I was in a black cab this morning with a particularly garrulous cabbie who had an opinion on just about everything.We were chatting, whilst stuck in traffic, about the forthcoming tube drivers strike. Now the RMT & its combative leader are not top of my Christmas card list, but this strike is being called because a RMT activist was sacked - the matter went to an Industrial Tribunal & the chap (Arwyn Thomas) lost & no order was made to reinstate him.London Transport had already said that they would comply with any order to reinstate!So millions of people are being hugely inconvenienced because a union activist was sacked for what appears very valid reasons. That is a disgrace & I hope the RMT recognise that they are acting not only against the national interest, but ultimately against their own members interests.A strike date was set sometime ago - clearly all the RMT were looking for was a reason to go ahead with it - they found one, however tenuous the rationale.Now we have the more moderate teaching unions taking industrial action in schools over pensions.The Office of National Statistics, according to the FT, have published figures showing that public sector workers can expect on average a pension 8 times greater than that of someone working in the private sector.Its a poor argument on which to start strike action.But back to the cabbie - he reckoned that the real reason why the RMT were striking was the introduction of driverless trains on the new Crossrail - average tube drivers salary is about £40k, so I am not surprised that there is a desire to retain all the barmy restrictive practices that hamper London Transport.Perhaps there ought to be much tighter legislation against Bob Crow and his union cronies damaging the UK economy in this way - as Vince Cable has promised.But my cabbie was also against the Boris bike scheme which he said was bad for business & dangerous with middle aged men riding them who had not been on a bike for 30 years or more - an interesting perpective!
