There are reports that London subway train drivers get paid more than pilots, police officers and nurses. A UK newspaper reports that the highest-paid drivers on the London Underground earned $130,000 last year, including overtime, bonuses and pension payments. This is 69 per cent higher than 2012. The basic salary of a train driver is $70,000 a year - double the average wage of a nurse and more than what many airline pilots get. Police officers in London get a starting salary of $28,000. London Underground train drivers also get over eight weeks holiday a year.
Many people think the high salaries are unfair. The Tax-Payers' Alliance said: "These salaries are totally [wrong]...the role of a subway train driver is getting easier." Many train drivers no longer have to drive the trains because train lines are fully automated. On automated train lines, drivers only have to open and close train doors. The drivers are going on strike for more pay. A spokesman said their pay was for "professionalism and expertise" in "delivering a professional public service for hundreds of thousands of passengers travelling on the Underground...every day".
