How much does he earn?: No 40: Jimmy Knapp, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union.

Age: 53.

Salary: pounds 49,715 per annum.

Hours: Vary depending on union activities. Estimates by the RMT put his working week at around 70 hours.

Previous Experience: He started work for British Rail at the age of 15 and worked as a signalman for 17 years (1955-72) before taking on a full-time position at the National Union of Railwaymen.

Perks: The union pays his pension contributions of pounds 9,374 and a car allowance of pounds 7,177. It also pays pounds 215 a year towards the mortgage on his house. Any expenses incurred on union business are reimbursed, including the cost of his attendance at last week's congress in Geneva of the International Transport Workers Federation, of which he is an executive board member.

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