The RMT union in the United Kingdom announced on Sunday that it had rejected a 4% pay increase offer from train operators in 2022 and 2023 in order to avoid future strike action, which has delayed travel for millions of rail users.
The RMT announced this week that over 40,000 railway employees would strike in December and January in a long-running pay dispute, causing transport disruption before and during the lucrative Christmas holiday season.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, had previously given the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers an 8% wage increase over two years with no mandatory redundancies until April 2024.
‘We have rejected this offer because it fails to fulfil any of our requirements for reaching a settlement on long-term job security, a fair pay increase, and maintaining working conditions,’ RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said in a statement.
British Transport Secretary Mark Harper issued a statement in response to the issue, saying, ‘The situation is tremendously frustrating, and unjust to the public, passengers, and rail staff who want a solution.’
‘This agreement will assist keep trains on time,’ he continued.
Rail workers in the United Kingdom have gone on strike three times this year, including the country’s largest walkout in decades this summer, to lobby for higher pay in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
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