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Boxing day tube strikes
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Ah, Stigy you have focussed on people not going into the tunnels for fear of secondary devices, read some of the transcripts from the coroners inquest and you will see that it was the heros in the LFB that bailed out of the tunnels, so get your facts straight.Stigy wrote:Well if you're applying that chest nut, what about Emergency Services that wouldn't go in for fear of secondary devices?bigjl wrote:Now we see why you are so agressive and narky, you are a tube driver, well if you think you are being treated so harshly you need to strike then you should leave the underground and get a job elsewhere, as there will be many different employers these days wiling to give you the best part of £50k a year for moving a lever back and forth.Stigy wrote:Funny how all and sundry is under the impression that driving a tube train is an easy task, yet those very same people have probably never tried it. I've never driven a tube train, but am not so naive as to think it's as easy as the simple operation of a lever. If it was, do you think TOCs and (just for geordieracer, so I don't get accused of mistaking tube trains with mainline trains) TfL would pay over £35,000pa as a standard salery? Doesn't matter whether anybody deems it excessive, they ARE paid that much and wouldn't be if the job wasn't a responsible onebigjl wrote:To address you other points do you really think many of the Emergency Services had seen such carnage either? Some of them where less than 6 months out of University.
Do you think we are super human, nope just people doing a days work for a days pay, and a physically and emotionally demanding job at that, if you can't see how your demands for more and more money for a job anybody could do with a couple of days training are unreasonable, more so in these days of the financial downturn beggars belief.bigjl wrote:The simple fact is when the tube staf had a chance to shine and show their worth they bricked it as you said, and the reports that where on the news about the heroic actions of a couple of tube drivers then well done to them, they showed they have some nuts in their cluster, not that anybody that i have spoken to actually seen them in the tunnel.Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote:Stigy is not a tube driver. he is an 'Accredited person' who can write out tickets for car parking in railway car parks allegedly under the by-laws but yet doesn't understand that if you infringe on the by-laws then you have to give a notice of intended prosecution. As stated in the APCOA thread.
Even on pepipoo they agree and yet he still doesn't get it. Then again reading this thread it appears he thinks driving a proper train is the same as driving a tube train..
HTH0 -
ringo_24601 wrote: »What about those Quantas pilots that managed to land the new Airbus A380 when the engines disintegrated? You need a heck of a lot of skills and experience to be an airline pilot.
the point being....?
The same thing can be said of train drives, especially when something dire has gone wrong....
When I was a bus driver, years ago, sometimes I would suffer a mechanical failure which...if not skilfully controlled, would result in a crash 'n burn situation.
The one thing I learnt early on, was to never...under any circumstances....inform the passengers of the situation...!
Most, if not all my passengers would be supremely unaware that something dire had just occurred....merely complaining as usual, about the consequent delays.
These days...in similar situations, the result is often a crash 'n burn job!
[especailly as you all seem to think there is little skill or responsibility
involved with the carriage of passengers.
And this is where bus drivers, train drivers, airline pilots, all share equal skills.
The responsibility!
The airline pilots at Singapore simply underwent drills they were trained to do...no more....but I am willing to bet there was more than a little clenching going on in the cockpit?
As for the Hudson river job....that too, may well have been as much down to luck and chance as skill....???
''Sheeet, that was close!''
In the end, I don't know of many airline pilots who have the necessary skills and qualifications to drive a train, or drive a bus.
I know London Transport boasted more than one highly qualified pilot amongst its drivers in my day...No, I don't think all other drivers are idiots......but some are determined to change my mind.......0 -
I like to join London Underground to be a train driver. It sounds much better to similar driver/transportation jobs. How do I apply? Are there any jobs out there at the moment? Does being a pilot pay more?
If there are no jobs, are there any similar jobs like London Underground (i.e. you dont need to leave to find better pay, someone does it for you?)0 -
consider this....being an UndergrounD driver is much like being any other worker.......
kept in the dark.......
and frequently crapped on from a great height.
If you have bat-like tendencies, ie only come out after dark]..then go for it!
then you can post on here exactly what being a tube driver...or even, getting to be a tube driver, actually entails......
because so few on here so far have even the remotest idea.No, I don't think all other drivers are idiots......but some are determined to change my mind.......0 -
consider this....being an UndergrounD driver is much like being any other worker.......
kept in the dark.......
and frequently crapped on from a great height.
If you have bat-like tendencies, ie only come out after dark]..then go for it!
then you can post on here exactly what being a tube driver...or even, getting to be a tube driver, actually entails......
because so few on here so far have even the remotest idea.
bit like being a miner then
cramped, dark, dirty, wet, dangerous, HARD WORK etc.
But for only 1/4 of the pay
The tube drivers have it good and proper no matter which way they portray itIf Adam and Eve were created first
.Does that mean we are all inbred0 -
the point being....?
The same thing can be said of train drives, especially when something dire has gone wrong....
Not on a tube train. They can cut the power and/or apply brakes from the control room. The driver merely needs to sit there and do nothing. They've been able to do that worldwide for decades.0 -
of course...when the technology fails, it's down to the good ol' fuming being at the controls......
It's because technology is only fine when it works, that so many jobs these days have a body behind the controls.No, I don't think all other drivers are idiots......but some are determined to change my mind.......0 -
Being a train driver myself I am quite stunned at some of the misinformed comments I have read on this thread - I do appreciate that it is specifically about tube trains and not mainline driving (as I do) but you do really need to get your facts straight.
You could say that it is moving a lever backwards and forwards but then you could say being a footballer is just kicking a ball or being a journalist is just writing down a story. What would you rather have, someone well trained and competent who can deal with the unexpected or someone who thinks of it as just moving a lever backwards and forwards ??
And for those of you who are taking the moral high ground about their own jobs ie studied for degrees and training for the NHS and yet not earning the same, perks etc etc well why don't you apply for a tube drivers job if it is that simple ? The railway takes all sorts, race, class, religion are all immaterial. All you need are the appropriate skills for the job ie response time, basic mechanics, concentration and other skills (all sorted out by an assessment), good at being on your own and able to cope with shiftwork.
This is where the money comes into it - the figures are something like for every 317 applications they get ONE driver. So it takes plenty of sifting because the majority of people do not have the relevant skills that are needed for the job ! Not many people pass the assessment - it isn't about intelligence just purely about having the skills that are needed every day doing the job.
I would not wish to criticise someone else's occupation and am therefore defensive about my own BUT I studied hard full time for a year to get my train driving licence after passing exam after exam with the final one being over FIVE days approx thirty five hours. I am disappointed to see people who know nothing about it jumping on a Daily Mailesque bandwagon.
I'm playing devils advocate here but maybe the tube drivers are the bright ones ??!! Doing such an easy job for huge amounts of undeserved pay with benefits immeasurable - then that makes everyone else thick fools for doing harder jobs for less pay !!!!! (Tongue firmly stuck in cheek !!)
I am very proud of my occupation and try my hardest when I carry thousands of passengers a week whose safety is uppermost in my mind. I wish that those who are misinformed on this thread realise that it is a pressurised job that has to be done to the highest standards at all times and is very tiring because of the concentration needed.
Thanks (sorry about the lecture !!)Thanks to MSE I cleared £37k of debt in five years and I was lucky enough to meet Martin to thank him personally.0 -
I am very proud of my occupation and try my hardest when I carry thousands of passengers a week whose safety is uppermost in my mind. I wish that those who are misinformed on this thread realise that it is a pressurised job that has to be done to the highest standards at all times and is very tiring because of the concentration needed.
Thanks (sorry about the lecture !!)
you see, that's all ok to me - i kind of agree. i don't really think being a tube driver is 'easy' but there are a lot of strikes now and that's where my issue is. (the other thing to consider is that there are a lot of stressful jobs requiring consistent concentration that don't come with anything close to the salary package of tube drivers.... i don't want to 'dismiss' the job of a tube driver but i would like to see a little more appreciation from them about what other people's jobs involve - adding an hour to a commute once a month makes me skeptical that they can see what's happening to the rest of us!):happyhear0 -
melancholly wrote: »(the other thing to consider is that there are a lot of stressful jobs requiring consistent concentration that don't come with anything close to the salary package of tube drivers.... i don't want to 'dismiss' the job of a tube driver but i would like to see a little more appreciation from them about what other people's jobs involve
I see your point but what other jobs require consistent concentration ? That is a sincere question as I have never done one where you have to be on the game as much as this.
Secondly, why do they need to appreciate other people's jobs ? What difference would that make ? No-one appreciates them and even if they did, it doesn't pay the bills.
Finally, the salary as I alluded to, is about supply and demand - the vast percentage of people do not have the necessary skills to do the job - as I outlined, it isn't about intelligence, just having the rights skills for driving a train. I seen helicopter pilots fail the assessment and people from much more modest backgrounds pass it.Thanks to MSE I cleared £37k of debt in five years and I was lucky enough to meet Martin to thank him personally.0
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