Exclusive:Strikes trains Scotland: Improved offer could avert ScotRail pay dispute disruption for first time in three years

Aslef and RMT unions to recommend train drivers accept new package

The first disruption-free year from pay disputes at ScotRail for three years is now a likelihood after train drivers’ unions Aslef and RMT recommended their members accept a revised offer, The Scotsman has learned.

The breakthrough looms on the eve of next month’s busy Edinburgh Festival Fringe season.

However, passengers travelling with several cross-Border and other English train operators face continuing stoppages with further strikes called for next week.

More than 1,200 ScotRail drivers have been offered a package of improvements including a two-stage, 6 per cent wage increase – 5 per cent backdated to April and a further 1 per cent from October.

The deal is being put to an Aslef ballot until August 14 after ScotRail’s original offer was narrowly rejected in a vote in June. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), which represents the minority of ScotRail drivers, will also put it to a vote.

The RMT union, which is overall ScotRail’s largest, accepted a 5 per cent offer in June for workers such as train conductors and station staff.

Last year, ScotRail passengers suffered months of disruption after timetables were cut by one third when train drivers stopped volunteering for overtime in a pay dispute, while the RMT staged two one-day strikes.

They followed a 2021 dispute involving the RMT over conductors being paid less than drivers for working on days off. It forced the cancellation of up to half of Sunday trains for some eight months and was settled days before the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow after the union threatened to intensify its action to coincide with the event.

This year’s improved drivers’ offer also includes enhanced days-off provision and higher payments for working on “rest days”, better healthcare cover and maximum continuous driving time reduced to four hours from December apart from on some rural routes.

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ScotRail has also committed to introducing a scheme incentivising drivers to buy or lease electric or hybrid cars.

Chief operating officer Joanne Maguire told union officials: “I look forward to favourable consideration of this offer and thank you and your negotiating team for the constructive nature of our discussions."

Meantime, three more one-day strikes will hit passengers on 14 other train operators from next week in a pay dispute with the RMT that has dragged on for a year.

The walkouts have been called for Thursday, July 20, Saturday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 25, including at Scotland-England operators CrossCountry, LNER, TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast. Caledonian Sleeper and Edinburgh-London firm Lumo are not involved.

Avanti and other firms expect to confirm what services will run on the strikes days a week in advance.

The other firms affected are Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway, West Midlands Trains and GTR, including Gatwick Express.

The RMT said the action was necessary because of the lack of a new pay offer, but the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said it had made three offers and described the latest strikes as “totally unnecessary”.

The operators’ trains could also be affected when Aslef members stop working overtime from Monday, July 17 to Saturday, July 22.