This entire thing this time round is starting to look like it is a case of LU trying to take advantage of the death of Bob Crow. Trying to hit the union now it appears weak. If this is true then it is an utterly despicable thing to be doing IMO. Anyone who tries to take advantage of someone's death should be ashamed of themselves.
But there was a dispute and strike before he died. Some commentators have stated that there is a power struggle at the top of the RMT meaning that they have to appear to be particularly strong.
Another member stated that we live in a country that is quite well off. That isn't true, is it? We have over a trillion pounds of personal debt in this country with more and more people unable to pay their debts. We only appear to be a rich country. Our ability to buy cars and furniture and all the expensive and comforting trappings of a rich, modern society are all bought normally using debt. It is a false sense of wealth we have. If we were truly wealthy we would not need to purchase things on credit except the most largest purchases. Debt is fuelling our economy by replacing sufficient wage increases with debt. It is a false economy which will fall apart eventually.
I have some sympathy with this view. Undoubtedly a lot of people are over-extending themselves which was particularly the case in the boom years before 2008. I personally strongly believe in saving and investing, meaning that you have plenty of spare cash should you need it in the case of unemployment. However, mortgages are now much harder to get, with the banks being strict in their lending requirements and credit cards are not as freely distributed to those with a poor credit history.
As previously stated, the median weekly wage in the UK is £517 which can go a long way if you are prudent. There is a problem with many people's money management. I'm sure we all know people who earn £50K+ but always seem to have no money whereas there are many people on minimum wage who get by without too much trouble. People generally spend what they earn, regardless of income, and more if they are not disciplined. If wages in the UK were poor, then there wouldn't be so much economic migration to the UK!
Regarding national finances, debt is obviously an issue, but it is a manageable one. The UK still has an excellent credit rating, despite not holding the AAA status with all agencies any more.
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Companies would rather have skilled people, but only if they don't cost any more than semi-skilled people. It's all about the bottom line, and they won't pay a penny out in wages that they don't have to.
When I mean 'best people', I really mean 'people difficult to replace'. So if they can get a similar standard of work with cheaper people, then a company will naturally try to get away with it. This might not be a good idea in the long term if the quality of the product suffers and ultimately the market will decide.
Obviously companies will pay as little as they can, but companies are prepared to pay good money to those with skills that are scarce. Why else would companies pay half of all staff over £517 per week?
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the next step will be driverless trains, tfl are in talks with RAPT in Paris to move this on as quickly as possible....
I went on the driverless metro line 1 in Paris a few weeks ago. They have retrofitted Jubilee Line style doors to the platforms. Is there a technical reason why this can be done on an old Paris metro line but not in London? You would have thought that they wouldn't be able to get away with such a thing in a famously militant country as France.
It is also surprising that France also requires a minimum level of service by law during strikes. How does this level of service compare with what is running on the Underground today?