Ministers have ordered train drivers’ union leaders to pay a 75% pay increase for overtime work.
Hundreds of drivers will receive £580 for overtime work Monday to Friday and £600 at weekends under the deal given the green light by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
It’s the latest attempt to persuade drivers to work at least one day out of their three days off a week.
This Christmas comes amid fears that rail travel will be disrupted by a shortage of drivers willing to work overtime for some operators.
But in August drivers were already given a 14.25% pay rise over three years to beat inflation, taking their average pay to £69,000 for a four-day week, prompting a fresh backlash. There is a risk of causing
Ministers have given train drivers’ union bosses a 75 per cent overtime pay rise (File image of West Midlands trains)
Hundreds of drivers will receive £580 in overtime pay from Monday to Friday, and £600 at weekends, under the deal granted by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander (pictured).
The deal, brokered by Ms Alexander’s predecessor Louise Haig, sparked a backlash at the time, with train drivers’ union Aslef announcing a new strike just two days after it was announced.
Overtime pay will rise by 75% from £332 on weekdays, 67% from £359 on Saturdays and 39% from £431 on Sundays, according to a December 12 correspondence seen by The Sunday Times.
The agreement covers 800 drivers working for West Midlands Trains, which operates services under the London North Western Railway and West Midlands Railway brands.
“We are determined to move to a two-day work week and end over-reliance on holiday work,” the Ministry of Transport said.
