Sydney traffic controller breaks down shocking weekly pay
An Australian traffic controller has shared her weekly pay, but her tongue-in-cheek post claiming workers needed a pay rise has upset some users.
Chloe Taouk posted a video to TikTok outlining how much she makes a day while controlling traffic around Sydney’s construction sites, featuring footage of her and her colleagues on the job.
Working almost 58 hours in six days, she earned a whopping $2949, but it is unclear whether this is before or after tax.
For one fifteen-minute shift on Thursday she took home $148, while a 12.5 hour shift on Sunday earned her $717.40 due to double time.
Her longest shift was 14 hours on a Wednesday and netted her $611.50, while the higher weekend rates saw her collect $557 on Saturday for nine hours.
Finally, a 12-hour shift on Monday scored her $496 and a 10-hour shift on Tuesday earned her $409.95.
In total, her pay equated to an hourly pay of $50 for her working week.
The average salary for Sydney traffic controllers is $130,000 a year, though the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has revealed some earn up to $180,000 due to Sydney’s booming construction industry.
The video was set to the song Beggin by Maneskin, which drew criticism from some users on the platform.
“Over paid for doing nothing,” one user commented.
“Your take home pay on an average day is my whole week … and a lot of people make way less. I’m not against you getting a pay rise, but perspective,” another said.
Other users came to the woman’s defence, arguing the job is a dangerous one.
“For the haters, traffic controllers risk their lives with oncoming traffic to protect the workers. It might look easy, but it’s also dangerous,” one woman wrote.
“Traffic control ain’t no easy job. Standing in the sun and rain all day ain’t easy. Plus trying to deal with traffic is hectic,” another said.
“As good as the pay is, I couldn’t stand there for 12 hours a day doing nothing, that’s a hard job in my book,” a third noted.
Others were also quick to point out that traffic control work is seasonal and that the jobs and money isn’t guaranteed long term.
Image: chloetaouk2 / TikTok