[Anonymous]

[SergeantMajor]

As Bob Crow’s Neanderthal RMT union meanders towards a proposed strike for a few days next week and the week after, should London simply bypass his demands and implement new, driverless trains?

An example of the new “Inspiro” concept is set out below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2443826/The-Tube-future-21st-century-vision-London-train-goes–offering-30-space-air-conditioning.html

It’s a shame he doesn’t realise that impacting the travelling public as he proposes doesn’t do anything other than demonstrate the need for driverless technology, and hastens the end of his members’ cushy basic entry level pay of £43,000, rising up to £64,000.

Good to see TfL is putting place contingency plans; I hardly noticed the last strike:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/29534.aspx

[BigDog.]

A memory issue?

You started a thread on this several months ago, same story same pictures just from sister paper instead….

http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/The-Furture-of-London-Underground-Concept-Train

May as well delete one or t’other.

[passionateflyer]

If the mayor placed an order this year (oh how wonderful that would be but I’ll dream on!), how long would it take before they could be built, delivered and implemented? Neither the metro nor the Daily Mail article seem to give any indication of it. I can’t understand why this is still such a ‘future’ concept when we’ve had driverless trains on e.g. the DLR etc for so long.

Please no-one attack my naivety, I’m just an intrigued commuter!

[nmh1204]

although the daily mail article is from 2013, it is indeed possible to have driverless trains. There have been driverless trains at airports for years.
As for ‘basic’ pay of 43 grand a year, that’s more than most people earn. I really can’t see why they strike.

If we get private investors to fund something like this, tax wouldn’t need to go up to pay for it.

[MartynSinclair]

Still my dream job at 52 and a half!!

Tried all my contacts………. closest I get is the front seat of a Gulfstream 🙁

[Intheair]

I agree SM. Turkeys voting for Christmas comes to mind. London cannot be held to ransom on this. Boris and TFL are right to stand up to the cowards who are doing this and costing innocent London firms and employees their livelihood. Send Crow back to his council house paid for on a more than £100K salary

[canucklad]

I’m not sure Driverless trains could be implemented on the Underground due to the amount of cross tracking that goes on. I.e. different lines share common track, something the DLR doesn’t do.
So I suspect that the investment required to upgrade the existing infrastructure might be greater than the cost of employing drivers! Certainly in the short term!

[ArthurDimlock]

LUL drivers get a basic salary of around £45k per annum, for shift work that requires focus and responsibility in a pressured environment.

They are paid in line with train drivers in other rail companies, who have a more pleasant working environment, but who also work shift patterns.

The OP seems to have a bigotted opinion, perhaps formed by reading too much Daily Mail or Telegraph and not from experience – perhaps he thinks that the government should resurrect the workhouse system and put 12 year old chimney sweeps back into action?

What-o, old chap, have another Pimms and don’t worry about it.

[SergeantMajor]

It’s pretty appalling he keeps using taxpayer-subsidised housing when he takes home £145,000 per year:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513521/Bob-Crow-says-moral-duty-leave-council-house-despite-generous-salary.html

[ArthurDimlock]

If Margaret Thatcher had not sold off council houses, there would be more to go around. If Thatcher had not sold off playing fields, there may be less obese kids around.

Crow is perfectly entitled to live in a council house and has not used his right to buy to join the private sector at a knock down price and LUL drivers do a good job for their money.

[LuganoPirate]

And while his members strike and lose money, Bob enjoys the high life!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2549825/High-life-Bob-lobster-red-baron-With-members-set-bring-misery-commuters-week-rail-union-boss-Crow-escapes-sip-cocktails-Rio-sunshine.html

Typical champagne socialist.

[PatJordan]

London’s Mayor Boris Johnson has offered to join the talks:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25973746

Seems Mr Crow is getting his wish. Surely in these circumstances, deferring strike action is the correct course of action.

In 150 years of operation, The Tube has continuously changed, and must continue to do so in order to deliver the service needed by a changing city.

Surely the interests of the RMT members can be best protected by taking part in and shaping that change?

[Intheair]

AD. I work and expect my employees to get to work without a political or class driven agenda by a fossil with an agenda from the 70’s. Please take your drivel to another forum and don’t attack fellow members.

There are two sides to an argument and LT staff need good employment prospects like all other workers. Their (in my view) foolish wish to strike first and talk later will back-fire on them.

I read the Guardian by the way …..

[ArthurDimlock]

Intheair

You say don’t attack other members and then launch into a tirade and call my opinion drivel.

There are two sides to every story, a shame the OP has to personalise his opinion by trying to make out that Bob Crow is doing something morally wrong, by living in a council house ‘subsidised by taxpayers money’, when every working day, people on very high salaries use rail services that are subsidised to the tune of £2.2 billion per annum overall. Both are lawful and well within the bounds of morally acceptable behaviour.

I think Crow will eventually come a cropper, as he is a one tune band, but he is representing his members wishes and the last time I heard, it was lawful to strike in the UK. It says a lot about the quality of LUL management that Crow is still able to dictate like this, when you look at how BA dealt with BASSA a few years ago, within the law and effectively.

Compare Crow to the senior executives of UK banks in the 2000-2008 time frame and tell me why his behaviour is worse than theirs? I don’t see the RMT having to pay compensation for misselling products to the public or trying to fix the Libor rates.

Please will you explain why your need for your employees to get to work (which is not a right, by the way) over rides the lawful right to take industrial action, as written into the statutes of English law?

[Author]

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