Should trade union chiefs pocket big pay rises?

[Hopeless Romantic]

Bob Crow has taken a £10,000 salary increase, despite many members of his Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) trade union suffering pay freezes.

The militant general secretary saw his wages go up 12 per cent from £84,923 in 2008 to £94,747, according to accounts published by the RMT.

The Daily Mail also reports that Crow claimed £9,989 in expenses and £2,376 in travel costs, taking his total income to £145,548.

Transport Minister Norman Baker told the paper: “Bob Crow talks about fairness but this self-styled man of the people should be judged by his actions.

“Crow seems more interested in feathering his own nest than working with Government to create an efficient cost effective rail service.”

A spokesman for London Mayor Boris Johnson added: “Anyone delivering public services in the current climate who thinks they deserve a double digit pay rise is not living in the real world.”

However the RMT – who have called a series of strikes on the London Underground and national train services – have stood by their man.

A spokesman said that Crow’s pay rise was approved by members as he has done a very good job getting them better pay and conditions.

He added: “In the view of our members, Bob Crow is worth every penny.”

http://www.silversurfertoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2020&title=Should_trade_union_chiefs_pocket_big_pay_rises%3F&type=news_features

[non sociopath skin]

1. Amazing how concerned the Millionaires' Party gets about workers' rights ....

... at times like this.

Surely, it's up to the members?

My own union's officer payscale is public knowledge and amendable by national conference.

I suspect that's more democratic than your actual Topshop shareholders' input into Philip Green's stash.

The Skin

[Hopeless Romantic]

2. Well I think that Green (or at least his wife) is pretty much the only

shareholder in his businesses so democracy doesn't really come into it.

Their tax arrangements though are another thing entirely, but I'm sure his lawyers and accountants keep them within the law.


Bob Crow though is a disappointment. I've always suspected that his agenda is more about his interests than his unions members and this pretty much confirms that.

Quite the worst union leader we have at the moment I'm afraid.

[non sociopath skin]

4. "Quite the worst union leader we have at the moment" ...

But it isn't WE is it, unless we're in the RMT.

I don't have the right to choose the leader of an organisation I don't belong to.

So why do you suspect his agenda, HR?

The Skin

[Hopeless Romantic]

5. True enough, although

I less generous chap might accuse you of nitpicking there.

I suspect his agenda because of the persona he adopts in his media appearances. It seems to be all about him. This manner and rhetoric are almost always confrontational. It seems to me that he is attention seeking, "Look at me, see how awkward I can be", sort of thing.

Of course I may be wrong, but that is the impression I get.

[fedsron2us]

3. Given the RMT has 80,000 members

his organisation is bigger than quite a few listed companies that pay their chairman substantially more

Even with the rise it is 4 times less than national average earnings and probably less than that ratio for the average RMT members wage.

When I used to companies back in the Thatcher era I remember coming across some firms where the directors put more into their personal pension pot each year than they paid the rest of their workers put together.

Anyway Unions are democratic organisations where General Secretaries have to stand for election by their members. Those same members also mandate Conference to decide how much their officials are remunerated. Crow is not a 'public servant' as Johnson so erroneously states and he does not work for the taxpayer. His job is to negotiate better terms and conditions for his members.

Given those circumstances the only appropriate response to such Tory misinformation is that they should go screw themselves.