RMT rail workers vote to end long-running strike action

Members of the biggest rail workers’ union have voted to accept a pay deal and end strike action until at least spring next year.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has been embroiled in a bitter row for more than 18 months with regular walkouts causing chaos for passengers.

A breakthrough finally came when the union agreed to put a Memorandum of Understanding with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to its members earlier this month.

The agreement will see workers get a pay rise backdated to 2022 as well as job security “guarantees”.

The drivers’ union Aslef remains in dispute with the government however, and a number of strikes are planned for December.

The RMT deal brings an end to the national dispute and discussions will now move forward at a local level.

Both unions are required to give two weeks’ notice ahead of any industrial action.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members have spoken in huge numbers to accept this offer and I want to congratulate them on their steadfastness in this long industrial campaign.

“We will be negotiating further with the train operators over reforms they want to see, and we will never shy away from vigorously defending our members’ terms and conditions, now or in the future.

“This campaign shows that sustained strike action and unity gets results and our members should be proud of the role they have played in securing this deal.”

The Rail Delivery Group welcomed the result of the RMT vote but called on Aslef to reach a similar deal.

An RDG spokesperson said: “This welcome vote from RMT members will unlock a pay rise for our people, and means that fair agreements have now been reached with three out of the four unions involved in the recent industrial dispute.

“Unfortunately, the ASLEF leadership’s decision to call further industrial action means passengers still face disruption between 1-9 December, despite an offer remaining on the table which would see basic driver salaries increase from £60k to £65k for a four-day week.

“We want to reach a fair agreement which will get more trains running on time and put the railway on a sustainable footing, at a time when taxpayers are contributing an extra £54m a week to keep services running post covid.

“Instead of staging more damaging industrial action, we call on ASLEF to work with us to resolve this dispute for the long-term good of everyone who works in rail and the millions of businesses and passengers who rely on it every day.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper added: “This is welcome news for passengers and a significant step towards resolving industrial disputes on the railway, giving workers a pay rise before Christmas and a pathway to delivering long overdue reforms.

“It remains the case that the train drivers’ union ASLEF continue to block their members from having a say on the offer that would take train drivers’ median salaries from £60,000 to £65,000 for a 35-hour, 4-day week – ASLEF should follow the RMT’s lead and give their members a say.”