Rail strikes: RMT rejects eight per cent pay rise offer

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The night time industries association has warned of the “irreparable fallout” from the ongoing rail strikes.
The night time industries association has warned of the “irreparable fallout” from the ongoing rail strikes.

Rail union the RMT has rejected an 8 per cent pay rise offered by rail operators, aimed at heading off strikes planned for next week.

“We have rejected this offer as it does not meet any of our criteria for securing a settlement on long term job security, a decent pay rise and protecting working conditions,” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said in a statement.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which has been negotiating on behalf of the rail operators, said it had tabled the offer earlier this afternoon after “several weeks of intensive talks”.

Before the RMT rejected the offer, the RDG had urged the union to take “the opportunity to call off planned industrial action and put this offer to its membership”.

A spokesperson from the Rail Delivery Group said it was “a fair and affordable offer in challenging times, providing a significant uplift in salary for staff. If approved by the RMT, implementation could be fast-tracked to ensure staff go into Christmas secure in the knowledge that they will receive this enhanced pay award early in the New Year alongside a guarantee of job security until April 2024.”

The agreement also included reforms that train companies will need to implement in order to put the rail sector on a “sustainable long-term footing” without the need for further rail strikes.

Revenues on the rail network are down post-pandemic as the number of passengers has yet to rebound to 100 per cent of 2019 levels.

Taxpayers contributed almost £2,000 each to subsidise the rail network during the pandemic to avoid job losses.

Hospitality firms in particular have been worried about the impact of strikes in the run-up to Christmas, with the disruption set to cause havoc in what is traditionally a period of heavy foot traffic.

“We urge the RMT leadership to put this offer to its membership and remove the threat of a month of industrial action over Christmas that will upset the travel plans of millions and cause real hardship for businesses which depend on Christmas custom. Instead, we urge the RMT to move forward together with us and so we can give our people a pay rise and deliver an improved railway with a sustainable, long-term future for those who work on it,” a spokesman for the RDG said earlier today.

The RMT has been approached for comment.