I know everyone’s argument will be “well they aren’t overpaid, everyone else is underpaid”, but if we go down this logic then frankly most people should be on about £150k a year middle class. In fact, actually go with inflation figures and PPP of UK in 1998, and you’ll find most middle class job pay today should be £100-150k, and is instead £35k-£50k.
GDP per capita has literally flatlined for 30 years. UK and US were pretty much salary parity.
My role as a Data Scientist in UK is average £55k, myself £70k, very very senior is £110k or so, but that’s the max.
US, a junior will be on $250k, which is already way more than the senior, and cost of living is less. This countries wage/cost has gone down the toilet, and the government wonders why everyone’s leaving and thinking importing millions from the third world will help the matter.
7elevenses on
So pay surgeons more? Prices are never coming down, if you want affordability, wages have to go up.
loverofthings25 on
Good for them, probably the best example of unions doing right by their members.
Any-Memory2630 on
Oh no, not a union trying to get the best deal for it’s members…
West_Pin_1578 on
Maybe the surgeons should strike more.
But to be fair a tube driver is responsible for hundreds of lives at a time, whilst driving many tons of vehicle around in millions of pounds worth of critical capital city infrastructure.
So, y’know.
crumpetsandchai on
I need to join this union and I’m not a train driver
Slow_Animator_7241 on
Ill drive the trains for what they are on now I dont need a pay increase, I drive a class 2 truck and that’s not much above minimum wage
Aggravating_Band_353 on
Sounds like we all need to unionise!
Just in time for ai and others to take a chunk of the jobs market, combined with squeeze on market by costs of living rising year in and out, so reduced consumer disposable income to spend / less need to jobs go fulfil demand
Recent-Lemon-9930 on
Wage compression in the last 3 or so decades, not helped by minimum wage along with “progressive” taxation, is a massive, massive problem.
StatisticianUsual471 on
I can’t say I’m not bitter my union isn’t that powerful or my job that important
ByEthanFox on
As do footballers. But no-one seems up in arms about that
Turklightenment on
Telegraph not liking the core aspect of Capitalism is interesting
Wondering_Electron on
The dumb fuckwits complaining are the ones who don’t or aren’t part of a union that actually knows how to negotiate.
My union got us inflation matching pay deals for every single year I have been there since I started in 2015. Along with my promotions and inflationary pay rises, my pay has increased by 142%.
If you want this, join a fucking union and stop moaning.
Why should we NOT want people to earn more if they can?
Stop being failures and do something about it.
Inside_Performance32 on
I’ll happily drive the train for 70% of what they are currently paid and I’d highly enjoy it .
Getting those jobs seems to be pure nepotism though .
One-Staff5504 on
How come the media is only outraged when it’s about working class people’s salaries? How about we criticise those overpaid “journalists”?
malppy on
Trains are a fully automatable job if infrastructure is contemporary. Instead of paying individuals more use the money to update the infrastructure for longer term gains
floorscentadolescent on
The greedy bastards want extra pay, for sitting on their ass all day
Electronic-Dingo-172 on
The Telegraph had their Tories mates in power for nearly a decade and a half and they absolutely killed the country. Killed growth, killed jobs, killed any chance of a wage recovery after 2008, killed trade with our biggest partners in Europe, killed our reputation.
At this point I think it’s safe to say they actively wish harm on the people of this country.
Chunk3yM0nkey on
If we can have self driving car allowed on manic roads, tube drivers can be replaced with AI. Its a fixed track, the stations don’t move.
LeftAndRightAreWrong on
The TORYgraph is not happy with workers earning a decent pay again. Shocked…
Antique-Amoeba1218 on
Good for them
Mabe the surgeons should form an effective union too
Infinite-Math-1046 on
Is it that tube drivers are paid too much?… maybe, maybe not.
Is it that surgeons are paid FAR too little? …definitely!
Zepplinologist on
Who on earth believes anything the Telegraph has to say?
Cellpool_ on
Isn’t this just because tube drivers have a good union? Maybe surgeons should band together and get a solid union that fights for better wages
rdlpd on
Tube drivers want a rise to meet inflation, and everyone cries, a stupid telegraph article gets lots of comments (its the same thing every year)… Mps get rises above inflation year on year and no one bats an eye lid….
If you dont get rises to meet inflation join a union, get ur coworkers to join a union create a union rep in ur company, vote in mps that will tax your ceos (that most go and adore on linkedin), vote in mps that will fight for labour laws… stop crying about crumbs. Or just change job ffs…
Important-Finger-903 on
That pay and all the blow they can do. A responsible job that requires fuck all effort. Obscene levels of pay. They don’t deserve it and becasue they’re union is so militant is why they are paid so much. Might as well enjoy it until automation takes over.
Surgeons cant hold a city to ransom.
lauramartingriggs on
Tube drivers / train drivers just need to be automated – end of problem. Honestly robots will be doing this job in 5 years.
Exciting_Past_4257 on
I find it grating that doctors pay is used as a trump card to try and keep others pay down but when there are strikes so that doctors can be paid more we’re suddenly greedy/uncaring/overpaid/in it for the wrong reasons again.
tpool on
Yes thats the power of collective bargaining and why hit pieces like this come out to try and demonise any group of workers who know their worth incase the rest of us get the same idea.
pinwroot on
Water Company CEOs are being paid upwards of £1m for pumping literal poo into our water.
I think we’re focusing on the wrong people.
jerzeibalowski84 on
According to Oxfam GB, UK billionaire wealth grew by an average of £30.3m a day in 2025.
Grrr, train drivers.
Rhyssayy on
I get paid fuck all and save 400 pound a month but I live at home with parents and have cheap rent. If I didn’t have that I would be fucked and I understand this. Not everyone has the same privilege that I do and I think that’s a huge problem but I don’t know what the solution is it’s so difficult nowadays I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to afford to move out
No-Window-6771 on
Maybe surgeons should be paid more then?
Crabs in a bucket mentality.
Matrees1 on
It should be fully automated. Its predictable and should be the job of AI, Computer vision and Control systems. Japan is already working on it.
chessticles92 on
This reflects how poorly surgeons are paid rather than the shock the telegraph is after
asjonesy99 on
Generally pro-union but train unions take the piss.
There will never be any substantial progress in the UK system.
You want 24 hour rail? Nope. Union doesn’t want to work those hours.
How about we work towards automated trains then? Nope. Union kicks up a fuss that jobs will be replaced.
MonitorPowerful5461 on
Just shows how much of a lie it is that people are “paid what they’re worth”. People are paid how ever much they can force their employers to pay them. Tube employees can strike effectively, so they get high pay.
Tetracropolis on
How is this even a thing? What leverage do tube drivers have? What’s a tube driver going to do if they lose their job where they earn anything like that? Surely TFL hold all of the cards here.
38 Comments
They already are, in some cases.
I know everyone’s argument will be “well they aren’t overpaid, everyone else is underpaid”, but if we go down this logic then frankly most people should be on about £150k a year middle class. In fact, actually go with inflation figures and PPP of UK in 1998, and you’ll find most middle class job pay today should be £100-150k, and is instead £35k-£50k.
GDP per capita has literally flatlined for 30 years. UK and US were pretty much salary parity.
My role as a Data Scientist in UK is average £55k, myself £70k, very very senior is £110k or so, but that’s the max.
US, a junior will be on $250k, which is already way more than the senior, and cost of living is less. This countries wage/cost has gone down the toilet, and the government wonders why everyone’s leaving and thinking importing millions from the third world will help the matter.
So pay surgeons more? Prices are never coming down, if you want affordability, wages have to go up.
Good for them, probably the best example of unions doing right by their members.
Oh no, not a union trying to get the best deal for it’s members…
Maybe the surgeons should strike more.
But to be fair a tube driver is responsible for hundreds of lives at a time, whilst driving many tons of vehicle around in millions of pounds worth of critical capital city infrastructure.
So, y’know.
I need to join this union and I’m not a train driver
Ill drive the trains for what they are on now I dont need a pay increase, I drive a class 2 truck and that’s not much above minimum wage
Sounds like we all need to unionise!
Just in time for ai and others to take a chunk of the jobs market, combined with squeeze on market by costs of living rising year in and out, so reduced consumer disposable income to spend / less need to jobs go fulfil demand
Wage compression in the last 3 or so decades, not helped by minimum wage along with “progressive” taxation, is a massive, massive problem.
I can’t say I’m not bitter my union isn’t that powerful or my job that important
As do footballers. But no-one seems up in arms about that
Telegraph not liking the core aspect of Capitalism is interesting
The dumb fuckwits complaining are the ones who don’t or aren’t part of a union that actually knows how to negotiate.
My union got us inflation matching pay deals for every single year I have been there since I started in 2015. Along with my promotions and inflationary pay rises, my pay has increased by 142%.
If you want this, join a fucking union and stop moaning.
Why should we NOT want people to earn more if they can?
Stop being failures and do something about it.
I’ll happily drive the train for 70% of what they are currently paid and I’d highly enjoy it .
Getting those jobs seems to be pure nepotism though .
How come the media is only outraged when it’s about working class people’s salaries? How about we criticise those overpaid “journalists”?
Trains are a fully automatable job if infrastructure is contemporary. Instead of paying individuals more use the money to update the infrastructure for longer term gains
The greedy bastards want extra pay, for sitting on their ass all day
The Telegraph had their Tories mates in power for nearly a decade and a half and they absolutely killed the country. Killed growth, killed jobs, killed any chance of a wage recovery after 2008, killed trade with our biggest partners in Europe, killed our reputation.
At this point I think it’s safe to say they actively wish harm on the people of this country.
If we can have self driving car allowed on manic roads, tube drivers can be replaced with AI. Its a fixed track, the stations don’t move.
The TORYgraph is not happy with workers earning a decent pay again. Shocked…
Good for them
Mabe the surgeons should form an effective union too
Is it that tube drivers are paid too much?… maybe, maybe not.
Is it that surgeons are paid FAR too little? …definitely!
Who on earth believes anything the Telegraph has to say?
Isn’t this just because tube drivers have a good union? Maybe surgeons should band together and get a solid union that fights for better wages
Tube drivers want a rise to meet inflation, and everyone cries, a stupid telegraph article gets lots of comments (its the same thing every year)… Mps get rises above inflation year on year and no one bats an eye lid….
If you dont get rises to meet inflation join a union, get ur coworkers to join a union create a union rep in ur company, vote in mps that will tax your ceos (that most go and adore on linkedin), vote in mps that will fight for labour laws… stop crying about crumbs. Or just change job ffs…
That pay and all the blow they can do. A responsible job that requires fuck all effort. Obscene levels of pay. They don’t deserve it and becasue they’re union is so militant is why they are paid so much. Might as well enjoy it until automation takes over.
Surgeons cant hold a city to ransom.
Tube drivers / train drivers just need to be automated – end of problem. Honestly robots will be doing this job in 5 years.
I find it grating that doctors pay is used as a trump card to try and keep others pay down but when there are strikes so that doctors can be paid more we’re suddenly greedy/uncaring/overpaid/in it for the wrong reasons again.
Yes thats the power of collective bargaining and why hit pieces like this come out to try and demonise any group of workers who know their worth incase the rest of us get the same idea.
Water Company CEOs are being paid upwards of £1m for pumping literal poo into our water.
I think we’re focusing on the wrong people.
According to Oxfam GB, UK billionaire wealth grew by an average of £30.3m a day in 2025.
Grrr, train drivers.
I get paid fuck all and save 400 pound a month but I live at home with parents and have cheap rent. If I didn’t have that I would be fucked and I understand this. Not everyone has the same privilege that I do and I think that’s a huge problem but I don’t know what the solution is it’s so difficult nowadays I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to afford to move out
Maybe surgeons should be paid more then?
Crabs in a bucket mentality.
It should be fully automated. Its predictable and should be the job of AI, Computer vision and Control systems. Japan is already working on it.
This reflects how poorly surgeons are paid rather than the shock the telegraph is after
Generally pro-union but train unions take the piss.
There will never be any substantial progress in the UK system.
You want 24 hour rail? Nope. Union doesn’t want to work those hours.
How about we work towards automated trains then? Nope. Union kicks up a fuss that jobs will be replaced.
Just shows how much of a lie it is that people are “paid what they’re worth”. People are paid how ever much they can force their employers to pay them. Tube employees can strike effectively, so they get high pay.
How is this even a thing? What leverage do tube drivers have? What’s a tube driver going to do if they lose their job where they earn anything like that? Surely TFL hold all of the cards here.