Railway bosses have made an attempt to avert Christmas strikes over jobs, pay and conditions.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operating firms, has offered an eight per cent rise over two years with a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until April 2024.
But the RMT union rejected the offer, saying the employers were still demanding major changes to working practices, including ticket office closures and more driver-only trains with no guards.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the offer ‘does not meet any of our criteria for securing a settlement on long-term job security, a decent pay rise and protecting working conditions’. He added the union is demanding an ‘urgent meeting’ with the RDG today ‘with a view to securing a negotiated settlement’.
Employers urged the RMT to put the deal to members to ‘remove the threat’ of industrial action.
A RDG spokesperson said: ‘This is a fair and affordable offer in challenging times, providing a significant uplift in salary for staff.’
RMT members are due to stage two 48-hour strikes on December 13-14 and 16-17 which – coupled with an overtime ban – would result in a month of disruption, said the RDG.
The TSSA union, which also has strikes planned, said it received an offer with ‘more strings than a harp’ and is seeking to meet the RDG today.
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