Rail chaos averted as drivers win pay deal
Staff offered no-strings attached 2.5% increase and overtime deal
A SECOND weekend of rail disruption has been avoided after ScotRail struck a deal that will see train drivers offered a no-strings attached 2.5 per cent pay rise and overtime earnings worth up to £4,200.
It comes after two days of crisis talks between ScotRail management and representatives from the train drivers’ union, Aslef.
The operator was forced to withdraw more than a third of sched- uled services on Sunday due to a shortage of drivers volunteering to work overtime amid an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
It faced a repeat of disruption this Sunday unless the deadlock was broken.
The agreement, if accepted by Aslef members, will see ScotRail drivers receive a 2.5 per cent salary increase along with overtime payments of £67.50 per Sunday shift until ScotRail recruits additional drivers to enable it to move to a seven-day working week.
At present, drivers are only obliged to work Monday to Saturday.
Drivers will also receive the same amount backdated for each shift worked since April 1 2015.
The one year deal will equate to up to £4,200 additional income on top of the agreed pay rise, which is no longer linked to controversial changes to breaks or proposals to reduce training time.
It will also halt a plan by Aslef to ballot their members for strikes or a work-to-rule which, if backed, would have caused serious disruption to the network from August 17.
Anthony Smith, Transport Focus’s chief executive, said passengers would be relieved a deal had been struck before they suffered any long-term inconven- ience. He added: “Relying on voluntary overtime to operate Sunday services is not tenable for a public service.
“It is good to see all parties work- ing together to come to a solution that works for passengers.”
Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: “I am pleased to confirm we have agreed a deal that will ensure we can run our existing services on a Sunday and help us develop plans to make Sunday part of the working week.
“We run a seven-day railway, so it is hugely important that we have staff rosters that can cover this.
“The commitment from the unions to work with us to change the way we roster Sundays will allow us to recruit new drivers and will, ultimately, deliver a much improved service for our customers. We are now contacting drivers to seek to their co-operation to reinstate services from Sunday 12 July. I am hopeful that, with their support, we will be able to run a near-normal service.”
The st ar ting salary for a fully-qualified train driver who has completed training and a probationary period is around £39,000.
Kevin Lindsay, Scottish Secretary of Aslef, said the union was “reasonably content” with the agreement, and would recommend that its members to accept the terms. He said the relationship between ScotRail and the union had improved. He added: “We have managed to reach an agreement that’s acceptable to ourselves, but more importantly to the drivers who give up their Sundays to work.” Transport Scotland welcomed the resolution.