Pay deal in Wales ‘shows Westminster Government is odd one out in rail dispute’
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A pay deal agreed with the train company in Wales shows that the Westminster Government is the “odd one out” in the long-running rail dispute, according to a union leader.
Transport for Wales (TfW) has announced it reached agreement with four rail unions worth 4.5% over nine months.
The news came as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) continued with a 48-hour strike at Network Rail and 14 rail operators in England which crippled services.
Trains started later than usual on Saturday and finished earlier, while some parts of the country had no services.
The Westminster Government is the odd one out and needs to create the conditions for RMT to secure a negotiated settlement with Network Rail and the train operators on working conditions, pay and job security
Disruption will continue for the rest of the month because of an overtime ban by RMT members at 14 train operators.
A 48-hour strike by bus drivers in London continued on Saturday, adding to the travel disruption.
The RMT said the TfW deal was worth between 6.6% and 9.5%.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate members on securing a negotiated settlement on pay and conditions.
“RMT has now secured deals with the devolved governments in both Wales and Scotland.
“The union has also secured pay deals on TfL (Transport for London) and several areas where metro mayors are in charge of the railway franchise, including companies like Merseyrail.
The Government has played its part in trying to resolve this dispute and it’s time for unions to play theirs. That’s not only what passengers and the public want, but clearly what a lot of rail workers want as well
“The Westminster Government is the odd one out and needs to create the conditions for RMT to secure a negotiated settlement with Network Rail and the train operators on working conditions, pay and job security.”
The Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Climate Change with responsibility for Transport, Lee Waters, said: “This is great news and highlights how we do things differently in Wales, securing a fair pay deal via a progressive social partnership with unions that recognises the value of our rail workers.
“We strongly urge the UK Government to follow our lead by negotiating a pay settlement with unions in England so that further strike action and disruption for passengers and freight is avoided.”
A Department of Transport spokesman said: “The Government helped facilitate a fair and improved offer, delivering a pay increase more generous than those in the private sector and guaranteeing no compulsory redundancies.
“The significant proportion of RMT members who voted to accept this, despite being instructed not to, clearly recognised that.
“Unite members have accepted the very same offer and the TSSA leadership has also recommended its members to accept it.
“There is clearly an appetite amongst the workers themselves to strike a deal, which is what makes this result even more frustrating.
“The Government has played its part in trying to resolve this dispute and it’s time for unions to play theirs.
“That’s not only what passengers and the public want, but clearly what a lot of rail workers want as well.”
