Tube drivers are staging a five-day walk-out as they cannot afford to buy a house in London on a £72,000 salary, according to a rail union boss. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are calling for a 32-hour working week, which is a reduction by three hours, and increased pay. The UK’s capital has been brought to a standstill this week due to the strikes, forcing commuters onto buses and bikes. General secretary of the RMT, Eddie Dempsey, said the pay of Transport for London (TfL) employees is not “out of this world”.
“Well you can’t afford to buy a house in London, even on £72,000,” he told Times Radio, in response to a question asking if he thought a £72,000 worker was well-paid.
He added: “I think workers should be able to afford to live in London. And if the average house price, if you’ve got to be earning more than £100,000 to buy a house in London, £72,000 is not out of this world.”
TfL has offered a 3.4% pay rise to union members, however, they said they are unable to reduce working hours for staff as it would be both “unaffordable and impractical”.
The union boss said that, while £72,000 is a “good wage…It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be asking for improvements in wages in terms of conditions.”
Tube drivers are also demanding a 75% discount for all train tickets outside of London under a Rail Staff Leisure Card. This would give them discounted ticket deals for theme parks and a guided tour of Buckingham Palace, The Telegraph revealed.
The walk-out this week marks the first time where the entire underground network has been closed since March 2023. Nick Dent, TfL’s director of customer operations for the Tube, asked for further talks with RMT ahead of the strikes to stop them, yet was unsuccessful.
Mr Dempsey announced the strikes last month, claiming the tube drivers “are not after a King’s ransom”.
“Fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members health and wellbeing- all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management,” he said.
“Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.
“RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.”
