Train drivers across England, Scotland and Wales have accepted a pay deal made by the Department for Transport, ending a two-year pay dispute.
The employees are members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union.
They have taken part in strike action since 2022 over pay, arguing that the previous government refused to let the train operating businesses negotiate freely and make a fair offer. They also stated that they had not received a pay increase since 2019 and had put on hold any pay claims while helping keep people safe on public transport during the Covid-19 pandemic.
When the Labour Government was elected in July, several rounds of meetings between the Department of Transport and Aslef’s negotiating team took place. On Wednesday 14 August, a formal offer was received, deemed acceptable by Aslef’s executive committee and put to members.
The deal is a no-strings three-phase offer of 5% for 2022-2023, 4.75% for 2023 to 2024, and 4.5% for 2024 to 2025. These are all backdated and pensionable.
On a ballot turnout of 88.53%, which was 11,365 members, 96.58% voted in favour of the offer, while 3.42% voted against it.
Mick Whelan, general secretary at Aslef, said: “It just shows what can be done. The government has worked with us to resolve this dispute. The offer is a fair offer and it is what we have always asked for, a clean offer, without a land grab for our terms and conditions. We achieved more in the first four weeks of a Labour government than we managed under a Conservative government.
“We are grateful to everyone who has shown support and solidarity with our fight, and to the Labour government which made this a priority and took immediate action to resolve the dispute. We look forward to moving on, together, and delivering the future of our railway in public ownership.”
