After 18 months of industrial action and disruption to train services, rail workers from the RMT union have voted to accept a pay deal and end their strikes. The agreement, offered by 14 different train companies, includes a 5% backdated pay rise for 2022-23 and guarantees of job security. This means that RMT members will not be involved in further industrial action until at least next spring.
However, train drivers represented by the Aslef union will still be striking. Aslef members are set to participate in a “rolling programme” of walkouts between 2 and 8 December, with different train companies affected each day. It is not clear how many train drivers will participate in these strikes.
The RMT’s deal with the train companies resolves an ongoing dispute over pay, job security, and conditions for the union’s members. The strikes have caused widespread disruption to train services across the UK. The RMT union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, has congratulated his members on their “steadfastness” and added that the union would continue to defend its members’ terms and conditions in the future.
The government and rail industry have argued that the rail industry is financially unsustainable and in need of reform. The RMT has previously been in dispute with Network Rail, which manages the UK’s rail infrastructure, but this was resolved in March 2021 when signallers and maintenance workers voted to accept an offer from their employer.
The Aslef strikes are set to take place in the coming weeks, and it is uncertain how long they will last or how disruptive they will be. However, the resolution of the RMT dispute indicates that progress is possible in negotiations between unions and train companies
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