Members of ScotRail’s largest union RMT accept 5 per cent pay deal

Rail, Maritime and Transport union result to be followed by train drivers’ vote on Monday

A repeat of last year’s disruptive pay dispute between ScotRail and its largest union has been avoided after members voted to accept a 5 per cent increase.

The deal on Thursday follows the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) recommending acceptance of the offer from the Scottish Government-controlled train operator. It includes an extra £750 for the lowest paid staff which the RMT said was worth 8 per cent.

However, the results of a vote on a similar offer by drivers’ union Aslef will not be known until Monday. The union said if it was rejected, officials would re-open talks or ballot for industrial action.

The RMT includes station staff and train conductors. Picture: John Devlin

The RMT settlement comes as the union and Aslef’s separate year-long dispute with some 14 England-based train firms including cross-Border operators such as LNER and Avanti West Coast rumbles on, with the latest stoppages last Saturday.

Pay disputes by both unions at ScotRail last year led to months of disruption, including two one-day strikes by the RMT, which represents workers such as train conductors and station staff.

They were triggered by nationalisation of the firm in April being accompanied by the introduction of public sector pay limits.

Aslef did not call any strikes during its dispute but members stopped volunteering for overtime, forcing ScotRail to cut its timetable by a third for months with evening services ending hours early. The union accepted an improved 5 per cent deal, while the RMT, which settled months later, won a 7.5 per cent increase.

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ScotRail head of customer operations Phil Campbell said: “The acceptance of the deal is fantastic news for our staff and our customers, delivering some certainty on Scotland’s Railway.

“We are grateful to our trade union colleagues for their constructive approach to negotiations, which resulted in a strong offer.

"This delivers a well-earned pay increase, while providing value for the taxpayer in the challenging financial environment in which the railway operates.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "This was a tough negotiation and our members have voted to accept this modest pay deal.

"We have managed to negotiate this deal like many others on the railways including in Wales, the English regions and now Scotland.

"Where the [UK Government] Department for Transport has the controlling mandate for 14 train operators, RMT has had a year-long dispute with multiple strikes.”