The ongoing dispute between the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union and UK train companies could come to a close if a pay deal is approved through an online referendum. The offer proposes backdated pay increases for employees and job security guarantees, which could halt the current wave of industrial action. A memorandum of understanding (MOU), developed after talks between the union and the Rail Delivery Group, sets out the mutually-agreed forward steps that could create a “pause and respite” from industrial action throughout Christmas and spring next year.
The MOU reportedly involves a retroactive 5% pay rise of £1,750 for 2022 and job security guarantees that prohibit compulsory redundancies until 2024. However, further negotiations will be necessary for additional pay increases and reforms to the railways. Although the proposed pay deal enjoys the support of RMT affiliates, Mick Lynch, the organization’s leader, has not ruled out the possibility of more strikes if the union is compelled to accept the rejected terms in the future.
RMT members, from ticket offices and guards to drivers, have taken part in a series of strikes at 14 train companies since June of this year. The dispute concerns better job security, pay, and conditions for railway staff, whose walkouts coincided with strikes by train drivers. The strikes have halted much of the UK rail network, interrupting prominent sports events and music festivals.
The online referendum closes on November 30, and this will be the first time that RMT members will vote on a deal since the start of the dispute which began nearly 18 months ago. If the deal is accepted, the RMT’s national dispute mandate will cease. The Department for Transport calls the deal “fair and reasonable” and sees it as a “positive step towards resolving this dispute.
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