Members of the TSSA have voted overwhelmingly to accept a pay and conditions offer from Network Rail. In a referendum, 85% of those who voted opted to accept an offer. The turnout was 70%.
NR’s offer includes a no compulsory redundancy agreement until 31 January 2025, a minimum pay rise of £1,750 or 5% (whichever is greater) backdated to 1 January 2022, a 4% pay increase from 1 January 2023 and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions.
Staff paid £25,000 or less will see pay rise by at least 7% in the first tranche of pay rises, while those earning less than £35,000 will gain more than 5%.
However, while TSSA members accepted the offer, those in the RMT rejected it in a referendum, with the latter union claiming it involved a 50% cut in scheduled maintenance tasks and a 30% increase in ‘unsocial hours’ – the latter of which Network Rail says is not true.
TSSA Organising Director Luke Chester said: ‘This is a decisive result with our members roundly endorsing this offer. It’s great news and a great deal for our members in Network Rail. It just shows what can be done through negotiations when there’s a serious offer on the table.
‘The result is fair pay settlement amounting to at least a 9 per cent increase for this year and next – at least 11 per cent for those on lower salaries, plus job security and the nailing down of our terms and conditions. This could and should have been done months ago, but we are pleased with the result.
‘However, the deal in Network Rail is significantly better than anything which has been proposed by the train operating companies and our fight goes on there with members continuing to take industrial action.
‘If the rail companies and the government have any sense, they will now stop blocking the perfectly reasonable pathway to a deal and come back to the table with an improved offer which meets our aspirations.’
The deal applies to TSSA NR members in General Grades, Bands 5-8 and Controllers. Members in managerial grades accepted an offer in August 2022.
