Greedy Tube drivers

18 May 2011
Once again, London underground train drivers are using a national event to grab the country by the balls. This time they want £500 plus 10%, and it is not as if they all want to see the games themselves. To put this into perspective, consider their current pay package:

100% pensionable pay: Translation: ka-ching. I don't know if the 1/60 of pensionable salary multiplied by years of service is career average or final salary, but I do know that both are extinct in the private sector.
35 hour week: The private sector has a special term for a 35-hour week. It is called "part-time". I quite often chalk up 43-45 hours, and I have had one week where a site visit required me to do something close to 80 hours over 7 days.
Retirement at 60: That is for full pension - early retirement is available from 50 onwards. A generous provision even before the default retirement age rises to 67 from 65.
43 days leave: Most people have to work 252 days (5 days times 52 weeks, subtracting 8 bank holidays) and get to take 20 of them off. Tube drivers only have to work 234 (9/2 days times 52 weeks), and get to take 43 off. Only having to work 191 days a year rather than 232 is more than adequate compensation for having to be on-call weekends and bank holidays.

And to top it all off they have a salary of £42,424 (£816 per week), which is about ten grand above the average London earnings. With benefits people in the private sector can only dream of, they are trying the patience of people who have to contribute to government coffers rather than suck from it. No wonder public sector workers would not survive elsewhere for long.