On 5 Sep, 14:01, Jonathan Morris wrote:
This is what I always seem to see with some unions and their members;
jealousy. "He gets paid more than me.. I want the same". Sorry mate,
but if I want more money I ask for a pay review - or leave and get
another job. You can't demand double pay to 'catch up due to years of
pitiful pay rises' or demand less hours, more leave and so on. Well,
you can ask, but not strike until you get it. Vote with your feet and
things might change.

This isn't entirely fair. For most white-collar workers, there are
several private sector employers in their industry to choose from, and/
or their skills are readily transferrable to a different industry.

In something like Tube maintenance, the skills acquired are highly
specific and not readily transferrable, so you're much less valuable
in a new job than you are in your current one - and there's either one
(TfL) or two (Metronet and Tube Lines) employers.

So the threat of striking is not an outrageous one - effectively the
fact that TfL can't easily recruit anyone to replace strikers cancels
out the fact that you can't just leave and get another job.

The problem is that - rather than using striking as a threat of last
resort, as happens in the private sector - Crow uses it as a regular
event over petty non-issues. Aslef, TSSA and Unite are all examples of
unions that strike the balance more effectively.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

Jonathan Morris wrote:

This is what I always seem to see with some unions and their members;
jealousy. "He gets paid more than me.. I want the same".

Er, which union members are asking for anything more than mostly decent cost of
living rises, such as the prison workers? I asked who was demanding City style
increases.

E.

On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:55:33 -0700, Chris
wrote:

I would imagine that there are many disgruntled RMT members this
morning who are wondering why they lost a day's pay! I hope Bob Crow
is still smirking - but I doubt it. Tim O'Toole confirms that there
was absolutely nothing new on the table last night....so Crow stitched
up jhis members pay to flex union muscles....

Remember Mr Crow is the figure head of the Union. The executive take the
decisions - it may not be Mr Crow who is necessarily behind the strategy
we have seen.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:37:26 -0700, Kev wrote:

On Sep 3, 9:20 pm, Paul Weaver wrote:

Only way he'll be happy is if the government step in and guarentee the
pot. It'll be political suicide for Brown though, after his pension
taxes. Ken hasn't got the budget.

And given that Gordon Brown stuck 2 fingers up to the ombudsman over
Equitable Life little chance he will guarantee these pensions.

For those staff who were formerly LU employees and who transferred to
Metronet they have statutory protection via specific provisions under
the GLA Act (IIRC) and also the PPP Contract. People who started with
Metronet after transfer are in a very different situation indeed as I
believe they do not have membership of the TfL Pension Fund or any form
of special statutory protection. Whether they have gained from the
statements made by TfL and the Mayor remains to be seen.

Gordon Brown's views on this or his past decisions over Equitable Life
have no bearing at all on this dispute.

--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Sep 5, 6:21 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:
On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:55:33 -0700, Chris
wrote:

I would imagine that there are many disgruntled RMT members this
morning who are wondering why they lost a day's pay! I hope Bob Crow
is still smirking - but I doubt it. Tim O'Toole confirms that there
was absolutely nothing new on the table last night....so Crow stitched
up jhis members pay to flex union muscles....

Remember Mr Crow is the figure head of the Union. The executive take the
decisions - it may not be Mr Crow who is necessarily behind the strategy
we have seen.



No no ... Bob Crow is personally to blame for everything. He is
evil. He sank the Titanic and stole Christmas.

MIG ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

No no ... Bob Crow is personally to blame for everything. He is
evil. He sank the Titanic and stole Christmas.

Don't forget Shergar.

On Thu, 6 Sep 2007, Adrian wrote:

MIG ) gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying :

No no ... Bob Crow is personally to blame for everything. He is evil.
He sank the Titanic and stole Christmas.

Don't forget Shergar.

Or those photos of him tampering with the brakes in Princess Di's car.

tom

--
power to the people and the beats

Tom Anderson ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

No no ... Bob Crow is personally to blame for everything. He is
evil. He sank the Titanic and stole Christmas.

Don't forget Shergar.

Or those photos of him tampering with the brakes in Princess Di's car.

after spiking the chauffeur's drink.

On Sep 5, 6:26 pm, Paul Corfield wrote:


Gordon Brown's views on this or his past decisions over Equitable Life
have no bearing at all on this dispute.

--
Paul C

Admits to working for London Underground!

Why not. The ombudsman found that there had been irregularities in the
regulation of EL, the Government made specific statements about the
safety of pensions, failed to regulate and were therefore deemed
liable by the ombudsman. The Government stuck two fingers up to the
fact that they were supposed to be responsible for this. How can they
now guarantee the pensions of ex LUL workers.
They could if they so desired stick 2 fingers up to Metronet workers,
thay have done to EL and the other workers that have had their
pensions stolen.

Kevin