difficult than driving a bus in London and I'll gladly admit I'm wrong. But you won't."

You seem to believe that all train driver's do is pull levers and push buttons!
I take it you have done the trainee train driver's course then Matthew to know such thing.
It is like them passing cracks about office staff saying something like "All they do is drink coffee, press buttons on a computer and waste working hours on facebook"


I agree with the unions, why should they play victim to a recession that was created by bankers and the government, upper class men and women that are supposed to have a high degree of intelligence!
These people hardly deserve their bonuses do they Matthew of Chestnut?

When my train broke down about a month ago a train driver helped us all off the train, was carrying 2 young kids for a mother, and even assisted a disabled person up to the platform after the track walk.
So Matthew, I think I have proven why they deserve their pay!

- A N.E.X.A Commuter, East Anglia

Now there is nothing wrong with a good old fashion strike, I don't understand why there is soo much moaning going on. Can't you just work from home least you will get a lay in. Life is too short to constantly having the pressure of work. I don't know about anyone else but i work to live NOT live to work

- Jake, colchester

Anonymous. I welcome the fact you won't be posting any more because your contributions have told me nothing.

I put it to you that train driving is a low skilled, manual job and your only attempt to justify the inflated wages is that without the staff 'it would breach health and safety'. Spoken like a true union apologist.

You haven't told me why train driving deserves a salary of twice what a nurse gets. Three times what a soldier gets. Please, explain to me why train drivers deserve their salary? You won't be able to though.

As for not factual: find me one person who thinks pulling a lever and pushing a button on a train is more difficult than driving a bus in London and I'll gladly admit I'm wrong. But you won't.

You seem as belligerent and unaware of the real world as that fat toad Bob Crow. I see more headlines today about nationwide train strikes so it's clear your sort are just going to hold the country to ransom. In these difficult times, trying to defend train drivers is immoral.

- Matthew, Cheshunt

"The simple fact is this: train driving is a low skilled job that is paid far too highly thanks entirely to the union blackmailing a captive audience. I would say bus drivers have a much more difficult job, but they get barely half of when a train driver gets."

Matthew, that again is very self - opinionated, not factual.
As for the part about automated trains...
The D.L.R is automated, to run it, Control Room staff are needed (on 40k) and P.S.A on 32k.
With out them, the company would be breaching health & safety, and so D.L.R would be crippled.
If an automated train broke down what could you do? Contact the control room? Not if they are on strike!


I am simply providing you with the knowledge I have seeing as I actually work for National Rail.
You and I simply can't agree to disagree, and therefore this is my last message that I shall be sending you.

- Anonymous, London

Ok, psychology student (although I would be worried about my basic literacy skills before boasting about the fact I'm a student)...

I do work in an office, yes. But so do managing directors and presidents so your point is pretty worthless to be honest.

Tell me this: what *do* train drivers do apart from pulling a lever and pressing a button. Oh, and announcing when the doors are closing.

The simple fact is this: train driving is a low skilled job that is paid far too highly thanks entirely to the union blackmailing a captive audience. I would say bus drivers have a much more difficult job, but they get barely half of when a train driver gets.

The day when fully automated trains are introduced can't come soon enough for me.

I bet when you graduate you won't be working for a train company by the way. Maybe when you get a real job, in the real world, you'll have more appreciation of how the world works and how absurd this whole situation has been...

- Matthew, Cheshunt

"I would pull the rest of your poorly constructed nonsense to pieces but I think I've made the point."
(With Respect)
Actually Matthew, you haven't made your point.
Instead you have pointed out a few typos that I have made.
You still failed to contradict, the fact I corrected you on your poor assumption of the train operators role, and automatically came to the conclusion I work as a train driver.

I am not a train driver for National Express, but I do work for National Rail, a part time employee in fact as I am a psychology student.

You only point you appear to of addressed to me personally, is you think transport staff have it easy....you couldn't me more wrong buddy!

What I am actually getting at here is an office employee wouldn't like it if I said 'All you do is sit in front of a computer screen all day tapping away at your keyboard' when there could be more to that job, not having worked in an office, I wouldn't know!
So show some respect to transport staff, rather than taking a say-what-you-see opinion with little knowledge on what different transport jobs entail.

- Anonymous, London

So another of our intellectually challenged train drivers is ranting:

"Great Brtish Public", I don't know anyone who's 'Brtish'
"come to find", er, is your keyboard broken?
"miss apprehension", who?
"arogance", how can anyone be guilty of being a word that doesn't exist?
"from everyone has described is just laughable", ugh. I don't where to begin with this. It's like your thinking of big words but not sure how they fit together.

I would pull the rest of your poorly constructed nonsense to pieces but I think I've made the point.

You've managed to confirm to me that train drivers are indeed of low intelligence and wit. Maybe spend that 3.5% on education? Now get back to pulling levers and pushing buttons.

- Matthew, Cheshunt

Pompous and arogance come to find with some of the "Great Brtish Public" which of whom seem to be under the miss apprehension of what a railway worker's job entails!! Unsurprising...me thinks!
So far, from everyone has described is just laughable!

"I would find pulling a lever and pressing a button incredibly tedious and would probably drive me insane. As I said though, train driving is a low skilled manual job and the typical holder of such a role won't need much in the way of mental stimulation."

What the owner of this comment missed is, a driver is responsible for the safety of all passengers on his train, if it was to fail, he is required to escort them to safety.
A driver is also required to have a full knowledge of the technical details about the rolling stock, the safety features and all the emergency precedures.
In addition, signalling, route knowledge and awareness is of key importance.

My job, working with "The Great British Public" we regularly take abuse and violence and take and great deal of stress.
2 weeks ago, I was confronted with a knife after challenging someone, which of whom had been intimidated a female passenger, I later found out he'd tried to sexually assualt her!
I later, was told by management that I should of walked away from that situation!
Sound easy?
Any volunteers???

- Anon, London

As Anotheremployee, Norwich reminds us, driving a train does require a certain type of person.

He may not be aware of one of the qualities looked for in an ideal driver - not being too bright. The ideal education level for drivers is seen as 5 GCSE passes. Apparently you need a certain level of intelligence to pull the levers, but too much and you get bored and lose attention. This was brought to my attention at a Safety Conference (not the sort of thing I usually attend) about psychometric testing. They even have a special test, the Group-Bourdon, which allegedly can tell if you will be able to hack it as a driver. There's a simulation of the test, which can be found if you Google it. Worryingly I passed.

- Pete, North Essex

Anotheremployee, the reason I wouldn't do your job is (and you won't like the answer), I get paid more than a train driver.

Notwithstanding that, I would find pulling a lever and pressing a button incredibly tedious and would probably drive me insane. As I said though, train driving is a low skilled manual job and the typical holder of such a role won't need much in the way of mental stimulation.

And, please, don't mention doctors and surgeons in the same breath as train drivers. You're making yourself look ridiculous.

- Matthew, Cheshunt

How about, rather than striking, those adorable people who jump on the trains or wait at stations ready to pounce on anybody without a ticket decide, for two days a week, to turn a blind eye to anybody who happens to be travelling without a valid ticket? That way, National Express still lose out on train fares but us innocent passengers can still get to work - and for free! Simples.

- Just A Thought..., Enfield

Many of the people that commute by rail to the city are rich enough to pool together and hire coaches. Many of the jobs involved do not necessarily require a 9 - 5 presence at work.

Join the dots together guys. If you lot paid some money to a few small coach firms, you could start up a service that would be a risk to both the rail and coach divisions of NX. Then they are screwed - and they deserve it.

- T, Ipswich

You know what? I really don't care what the dispute is about. Here is no excuse for striking in this day in age.
Yes, the media is full of lies and propaganda, but what do you want, our sympathy? It's not gonna happen.

Just get on with your job like the rest of us are trying to do while you are making our lives misery.

Lets see if we can get all of the commuters to not pay our fares for a month, just because we don't like it!

Grow up and get on with it.

- Chris, Southend

To NXEA Staff - If you dont like your job/the company/the management - leave and find another job - simples! If you want to keep your job, start bloody working!

- Kelly, Broxbourne, UK

Hello Matthew of Cheshunt. Can I just ask why you're not pulling levers and pressing buttons in this low skilled manual job? If it was that easy and well paid I'm sure we'd all be having a little go. Come on my friend, put yourself in for the course and see how you go. I'll come and check these posts in 2 years time and see if you've made it, or then again, I'll check in a week just in case you've fallen at the first hurdle. I'm sure that being a doctor or a surgeon is easy as well if you're born with the aptitude for it. It's only when something goes wrong when you have problems.

- Anotheremployee, Norwich

Am I right in thinking some other rail companies have recently laid off staff? If so, there are lots of unemployed train drivers out there looking for jobs. NXEA should sack this bunch of selfish whining losers who can't understand that we're in a recession, and employ some people who will be more grateful to have a very well-paid job in these times.

And why the hell haven't laws been passed against strikes on essential public services? Bob Crow and his bunch of neo-communists are trying to make sure we never get out of this recession. Please, someone find a way to cripple the RMT. Boris? Cameron? Even Brown? Someone, please!!

- Simon, Stratford, London

I think the union leaders really does not care about the company,how could you people do this when every organization is worry about money.the union leaders have know vision for the company all they want is them but not how the national rail can improve.is this a goodtime to make your company lose money.the company have no money to meet their requst.people are ready to do any job for less money.they are only union in the world at this difficult time asking for pay increase.the union leaders should resign.if you are union leader it does not mean you are against the company,but it shows that they against the job that is taking care of them and their family.they should remember that.

- George Asare, waltham cross

The train is no longer a viable form of transport in the UK. Why not extend the network of privately owned preserved steam lines, and create a new service?

- Mark, Venice, Italy

If you do not like the job - then leave. Someone else will do the job anyway and you can go and join the Union bosses and generally live it up there. Wake up and realize that whilst calling you all out on strike they are still drawing their FULL salaries. Just like Arthur Scargill did all those years ago.


Amber in Mitcham

- Amber In Mitcham, Mitcham Surrey

Mr Fed up Staff - lots and lots of people have taken pay cuts at the moment, me included. NXEA is loosing money so why would you ever expect a pay rise? Stopping the trains like this and affecting so many people's lives is just plain selfish. If you don't like your job then leave, or be grateful you have a job.

If NXEA are as bad as the employees say then then government needs to step in and do something about it (yes, very hopeful I know!)

- Cat, Essex

Keith Norman, general secretary of Aslef:"We have been talking with the company and will continue
negotiations, but any movement from them has been minuscule."

The only thing that's minuscule is your dumb brain mate!
Another Union throwing their weight around and wrecking
peoples lives. But thats what happens when we have a
bunch of despicable, lying Union-backed jerks in
power.

- Lb, Bromley

I have read the articles that people have written regarding how much we earn and that we want a shorter working week and that we want an above average wage increase. All these things I have seen for myself written in the media and it's no surprise that people believe it.I, like many have a family and like many of you they have to get into work so I don't take being on strike lightly.I have been on the Railway now for 10 years and think it is the best job I have had since leaving school in 1982, so I'm not one of these 'Fed Up' employees striking just because we can. This whole sorry affair really boils down to how higher management treat their staff. You must have noticed how most stations do not have any staff. This is due to cost cutting even though it was originally in their agenda to have a safer railway for customers especially at night. All this even though the company as a whole has made astronomical profits at ours and mostly your expense.
Did you know that Chief Executive Richard Bowker of NXEA who used to work for the Strategic Rail Authority which started all these franchises, jumped ship after completely cocking up the bid for the East Coast Mainline by willing to pay 1.4 billion to the government. For his reward he was reportedly given a £500,000 goodbye present! This is what we are miffed at...total incompetence at the highest level.
All I ask is you understand there are two sides to the coin...We all agree that we want it to end and as soon as possible!

- Driver, Gidea Park, Essex

Why can't train drivers see that they are very, very lucky to be so well paid for what is a low skilled manual job?

If they don't like it, go and find another job. Except we all know that the simpletons pushing a lever and pressing a button couldn't get any other job paying more than minimum wage!

Train companies beware - this is all building up to a series of huge disruptions during the 2012 Olympics when that fat dinosaur Bob Crow will try to grind the capital to a halt in the pursuit of yet more money.

- Matthew, Cheshunt

Ok any NXEA employee.

What are you T&C's?

What is the average driver salary?

Remember if you dont like your job, you can always vote with your feet and leave.

Why do we have to suffer for you. Nobody at our company had a pay rise this year. But our expenditure has gone up the same for everyone.

But as adults we recongnised the reasons why and have accepted it, no matter how hard it is. Thats life as they say.


- Adam, Chelmsford

Amazing....sorry but at the start of this I had a little bit of sympathy...but not anymore. You should count yourselves lucky you have a job at all, stop acting like 2 year olds and throwing you teddies in the corner. You are only disrupting/annoying/frustrating the commuters, that's all! I have seen numerous posts from driver trying to imply that it’s also about the service etc and the useless state of the trains, and we agree! The service can be pants and the trains are mainly old. But don’t punish us for it! Do you really think the head of National Express gives a doodle that I can’t get to work and am using up ALL MY LEAVE entitlement for the year? Or that as my husband who is in the emergency services and HAS to get to work is having to drive....costing us an absolute fortune in petrol. No...I'm sure he’s losing no sleep over it. find another way to make your point and get back to work. Although I am beginning to think maybe you are just enjoying all this time off...

- Jax, Braintree, Essex

Mr Fed Up Staff, I'm afraid that someone else, on another site, has already let the cat out of the bag about these allowances. You get them for actually turning up to work rather than pulling a sickie. It's no wonder the Unions don't want to shout about it.

- Pete, North Essex

These strikes are an absolute joke. I'm lucky enough to still be able to get in to work, but it's taking me a good extra hour of travelling each day to do it.

By the calculations I've made after considering "Fed Up Staff"s post, it would appear that the amount in dispute is around £460 a year. People in businesses have been prepared to accept pay cuts or freezes, and if these people really are on £41k a year, that equates to a daily net earning of about £85. 8 days of strikes this month, 6 days next month - congratulations, you've managed to lose yourself £1,190.00 in the space of two months.

Perhaps, if the RMT were reporting the difficulties that NXEA have suffered as opposed to expressing their seemingly smug satisfaction at the disruption and inconvenience that the strikes are causing to the fare-paying commuters, people would have a little more sympathy.

If we had a Government with more spine I anticipate that Bob Crow would be the next Arthur Scargill.

You've made your point now, either get back to work or get to the Jobcentre and find something else. There are bound to be a few vacancies arising soon due to staff being dismissed for being unable to get into work as a result of a strike that's not their fault.

- Kieran, Upminster, Essex

What right do these people think they have to disrupt travel to work, travel to the London theatres and holiday travel to Eurostar. I have had to make alternative plans at great expense and inconvenience - I have no respect for strikers - they attack those who cannot do anything about the situation.

- Roger Taylor, SUDBURY, Suffolk

Regardless of the complaint, I'm afraid I have little sympathy for those people who are selfish enough to disrupte the lives and livelihoods of thousands of commuters and associated businesses (the newsagents and coffee shops on platforms for example).

I have no love for National Express, the annual charges go up and up and the service goes down and down, but at the end of the day, it's the only way I can get to work.

Where I work, pay rises have been zero and talk of pay cuts are expected. Frankly, I'm just happy to have a job right now and would rather lose some pay than having people made redundant.

If they do get the packages they want, who's going to pay for it? Well, I'm quite sure it'll be the commuter and not National Express. Lets make it even more expensive to commute daily, it's not like I have anything else to do with my money!

If they're not happy with their jobs and the fact that the companies are having to make difficult decisions to cut pay rather than jobs, then they should find another job....if they can. It's ridiculous in this climate that people don't realise the financial situation companies are in. Perhaps, they'd be happier if National Express went bust or had to make thousands more people redunant.....is the dole a better option for them?

- Emma, Colchester

For God's sake - just get round the table and sort it out. We the commuter shouldn't be used as a pawn in this.
Business is tough enough for everyone at the moment - we just don't need this on top of everything else. Where's the true English spirit gone in this Country. NXEA; surely you owe it to your customers to get this problem ironed out as soon as possible!

- Ade, Saffron Walden, Essex

Anotheremployee - somehow I doubt that anyone who has to use the line to commute into London to earn a living has any sympathy.

All we have to go on is what the media tells us. If the union's PR department aren't doing a good enough job at getting the true story out.

Forcing the commuter take holiday or get to their nearest tube station as an alternative is NOT going to get support.

- Danny, Enfield

danny as you have only read 1 side of the story , i dont expect u to understand. we dont want a shorter working week or a above average payrise, what nxea has offerd is a pay cut , by taking away some of our allowances which come to £860 a year and offering a 1% pay rise about £400 a year plus many other things , do the sums and work it out, most of what has been put out by nxea is untrue . so the public have no sympathy for us. infact this has backfired on nxea as the staff are more fed up then even due to therre lies and half truths

- Fed Up Staff, romford essex

When will people like Eddie realise that both sides only tell us (the travelling public) what they want us to hear. Both sides want to make the other side look as though it is them that is in the wrong. We never hear the full story so you have to take what is reported with a very large pinch of salt!

- Chris, London

I resent being inconvenienced and held to ransom by people already earning far more than me. It isn't as if the service is even decent. Three out of 4 visitors I have had this year have been disrupted by either strikes or engineering works. I think the word I am looking for is 'greedy'. If you don't like the job, look elsewhere. Then maybe reality will 'strike' home.

- Sue Jagger, Romford, UK

Have these morons all been run over "Sam Tyler" style and landed in 1973 in some kind of Life on Mars virtual reality show?!

The lessons of the past haven't been learned by the neanderthal unions at all. If they have a genuine grievance with senior management at NXEA, then they should buy some shares and disrupt the AGM instead and stop making a balls up of my working week. I'm sure that would make NXEA sit up and listen. Nothing like a load of train drivers turning up for a rumpus at AGM. And, if NX report great profits and a good divvy, then, my bretheren, ye shall share in the profits. Too capitalist for the proles? Probably.

As for inflation busting payrises, who do they think is going to suffer for that little packet? I'll tell them - ME. Twice. As taxpayer and as commuter.

Childish morons. Join the rest of world in 2009 and get back to work.

- Gary, Maldon

Danny, perhaps you should realise that we do have public support from people who can see further than what's published in the media. The ones who realise that this has very little, (if anything), to do with pay. We would all be back to work on the spot without a penny pay increase if NX would traet us like decent human beings. Just look at how they treat you customers, constantly hiking up fares and cutting down on restaurant services on the Norwich- London line for example. If they treat their customers this badly, surely you can get an idea of how they treat their staff. Just look at their website on a daily basis and see how many services are being cancelled due to staffing issues. They're not fit to run a race let alone a rail company.

- Anotheremployee, Norwich

When will these idiots realise they have no public sympathy and give up on this ridiculous notion of above average payrises and shorter working weeks in the current climate. They should (just like the rest of us) be glad to be in gainful employment.

- Danny, Enfield

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