Planned rail strikes in March and April have been suspended following talks between the RMT union and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
The union has called off strike action scheduled for 30 March and 1 April. It would have involved rail workers, including train guards (but not train drivers), across 14 train operators.
The most recent pay offer included a backdated pay rise of 5% and a 4% increase this year.
The RDG, which represents train operators in pay negotiations, has tabled a proposal which could “resolve the current national rail dispute through a new offer”, the RMT said.
A statement from the union said: “RMT will have further talks with the RDG with a view to securing a new offer on pay, job security and working conditions.
“The dispute remains on and the union will continue to make preparations for a re-ballot when the current mandates run out in mid-May.”
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “We welcome this positive step by the leadership of the RMT to call off their planned action on 30 March and 1 April. This is great news for our customers and for our staff.
“We are now jointly focused on working constructively towards a settlement to this dispute, which will mean we can do what we have always wanted to do – give our people a pay rise and help secure the long-term future of the railway with rewarding careers for all those who work on it.”
The last rail strike on 18 March saw workers across 14 train operators walk out. It meant that only 40-50% of trains were running.
On Monday, RMT members at Network Rail voted overwhelmingly in favour of supporting a new offer which included salary rises of between 14.4% for workers on the lowest grades to 9.2% for the highest grades.
The deal also included a total uplift on basic earnings between 15.2% for the lowest paid grades to 10.3% for the highest paid grades; increased backpay; renewing an agreement that would see no compulsory redundancies until January 2025; and discounted rail travel benefits.
It has taken nearly a year for the RMT union and Network Rail to resolve their dispute.
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The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association recently accepted a pay deal from the RDG. Train drivers’ union Aslef is still embroiled in a dispute with the RDG, however, although no further strikes are scheduled.
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