LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s train drivers union and the government have agreed on a pay proposal that could end a long-running industrial dispute and a series of strikes that have disrupted rail travel over the last two years.
The government described the deal as a major breakthrough and said an end to rail strikes was finally in sight.
The ASLEF union of train drivers said the offer – comprising a 5% pay rise for 2022/23, 4.75% for 2023/24, and 4.5% for 2024/25 – was fair and that its members should vote for it.
Britain’s new government has been holding talks with ASLEF since taking office last month following a thumping election victory for the traditionally union-friendly Labour Party.
“We are pleased that we finally have a new Labour government – that listens and wants to make the railway work for staff, passengers and the taxpayer,” ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said.
ASLEF last year rejected an offer from the 16 train companies which employ the drivers, describing it as “risible”. It says drivers have not had a salary increase since 2019, resulting in a real-terms pay cut.
Rail strikes and disruptions to travel plans had become a feature of British life over the last two years as high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis blunted the impact of pay rises for workers in a number of sectors.
Train drivers staged 18 days of strike action over the last two years.
Industry estimates show overall railway revenue foregone because of strikes since June 2022 amounted to around 850 million pounds ($1.09 billion).
In a separate dispute, Britain’s largest railway union, the RMT, in November accepted a pay offer from train companies and agreed to pause strikes while further negotiations over future pay and planned changes to working practices continued.
($1 = 0.7796 pound)
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Alex Richardson and Jonathan Oatis)
