Summary of the offer to the RMT – February 2023
The grades covered by the offer are: All station-based grades, all on board grades (including catering and train-crew), all administration grade and all Fleet & Engineering grades.
The discussions for this framework have been undertaken at a national level. Once these principles have been agreed in the referendum, the framework would form the basis for negotiations between each TOC and their local RMT representatives around local implementation.
Should the proposal be accepted by RMT members, it would mean:
- A pay increase of at least nine per cent over two years (the higher of five per cent or £1750 in 2022 and four per cent in 2023), with the lowest paid receiving the biggest increase of up to 13% over two years.
- Colleagues earning £30,000 or less in the grades covered by the deal would see pay rises of more than 10 per cent covering the two-year pay award period.
- The pay award would be backdated to the relevant 2022 pay award anniversary. This means staff would benefit from a lump sum in lieu of the 2022 pay increase.
- A guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until at least 31 December 2024.
- The creation of a new multi-skilled station role, with station staff trained and equipped to take on a range of responsibilities aimed at better meeting the needs of customers.
- This would not mean the un-staffing of stations, but would instead mean many staff being brought out of ticket offices and on to concourses and closer to customers.
- Creating ‘station groups’ which make it easier for staff to move between local stations to help passengers, for example where there are staff shortages or where passengers have accessibility needs and require assistance.
- The use of part-time contracts and flexible working rosters and arrangements to help develop a more diverse workforce – such as parents with young children and older people seeking to reduce the hours they work but not leave/retire.
- To meet the growing demand for weekend leisure travel, particularly on Sundays, current voluntary working arrangements across the railways will be formalised, helping to reduce delays and disruption for passengers.
