Re: conditions as train operators

["John Kerley" <deaftech@ozemail.com.au>]

Vaughan Williams <ender2000@my-deja.com> wrote in message
82m1ln$cvs$1@nnrp1.deja.com">news:82m1ln$cvs$1@nnrp1.deja.com...
> Thats not too bad.
> Remember that the cost of living in London is a lot higher than it is
> here and so average wages are higher there too.
>
> Average weekly earnings is something like $36k, so why do you say train
> drivers are doing particularly badly?
>
> Plenty of workers don't get penalty rates on weekends and plenty don't
> get any overtime either.
>
Yes, that's my point.   Australian workers of most types, except senior
management and executives, have suffered significant reduction in their
share of the economic pie as profits and senior salaries go through the
roof.

15 - 20 years ago, Australian workers, both train drivers and others, were
much better off financially in real terms than their GB counterparts
(although GB drivers then and now have significantly better conditions
particularly on London Underground where the union was prepared to make a
fight to protect members interests).  However today financially the
situation is reversed.  Even after allowing for the higher cost of living in
GB when measuring in Aussie dollars,  Aussie workers are about 30% worse off
than the Poms.

My wife is a teacher and the same sort of differences exist between
teachers' salaries in GB and Australia.  i.e. the Poms are much better off
in real terms.  Interestingly I got teachers' salaries information off the
web sites of the Australian Education Union for Aussie and the National
Union of Teachers for GB.  Those two unions do not seem to have the same
hang ups about broadcasting theirs members' salaries that some members of
this newsgroup have!

However, even though we are the poor relations these days, our weather is
definitely better!

Cheers,

John Kerley