Aslef train drivers vote to back pay deal and end two-year standoff

Train drivers have voted to back a pay deal that will resolve the last remaining conflict between rail operators and unions after more than two years of strikes that have brought misery for passengers.

Members of the driver’s union Aslef voted overwhelmingly to support the pay offer by the Department for Transport (DfT) last month, which would mean a pay rise of almost 15% over three years.

The approval by 97% of Aslef’s more than 20,000 members ends the union’s dispute with 16 train operating companies in England, which began in July 2022.

Drivers have taken 18 days of strike action since then, resulting in a near complete shutdown of English lines and some cross-border services, as well as a run of overtime bans that have caused widespread disruption.

Last month, Aslef’s management revealed it had agreed a pay offer in principle with the DfT that mean a pay rise of 5% for 2022-23, 4.75% for 2023-24 and 4.5% for 2024-25 – all backdated and pensionable.

Crucially, it was also on the basis that there would be no changes to working conditions.

Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, said he was pleased the deal would end the longest drivers’ strike in history.

“The strength and resilience and determination shown by train drivers to protect their hard-won and paid-for terms & conditions against the political piracy of an inept and destructive Tory government has prevailed,” he said.

The deal marks an improvement from the previous offer, put forward by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) in April last year, which was rejected by Aslef members.

The earlier offer would have given drivers an 8% pay rise over two years but also included a number of changes to working conditions.

Talks stopped completely between the union, the RDG and the government after this, with Aslef saying in May it had not had a meeting with the then rail minister, Huw Merriman, since January 2023.

Negotiations with Aslef restarted in July after Labour’s election victory, with meetings taking place directly between the union and the DfT, and the RDG no longer involved in the process.

Whelan said: “We are grateful that Louise Haigh, the secretary of state for transport, and the adults entered the room and sought an equitable way forward so that trains will perform and run in the interest of the passenger, of the taxpayer and of those who work in and are dedicated to this industry.”

Aslef was the only rail union yet to agree a pay deal after the RMT, which represents train crew, signallers, station staff and maintenance workers, agreed a deal with Network Rail in March 2023, before reaching an agreement with train operators in November last year.

It came after the RMT had carried out more than 30 days of industrial action after its first strike day was held back in June 2022.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association union agreed to end their separate national dispute with the RDG after a pay deal was reached in February last year. The TSSA agreed a deal with Network Rail in December 2022.

Louise Haigh, the transport secretary, said: “After two years of chaos on our railways under the Conservatives, this is an important step towards fixing our railways and getting the country moving again.

“We have inherited a £22bn blackhole in the nation’s finances. Every decision taken is to stabilise the economy and protect working people. The cost of not settling would significantly outstrip the cost of this below-inflation deal.”

A spokesperson for the RDG said: “We welcome the news that the dispute with train drivers has been resolved. The whole railway now needs to pull together and focus on delivering the best possible service for our customers.”