Employees at Scottish railway service ScotRail have voted to accept an improved pay offer made by their employer through a referendum that closed yesterday (Monday 14 August).
As part of the deal, train drivers will see a 5% basic pay rise for 2023/24, backdated to 1 April, with a further 1% increase from 1 October 2023.
Train drivers’ trade union Aslef recommended that members accept the deal when it was put to a vote. It follows in the footsteps of both the RMT and Unite unions, which represent conductors, engineers, ticket examiners and station staff, as they accepted the 2023/24 pay deal earlier this summer.
Aslef members voted in June to reject the opening offer because they stated that it was below inflation levels. Following this rejection, the union entered into new negotiations with Scotrail.
David Simpson, service delivery director at ScotRail, said: “This is fantastic news for our staff and customers. Acceptance of the deal helps us to deliver more certainty on Scotland’s Railway for the weeks and months ahead, as we continue to encourage more passengers back to use the railway. The focus of everyone at ScotRail is on delivering a safe, reliable, and green service for our customers.
“We are grateful to our trade union colleagues for their constructive approach to negotiations, which has resulted in a well-deserved pay increase for our staff, while delivering value for the taxpayer in the challenging financial environment in which the railway operates.”
An Aslef spokesperson said: “We have been negotiating with the train operating businesses for many months on pay. With several organisations we have managed to come to an agreement, and on several others, multi-year deals have been honoured. Train drivers agree that every working person should be paid fairly and that pay should be increased to keep pace with inflation.”
