That’s simply not what happens; as noted, RMT have secured a pay rise in this dispute, ASLEF haven’t! So it’s demonstrably untrue.
Not disingenuous at all, and with respect you’re showing your own lack of knowledge. It is a reality that higher grade signallers earn the same as drivers at many TOCs; they also get shift allowances and wont be far off what Avanti are getting (who also get more than most drivers).
That’s a simplistic way of looking at it. There isn’t one finite pot that different grades are competing for; the amount of money made available is entirely down to politics (see TfL).
Of course other grades have less bargaining power, but that’s because of the simple reality that the jobs, although important, are less skilled and take much less time to train up than drivers and signallers. It isn’t because money that would have been allocated to them has been stolen by the drivers.
I don’t know any RMT members who would disagree with that, and trying to drive a wedge between grades serves no purpose. If you want to be paid like a driver, you are always free to apply to go driving!
When I started a CO3 was near the same as a driver, I’m far from driving a wedge, KPI’s since privatisation have made drivers indispensable to the industry, not for others.
The industry only wants cleaners and drivers, I’ve been in and around the railways for over 30 years so I know what signallers, drivers, guards, platform and ticket office staff earn, even the grades in the AMO’s, drivers wages bar none have gone up hugely since 1995 compared to their fellow workers.
And saying apply to be a driver is a modern railway term if you don’t mind me saying, we should all be fighting for salary increases similar to them but quite simply that’s in no way possible due to resources being totally and utterly aligned to KPI’s as I said previously.
Drivers are treated differently and there’s no twos way about it, drivers I know also acknowledge this, it’s varies from random well done packages to pay remuneration to overtime and days in lieu, it’s a two tier railway.
I believe OLR member Northern didn't get a TPE style RDW agreement a few months ago. They must feel aggrieved if the Avanti deal is based on the TPE deal.
All drivers will go for this now or at the next pay deal.
Aslef should be demanding more drivers to be trained.