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Rail employers have made an offer to the industry’s biggest union in an attempt to resolve a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said it had offered RMTs an 8% pay rise over two years with a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until April 2024.
Thousands of RMT members from 14 train operators and Network Rail are due to stage two 48-hour strikes later this month. RDG said its offer would provide “significant and long overdue” changes to working arrangements.
It said the draft framework agreement gave the RMT the opportunity to call off its planned industrial action and make an offer for its membership. The strike on December 13-14 and 16-17, along with overtime restrictions over Christmas, will result in a month-long disruption to the network, RDG said.
A spokesman said: “This is a fair and affordable offer at challenging times, providing a significant pay rise for staff. If approved by the RMT, implementation could be fast-tracked to ensure employees go safely into Christmas knowing they will receive this enhanced pay award at the start of the New Year with a guarantee of job security until April 2024.
“We urge the RMT leadership to put this offer to its membership and avert the risk of a month of industrial action over Christmas which will upset the travel plans of millions and cause real hardship for businesses.”
The RDG said the proposed amendments to the working practices include:
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Formalizing the existing voluntary working arrangements across the railways to meet the growing demand for weekend leisure travel, especially on Sundays.
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Use part-time contracts and flexible working rosters and patterns to encourage a more diverse workforce that can shift around other commitments.
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Creation of a new “multi-skilled station worker” role with station staff trained and equipped to carry out various responsibilities with the aim of “better meeting customer needs”.
The RMT’s executive committee is understood to be considering the offer.
RDG said it is proposing that the ticketing process at stations will be modernized, with ticket office staff moving behind glass screens to other parts of the station.
It also offers, “where this is not already the case, a new contractual commitment for employees to work on rostered Sundays, either as part of their main working week, or as an additional working day remunerated at the current rate set in the company-specific agreements. .”
The group said it is also proposing to move to driver-only operation (DOO), where drivers operate the doors on all vehicles.
He said: “It does not mean removing staff from onboard trains. It allows the onboard staff to focus on other safety issues and take care of the onboard customers with travel advice, selling tickets etc. The aim is to see this extended to further areas of the network – where the right technology and rolling stock allow – to improve safety. The train provides greater resilience in times of dispatch and disruption.”
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