Rail unions to be banned from shutting down country over wage deal

Mick Lynch, head of RMT, can welcome a 5 percent unconditional pay raise that dates back to July 2022. Photo: Neil Hall/Shutterstock

Militant railroad strikers will be banned from shutting down the country under a new wage deal being considered by union leaders.

Proposals made to the National Union of Railroad Workers, Marine and Transportation Workers (RMT) will see that the responsibility for industrial agreements will be transferred to local train operators and union branches.

Local decision-making means that any future disputes will be handled locally rather than nationally, greatly reducing the likelihood of railroad closures across the country.

Over the past year, a series of nationwide strikes have caused havoc in the most violent strike campaigns since the railroad privatizations in the 1990s under John Major. Nationwide strikes have hit the British economy, and strikes in other sectors continue to dampen activity.

The new rail deal is being reviewed by RMT's national chief executive, raising hopes for a way out of the deadlock after a year-long dispute.

The deal was carefully negotiated to allow Mick Lynch, head of RMT, to welcome a wage increase without any strings attached by five percent, which is backdated to July 2022.

A further four percent of the surcharge will be paid following the conclusion of a collective bargaining agreement between the 14 railway operators and their respective union representatives. Union negotiators also agreed on a series of reforms in working methods.

Rail strike survey

Railway executives and the government have acknowledged that hundreds of ticket offices will have to cut costs in order to cut costs. the burden of providing services on the taxpayer.

The requirements will “vary by station to take into account the size, activities/tasks and specific characteristics of each individual completed station,” the draft agreement says. Ticket office staff will be required to undergo retraining as a «universal class».

However, RMT's national chief executive may reject offers, as has been the case in previous months. If he accepts them, they will be put to a vote by the roughly 20,000 union members who work for the train operators.

A separate deal has already been struck between RMT and Network Rail, which owns the tracks, stations and switches.

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A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said: “We hope the RMT CEO will present this proposal to all members of his rail company and allow them to have their say on the deal. so we can put an end to this dispute and work together to ensure a secure future for BR and all who work on it.”

An RMT spokesman said: “We have received an updated offer from RDG. and our National Executive Committee reviews its contents. No further action has been decided.”