Network Rail employees on strike vote to accept wage offer

• A salary agreement has been approved by thousands of rail workers.
• The agreement includes a salary raise ranging from 14.4% for the lowest paid grades to 9.2%.
• the union’s members will keep striking until they obtain a better deal.

A salary agreement has been approved by thousands of rail workers, ending months of strike action.

After a protracted dispute over salary, jobs, and conditions, signal operators and maintenance personnel in the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) have accepted an offer from Network Rail. Members voted in favour by a margin of 76% to 24%, ending the heated dispute that had recently resulted in a string of strikes and a turnout of nearly 90%.

According to the union, the agreement includes a salary raise ranging from 14.4% for the lowest paid grades to 9.2% for the highest paid, higher backpay, a moratorium on mandatory layoffs until January 2025, and benefits for rail travel. Since June 2022, there have been a series of rail strikes, and according to Mick Lynch of the RMT, the union’s members working for train operating businesses will keep striking until they obtain a better deal.

The RMT tweeted the following in relation to the pay agreement with Network Rail: “Rail union RMT announced today that its 20,000 members had voted by a margin of three to one to accept a new and improved offer encompassing pay, employment, and conditions.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch stated that the conflict was resolved as a result of the striking members’ inspirational solidarity and tenacity, which gained more funding and a new offer that was unmistakably accepted by them.

Our members’ recent highly effective strike action across the 14 railway companies has demonstrated their commitment to obtain a better deal, and our dispute with the train operating companies is still very much in play.

“We can then submit that to our members if the Government now permits the train companies to make the correct offer, but until that time, the strike action set for March 30 and April 1 will take place.

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