Some UK rail workers accept pay offer to end dispute -TSSA union
LONDON (Reuters) -Rail workers in Britain represented by the TSSA trade union have voted to accept wage offers by train companies in a long-running dispute over pay, job security and conditions, the union said on Friday.
Further strike action across Britain's rail network will still go ahead, however, as the larger RMT trade union, which represents tens of thousands of rail workers, remains in a separate dispute. The RMT plans four days of walkouts over the next two months with the first slated for March 16.
More than 3,000 TSSA members in the rail industry, working in a variety of roles, voted to accept the offer, the union said.
The pay deal provides for either a 5% or 1,750 pounds ($2,092) increase in 2022/23, and a further 4% increase in 2023/24, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) said in a statement.
"This is a clear decision from our members which will end our long-running dispute," a TSSA spokesperson said in a statement.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said the development was a "positive breakthrough".
"We hope that the RMT leadership will take this opportunity to reconsider their rejection of our equivalent offer, call off their unnecessary and disruptive strikes and allow their members a referendum on their own deal," Rail Delivery Group Chair Steve Montgomery said.
Britain has faced disruptive strikes by rail workers since last summer, and walkouts over pay have since spread to the healthcare and education sectors, putting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak under growing pressure to help bring an end to the disputes.
($1 = 0.8366 pounds)
(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman and Sachin Ravikumar; editing by Sarah Young and Susan Fenton)