It’s been a while since we’ve run a survey but I thought the following topic might be ideal.
Click here to take the survey now.
It hit the news before Christmas but has subsequently re-emerged. It’s the demand by Unite (a union) that platform staff be given a £500 bonus for working the three weeks of the olympics and paralymics. And, should employers refuse, there’s the threat of industrial action at the time, just as England is on the world stage for the games that have been dubbed the greenest ever.
So, is this threat acceptable? Would it or could it happen in provincial England? 
Union leaders claim that there will be an extra 800,000 bus passengers during the three weeks (far more are expected by Underground). 
800,000 may sound a great deal but spread over the entire London bus fleet over 21 days and 12, 18 or 24 hours of operations and the average extra per bus isn’t so large. There will, of course, be specific services and times that will see greater loads. But ticket holders will each receive a complementary Travelcard, which means there will still be little interaction between driver and passenger, at least in terms of fares to be taken. There will, no doubt, be the added agro of passengers being unsure of their buses and the system in general.
So, we already know that Omnibuses readers are a healthy mix of industry professionals and knowledgeable enthusiasts. What do you all think? £599: a fair reward for extra work? Parity with other workers at this critical time? Nice work if you can get? Or a completely unacceptable ransom? Today, it’s your call.
Oh, and please leave your comments, below, too.
Click here to take the survey now
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Your Call
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15 comments:
The Unions were always going to take advantage of the transport issues arising out of the Olympics - Bob Crow got in quick with his knockout blow for the already overpaid tube 'drivers'.
I doubt that many people would object to a sensible bonus payment to those staff *directly* affected, but the vast majority will see little or no extra workload.
Why should people get a bonus because it's busy? My job has peaks and troughs, when I'm putting in twice as much work as normal.
Do I get a bonus? Do I even get paid overtime? No. It's not in my contract.
The platform staff have a contract of employment. It probably doesn't mention how many passengers they're expected to deal with during a shift, so it's unreasonable to demand more money. I'm willing to bet that they have overtime clauses built in though. That's where the extra money should come - from putting in more hours.
If tube drivers get a bonus, then it's only fair that bus drivers should too. However, I believe that neither of them should get it!
On a side note, where does this leave the drivers sent down from the provincial fleets? They'll still have the same chaos and traffic congestion to contend with as the London drivers but no mention of a £500 bonus for them!
Chris
I want to vote no but I don't like the way you have phrased the 2 no options, so I haven't taken part in the survey. It is nothing to do with holding to ransom, nor lack of "me too" opportunity.
I want to say no because payment for work done is/should be covered by the existing contract. More hours = more pay. Simples.
Should really be covered within the existing contract, and I strongly dislike the ransom aspect of this. However, the disparity between London tube drivers and London bus drivers is so unreasonably great, that I say "good luck" to the bus drivers if they can get something too.
I did take part in the survey, but like Anonymous @ 9:05, I think the two "no" options didn't really express my specific reasoning so I just chose the nearest one.
I don't think they should get a bonus, because at the end of the day, nothing's changed in the work that they'll be doing. The only difference will be that there'll be more passengers, all part of bus driving anyway. And if they do more hours in the busier period, then they'll get paid for it anyway!
Anonymous at 08:09 "overpaid tube 'drivers'":
Is this implying that it doesn't take much skill to drive a tube train? Below is a link to a tube driver's account of the driver training process.
http://www.trainweb.org/tubeprune/dd-training.htm
How does this compare to bus driver training?
Re Anon at 1258.
The tube train driver's account of his training (by District Dave) is a fascinating account. I recommend it.
It should be compulsory reading for all those critics who say that Underground drivers could be done away with, as all they do all day is ride around the network and pull a handle.
Despite this excellently written account, I still disagree with transport workers (tube or bus) being paid extra for the Olympics, which smacks of opportunism.
A tube driver friend says that 'it's a doddle' - just well paid for the, thankfully rare, times when a real emergency occurs.
Presumably hotel workers, chefs, waiters, policemen, doctors and nurses and every other unionised worker in London who will be working hard over the Olympic period will be demanding a bonus "because it will be busy" or could it be only the militant transport unions think they can get away with such outrageous demands? The sooner the dinosaurs leading these unions die out the better for their members and the public.
So surely drivers should be paid less late evenings & on Sundays when they are doing far less work
Where is the money coming from if this is agreed ?
London is already seen by some as a financial black hole for how it swallows up vast sums of money to run its public transport.
How about scrapping the Borismaster to pay for the bonuses?
I'm a train driver (not a tube driver) and I don't believe I'm overpaid. I've also been a London bus driver and will about once a month drive coaches on private hire - so I'm knowledgable about both jobs. The bonus is being paid to ensure people do their best to be at work (ie not be off sick) and for extra flexibility (longer shifts or earlier starts/later finishes). Rest day working may be required and there's no better way to incentivise that than to pay a bonus. So it's not just about the number of people carried.
Legalised blackmail.
@viewfromthesouth
It's called collective bargaining
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