RMT weighs up new deal after summer strike action
Transport union RMT is mulling over a new offer which could finally bring to an end a bitter and protracted dispute with Network Rail over staff pay and working conditions.
This follows three days of strike action last month that caused mass disruption across both the capital and the wider country – with travel plans from commutes to school exams to long-distance journeys to Glastonbury ripped up by industrial action.
| Duration | Two years |
| Pay | Over five per cent pay rise for all RMT members and more for those under £30k Yr 1: Four per cent on basic, backdated to Jan Yr 2: Two per cent + further two per cent if modernisation reforms milestones are met |
| Bonuses | £650 (varies from region to region) cash ‘bonus’ for all A further £250 lump sum (consolidated) for those under £24k |
| Perks | 75 per cent discounted travel for employee and family from January 2023 |
| Job Security | No compulsory redundancy guarantee for the two years |
The proposed deal from Network Rail is a two-year arrangement, with a five per cent pay rise for all RMT members and more workers earning under £30,000 per year.
It also includes a 75 per cent discount on travel for employees and family members.
This is alongside a £650 cash bonus – with a further £250 for workers earning below £24,000 per year.
There is also a ‘no compulsory redundancy’ guarantee for the duration of the deal.
The above is contingent on so-called modernisations and reforms being met, with the Government scrambling for cost-cutting measures as train attendance struggles to return to pre-pandemic levels following billions of pounds of taxpayer support during the pandemic.
This is even reflected in the pay deal with the pay rise including an additional two per cent hike if reform milestones are met.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Today we have put a new pay offer on the table for our RMT colleagues which will be worth over five per cent, conditional on achieving savings through modernising reforms. There’s also money on the table for a fair and affordable deal for next year too. While money is extremely tight because of the railway’s financial troubles following the pandemic, we can afford to make this offer if our people accept change and compromise, which will fund it.”
RMT’s members will assess the deal this evening ahead of an executive committee meeting tomorrow.
It has warned the latest offer amounts to real terms pay cut over the next two years, and will involve cutting a third of all frontline maintenance roles and 50 per cent of all scheduled maintenance work.