Dear colleagues,
Two of our trade unions - TSSA and Unite – are launching member referendums today (28 July) to gather views on a clarified pay offer for general grades, bands 5-8 and controllers.
Since we made the pay offer on 12 July, we’ve continued to hold talks with RMT, TSSA and Unite to try to resolve the dispute about pay, job security and changes to working practices. This included answering questions from the trade unions about when maintenance implementation would happen and following up queries about the pay offer.
As a result of the discussions, we clarified the following points:
From date offer agreed:
- 4% increase in base pay (backdated to 1 Jan 2022) will include shift pay and overtime uplifts.
- Clarified: The £250 payment to employees who currently earn less than £24,000 p/a in base pay for FY21 financial year, is to be backdated to 1 January 2021 and will be applied before any percentage increase in pay is awarded.
- Clarified: Pay range scales to be lifted in both year 1 and year 2 in line by 4%.
- Removing the cap on season ticket subsidies so you can have a 75% discount on any season ticket for travelling to and from work.
From 1 January 2023:
- Clarified: A pay award of 4% will be applied from January 2023, rather than a one-off lump sum payment. This is in addition to the 4% backdated to 1 January 2022.
- 75% discount on leisure travel for you, your partner and any dependents (we may be able to offer this sooner, depending on how long it takes to set the scheme up).
Any pay rise in 2024 will be calculated on top of the above. Separate, but in addition to the above, there is still an individual opportunity for a form of performance related pay (PRP) for 2021/22 (between £617 & £811 depending on your function or region). For those who don’t strike, we may pay PRP for this year.
The need for us to have safer ways of working and be more efficient have not gone away. You heard last week that we are starting consultation on Maintenance reforms with the trade unions and our first meeting is taking place today. Delivering reforms will not only improve working practices, but also fund a pay rise.
There’s no additional funding from Government, so the money for a pay rise must come from within our own budget. We have made it clear that this offer, including travel, depends on the trade unions confirming that the dispute is resolved, and no more strike action taking place.
If you are a TSSA or Unite member, I really encourage you to accept this offer in the referendums.
Stay safe and thank you to everyone who is helping to keep the railway running.