• Strikes: Thousands hit by bus walkout as workers strike over pay

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"I wonder if our 3 delusional transport colleagues posting here, will read all these comments and still claim, Bob Crow style, to have the support of the average man on the street?

after all, its only the pigs in the trough, offering any sort of defense for this latest outrage. I wonder if any of them have duck islands?"

Scotty, I see you have changed the subject once again, so I'll answer this instead!

Scotty when transport staff strike, they do not expect support from "the average man on the street"

What passengers' (deliberately) choose to misunderstand is strike do not happen at the drop of a hat, talks are conducted and management choose to conveniently ignore it.
If a company is making high profits, it is only fair that the members, who bring in that profit get a fair share of it, and that is the union's purpose with regard to pay disputes.

As for your reference about pigs scotty....I can only thank you for displaying such ignorance, it gives a clearer picture about what kind of people we have to contend with!

- Rail Worker, London

"great timing for a strike. Nobody wants to go to work before Christmas so do your worst! The sooner we automate the underground like the DLR the better. The these people can try selling the Big Issue!"

Oh dear here speaks a pompous charlatan!

Mark, you're going to have a long wait for automation!
Let me just highlight (once again) even the D.L.R can be crippled by strike action.
I am sure they could go back to their office jobs to be honest Mark.
I am aware of a few drivers' that previously worked in an office on a 35k salary, now they earn 40k as a driver!

- Rail Worker, London

I wonder if our 3 delusional transport colleagues posting here, will read all these comments and still claim, Bob Crow style, to have the support of the average man on the street?

after all, its only the pigs in the trough, offering any sort of defense for this latest outrage. I wonder if any of them have duck islands?

- Scotty, London

@Rail Staff

you didn't make any claims, you just corrected a stereotype.

which is it? not surprisingly, a rail worker wanting to have their cake and eat it too. who'd have thought?

- Scotty, London

ah Jim, yes that's right. you nailed it.

of course we're resentful because of our failings, and not because of the unjustified disruptions to our daily commute.

thanks for the laugh.

- Scotty, London

For those that think we nay sayers are jealous, you're right, who wouldn't be jealous of a job that pays £30K upwards has 8 weeks of holiday entitlements, a cushy pension scheme and job security.

With the privatisation of the railways the unions saw a way to improve the pay and conditions of their members above what is justified.

I would love a tube driver to comment on here and just lay out what it is they do that warrants their pay packet? Bob Crow and the others all know they're onto a good thing here, the same way they know that one day it will come to and end.

It won't be this government, probably not even then next one, but eventually someone will step up and put a stop to this.

The sums are simple, you can't have year on year above inflation pay rises, where does the money come from? where does it go? it's a balloon that you pump a bit harder every year, it's going to burst and then LU collapses.

Tube workers where do you think your pay comes from? it comes out of the pockets of the people who use your service, when you demand more we have to pay more and some of us can't afford it, that number is growing. You're going to kill LU.

- Holden Mecash, London, UK

great timing for a strike. Nobody wants to go to work before Christmas so do your worst! The sooner we automate the underground like the DLR the better. The these people can try selling the Big Issue!

- Mark, London

Strike, Strike, Strike - 1979 all over again.

Get more pay by negotiation (in Union terms - you have to agree with what we want). The hard pressed customers fork out and then they strike because thy need more money to keep up with the demands of their fellow working class.

When will it all end?

- Alan - Uk, Home, UK

"there is a reason why commuters consider london transport staff and unions enemies of the people."

Scotty, why is that?
I suppose it justifies a passenger's obnoxious behaviour!

There are ways of dealing with such behaviour as transport staff, I for one refuse to deal with rude passengers that swear at or patronise me.

- Rail Worker, London

"if tube workers are as you claim:
1. highly educated
2. entitled to even further improved conditions"

why don't you leave your disgruntled jobs, and get these higher conditions out in the marketplace?

oh that's right, because its all walter mitty stuff.

Scotty, what claims?
You seem to of misunderstood the point....unsurprisingly!
I did not claim transport staff are "highly educated" as quoted by you merely corrected a stereotype!
I am aware of 3 or 4 drivers' that had ex office jobs on 37k and gave him up for a railway career.
If work is ment to make up about 45 years or more of our lives, we should go in to a field we actually enjoy!
I left school after completing my A - levels, my 2 career interests were psychology and to work on the railway.
I am pleased to say that I am currently studying psychology at uni and on the railway part time.
You may even pass me on your commute scotty!

Let me just state scotty, whilst I write this.
Railway staff are human beings, and should be treated as such.
Respect has two sides and not one!

- Rail Staff, London

Personally I would be delighted if TfL took on the transport unions, much the same as Murdoch took on the print unions back in the seventies. There is an otherworldly sense of entitlement by all grades of TfL staff, including management which has no place in the london of today. We the communter will probably have to put up with some disruption for a few months, but if that is the price we have to pay, so be it. Bring it on Tessa and the rest of you. We will collect volunteers and temporary workers to drive the buses and sell tickets in the automated ticketing offices. We will organise people to learn to operate the almost automated tubes. If these strikes go ahead, this time next year, there will be no power left in those unions.

- Spatel, london

The last time I wanted a large pay rise and didn't agree with my management I left my job and got another one, although I suppose I could have held the entire infrastructure of London to ransom if I'd wanted to but it'd be a lot easier to just get another job, and that wasn't even in a recession.

- Bob, Cheam

@ Jim, London, UK

Doing very well actually Jim Bob, thanks for asking!

But then I walk to work, luckily for me, so I can earn my wages!

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

Scotty - you have a disproportionate number of posts on this topic, well done!
Many of your comments suggest a sense of insecurity and a desire to insult a large number of employees who have chosen to work in the transport industry.
This is clearly a personal grudge which is stupid and ignorant, rather as you claim the employees to be.

- Jim, London, UK

Typical - Christmas coming up and strike threats from:
Royal Mail
BA
Tube workers
What's new?
Do we need this with the UK in such dire straits?
Is this a death wish?
And yes, I worked in central London thro' 1980 to mid 1990

- John Ex Brat, Buckley Flints

Always amusing to read the resentful comments towards any transport workers.
Pure jealousy from people who probably failed the driver's assessment ( Frank, Scotty.......).
Just because your own pay and conditions are poor does not mean everyone should have to suffer the same.
Do something about it and find a better paid job - rather like all the "low-skilled, overpaid grunts" who work for TfL.

- Jim, London, UK

As workers we are "entitled" to virtually nothing. Everything that tube workers have gained is down to organisation within unions. Its called all for one and one for all. If more people tried it maybe the country wouldn't be in such a mess. Why should workers lose their job or take a pay cut while bankers and politicians join hands to fleece us all?

- In The Know, London / UK

rail worker,

if tube workers are as you claim:
1. highly educated
2. entitled to even further improved conditions

why don't you leave your disgruntled jobs, and get these higher conditions out in the marketplace?

oh that's right, because its all walter mitty stuff.

- Scotty, London

I have just had my minimum wage increase by 7p, am I on strike? I'd rather just keep my job.

- Dave, Isle of Wight

Like the postal workers, these tube staff HAVE JOBS whereas many thousands of workers in other forms of businesses have lost theirs. If they (the tube staff) don't like their jobs/pay, then let others do them instead. These unions are far too powerful and need to be brought to heel.

- Judith, KIng's Lynn, Norfolk, UK

I am another of those in the private sector who did not receive a pay rise but is thankful I have a job. I also am incredibly lucky in that I am able to travel to and from work and anywhere else I like or need to go by bus (not the ones on strike) and have succeeded in NOT travelling by tube for almost eleven years!! I have no intention of travelling by tube ever again.

- Lo, London, England

Pay rise? They should be grateful they have jobs.

- Hilary, London, UK

@ In The Know

If what you're saying is true then you're protected by basic employment law. No need to strike. Unless of course your summary of the full story is in any way inaccurate...

- Kc, Upminster

"Red Light = Stop

On on strike

Green Light = Go

On on strike

Collect £45,000

Repeat x n times

Socialism at it's best."

Frank, Home Counties.

Where did the £45k come in to it?
You say the same thing everytime, is it to cause controversy?

Let's face some realism before all the usual old rubbish gets uttered.

1/No, the Tube won't become fullu automated in the near future as the new stock will all have drivers'.

2/Yes, a strike can still happen even with an automated train, look at how close the D.L.R got in recent months!

3/ Striking is a human right and cannot be stopped as Boris Johnson (nearly) admitted to on London Tonight.

4/ No, transport employees do not join the industry because they have a "poor education" much to the believe of a handful of pompous charlatans!
Some are students (such as myself) and others join because they wish to persue a career in an industry they enjoy.
Look at the Bankers, I'm sure they enjoy their careers, especially as they seem to be gaining from failure!

- Rail Worker, London

Ps. In the know, you say they reneged AFTER they agreed something; they clearly disagree.

I am sure you can present the signed agreement to an industrial tribunal, and be on your way.

oh wait... what you meant was that other meaning of the word "agreed". got it.

there is a reason why commuters consider london transport staff and unions enemies of the people.

- Scotty, London

@in the know, your sense of entitled shines through loud and clear.

"LU is refusing to increase its pay offer of a 1.5 per cent rise this year and 0.5 per cent above the Retail Price Index, the measure of inflation, next year."

last I checked "to increase" has a certain meaning.

besides which, in any other job these low skilled, generic workers would struggle to attain conditions half what they have now - not earned through merit, but by the bully boy tactics of their union exercising monopoly power.

that they think they deserve more money is a joke. someone remind me how much leave they get again?

- Scotty, London

Will anyone notice the reduction in service?

- Paul, Chatham, UK

Good luck to the Tube workers.
I see all these bitter comments from jealous individuals who simply begrudge people getting more than them merely because they are too meek to fight for their own pay rise.

- J R Hartley, Essex

Dear LUL,

If they strike over pay, reduce the next offer to 1%. if they strike again, reduce the offer to 0.5% and so on. We will live with a bit of disruption if we can see it means we won't have to live through it every few months.

These tube monkeys are lucky to being paid so handsomely for manual labour as it is.

- Mr Opinion, London

Scotty - you are both rude and ill informed. TSSA had already agreed to the 1.5% and accepted the company's final offer in full. The company then changed their offer AFTER it had been accepted. Maybe instead of attacking the unions you might ask what sort of employer acts like that?

- In The Know, London / UK

At the height of the nice summer days we had a strike, lovely weather, just right for tube drivers to go to the beach,and now at Christmas. What a nice long extended Christmas break they will have. (are they on parity with MPs?)

- Paul B, London

The next government needs to break the stranglehold that unions have over the travelling public.

If BA want to go on strike and ruin their business, fine, there are plenty of other airlines.

But if vital, national infrastructure can be held to ransom by a minority then this should not be allowed.

- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one

@in the know

if its about the sick, why are you asking for a pay increase greater than 1.5% to compensate? you must think the rest of the world is stupid.

and frankly if your sick leave entitlements are half as excessive as your holiday what more do you want?

Tube/transport workers rank lower than used car salesman, lawyers and politicians in my view - they are more overpaid relative to their worth too.

- Scotty, London

Why did London Underground break the agreement with the TSSA? Until yesterday, at least one union was signed up, now the idiot Tube bosses have nothing. The problem wasn't money, it was about looking after sick staff.

- In The Know, London / UK

Why not close down the country for Xmas snd all go to bed untll Its all over

- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh UK

Like yesterdays bus strike, the workers have realised they "own" the business which they work for, just like the thugs "own" the streets, look at last Sunday's trains which weren't working as they did not have enough driver "volunteer's" to run the service, But times are a changing as more and more people go on the dole, there are thousands of people who will fill any vacancies should any become available.

- Ann Other View, England

in this market why do these low skilled, over paid grunts think they are entitled to a pay rise?

bring on the automated trains like they have introduced in paris, maybe then these people will realise how good they had it. this is a labour market monopoly - why aren't we trying to smash it, like all monopolies?

- Scotty, London

We have had enough, of these strikes happining all the time. They don't think about people going to and from work each day.

- Mark, London

Red Light = Stop

On on strike

Green Light = Go

On on strike

Collect £45,000

Repeat x n times

Socialism at it's best.

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

How's that no-strike agreement coming, Boris? The TSSA are the *moderates*, you can expect the RMT to hammer away at every opportunity, but not the TSSA.

- Tom, London, UK

Union bosses hold London to ransom just before Christmas -no surprise there then.

- Wilky, london

Don't give in London Undergroud. I, like hundreds of thousands of others in the private sector in London did not get a pay increase this year as we are in the longest recession since 1955 - just happy to have my job. I am loath to pay extra for my travel so these guys can get a pay rise purely because they are part of a union that thinks it can hold a gun to the head of the LU. I would rather a winter of strikes than give in to these ridiculous pay demands once again.

- Will, London, UK

Once again, thanks to all of you who voted for a Government which is financed by the Unions.

- St, London

It's time these bullying union thugs were forced to live in the 21st century. If they won't do the job for which they are paid, they should be dismissed, and the job offered to somebody who would be pleased to have gainful employment. Time to force this rubbish labour crew to stop pussyfooting round the union bullyboys.

- Pee'D Off Pensioner, London / UK

It's time these bullying union thugs were forced to live in the 21st century. If they won't do the job for which they are paid, they should be dismissed, and the job offered to somebody who would be pleased to have gainful employment. Time to force this rubbish labour crew to stop pussyfooting round the union bullyboys.

- Pee'D Off Pensioner, London / UK

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