TSSA secures improved pay offer for Network Rail Bands 1-4

Following the Company’s “final” offer on pay made on 12 July, our Union’s Representatives have been working hard to negotiate further improvements on your behalf.

The industrial action mandate which you returned has provided significant leverage in negotiations and the business has maintained an ongoing dialogue with us under the Avoidance of Dispute procedure.

As a result of these negotiations, the Company has made an improved offer as follows:

Base Pay

• 4% increase on base pay effective from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.
• The pay for performance matrix will not be applied for 2022
• The pay range minimum will be uplifted by 4% and employees at the bottom of the pay range will be adjusted accordingly but will not receive a pay award on top of this increase.
• Increase to the band pay range maximum by the value of the pay award.
• Employees at the top of zone 3 will receive a non-consolidated lump sum equivalent. For those employees who are within 4% of the top of the pay range, they will receive a nonconsolidated payment for the difference.

Pay differentials

• An immediate review of pay differentials that exist between managers and their direct reports. Where this is identified, the median salary of all direct reports will be calculated as a means to uplift the manager’s salary to that median. Uplifts will be capped at the top of zone 2, to enable further movement within the pay range. This to be subject to an annual review and will remain in place until any other remuneration measures are consulted and agreed

Allowances

• Inner London allowance increased to £3,270 and outer London allowance increased to £1,942

Travel

• Privileged leisure travel facility which provides a 75% discount on all leisure travel and includes family members.
• The season ticket subsidy cap of £2,750 will be removed and the discount of 75% will remain for unlimited cost of the relevant season ticket

Annual Leave

• Ability to ‘sell’ up to 10 days accrued annual leave during an extended window so long as a minimum of 20 days are reserved to be taken as leave for 2022.

Dispute resolution and collective bargaining

• Commitment to the enhanced “people process” national principles to any changes that impact band 1 to 4 employees during the 12 months of this agreement
• Commitment to abide by collective agreements if the Company considers changes to terms and conditions

Productivity

In return for this pay offer, Network Rail has asked for our agreement to the following productivity items:

• Joint working to concentrate national level consultation of the template organisation to Key Safety Posts & Safety Critical Work posts only.
• A review of the memorandum of consultation, the accompanying paperwork and process, with the aim of making it more concise and clearer.

PRP (bonus)

Network Rail has communicated that they will make some payments under their discretionary PRP scheme (aka bonus).

This is not negotiated with TSSA, but we have clearly communicated our view that PRP should be paid in full to all Band 1-4 employees, not partial payments which unfairly penalise more senior colleagues. We will continue to press the Company to recommit to PRP payments on at least the same basis as pre-pandemic.

You can view the full offer letter from Network Rail here.

TSSA Recommendation

It is obvious that a 4% increase to base pay does not fully address the cost-of-living crisis that is hurting all of us.

However, the improved offer now provides parity with the 4% offer made to General Grades and the offer does address some long-standing issues we have been seeking to resolve including:

• Travel facilities
• Differentials where managers are paid lower salaries than direct reports
• Increases to pay ranges (reducing the impact of capping)

There are also enhanced job security measures and a commitment not to unilaterally change contracts of employment. These were key demands within our dispute.

The Avoidance of Dispute process is now concluded and there is no further room to negotiate any additional improvements without first initiating a sustained campaign of industrial action.

When seen as a package, and set alongside the PRP payments, our Reps believe that this is the best offer that can be secured without taking industrial action. We are therefore recommending it to you on this basis.

Referendum

As a democratic Union, we will hold an electronic referendum giving you a vote on whether to accept or reject the offer.

The vote will open today and will close on Thursday 4th August at 12:00.

Please look out for an email from “Survey Monkey” which is the voting platform. Use the unique link in the email to access the poll. Once you have voted, the link will expire. The link will also not work if the email is forwarded.

If you don’t receive the email asking you to vote, please check your junk mail or spam filters in the first instance. If you still have not received a vote, please contact: helpdesk@tssa.org.uk

What next?

If the offer is accepted, we will communicate this to the Company and resolve the dispute for Bands 1-4. If a majority choose to reject, we will issue notice of industrial action to coincide with action declared by TSSA members in the TOCs on 18th and 20th August.

Make sure you have your say on pay and vote today!