Britain’s largest railway workers’ union, the RMT, said on Wednesday its members had voted in favour of accepting a pay deal, bringing an end to a two-year dispute which saw several waves of strikes cause disruption to the transport network.
It is the latest dispute to be resolved under the country’s traditionally trade union-friendly Labour government, which came to power in July.
High inflation and a cost-of-living crisis spurred demands for better pay and led to strikes across a wide range of sectors during 2022 and 2023. Earlier this month, train drivers and junior doctors both accepted pay deals.
The RMT said 99% of its members working for train operating companies who took part in the ballot had backed a 4.75% pay rise for 2023/24 and a 4.5% rise for the next one year period.
At Network Rail, the group responsible for maintaining the tracks, 89% of members who voted backed a rise of 4.5% for the 12 months from January 2024 to the end of the year, the RMT added.
(Reporting by Muvija M)
