Virgin Rail considering £500 Olympics bonus for staff

Virgin Rail is considering making a £500 flat-rate payment to each of its employees for additional pressures on services during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Its offer has been made to the unions, including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), but have not reached a conclusion.

The pay package will also see wages rise by 4.6% or £950, whichever is the greater, from April. Staff will also get an extra day’s leave for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Bob Crow, general secretary at the RMT, said: “This is another deal that protects our members’ standards of living and rewards them for carrying the extra pressure of the Olympics.”