Tube strike, London

Are people who press buttons when automation fails really responsible for the lives of thousands? you could go on and say the burger flipper in McDs in Oxford St is also responsible for the lives of thousands (those he feeds).

When it comes to pay you get what you negotiate. negotiation is based on what you percieve you are worth against what the market/company believes you are worth plus what available money there is.
They are paid well above the average and it annoys people when they ask for more doing what is seen as a semi skilled job.

Makes it worse when they abuse their position to do this, putting everyones day out of joint.
How would we react if nurses, care workers, police, bin men, street cleaners and security guards all stopped working for a day to get more money? it's a weak way to negotiate

Worth to the community is a funny one. Tube drives seem like they have great worth to the community because the effect when they stop working is immediate and obvious. If all the people in labs across the country who are making vaccines stopped working no one would care, until people could not be vaccinated, then previously controlled diseases became endemic within society and many people start to die. The worth of these people is much greater IMO but no one would listen if they all went on strike. They would be harder to replace and restarting production would take alot longer. Still no one would listen to them as is't not as obvious or urgent. There are many other jobs like this too, but the connection and time lag between cause and effect can be even greater, and results of loosing them much more serious.

I reiterate my previous point. If bin men stopped working it would cause far greater problems then if the tube stops to work. Disease killing young and old, rats every where and a disgusting place to live. But these people get paid nowt, they do however have a union and go on strike occationally. My old china is a dus-man and everyone in his round/crew took a pay cut in order to save one of their jobs.

More power the the refuse collector!