TfW Rail Limited 2022 pay negotiations update

We are writing to provide you with an update on the 2022 pay negotiations. We were under no illusion that these discussions would prove challenging given the economic situation we find ourselves in. As ever our aim is to secure the best deal that we can on behalf of you our members and we made it clear to the company that anything below RPI will be a pay cut not an increase! The company made their position very clear in that an RPI based deal is not within their gift and they offered us instead a 4.5% increase (or a payment of £1,500 whichever is the greater). This payment however comes with certain conditions that I have set out below:

 * review the sickness absence policy  

* change the pay anniversary date from 1 July to 1 April (making this in effect a 9 month pay deal)

* increase in maternity leave from 12 weeks full pay to 26 weeks full pay

* increase in paternity leave from 1 week full pay to 2 weeks full pay

 Your reps carefully considered this offer (which you can read in full at the bottom of this article) and while they are amenable to discussing the sickness policy and the anniversary date and welcome the improvements to the family friendly compensation the 4.5.% pay offer falls way short of your aspirations. On that basis we rejected the offer and will seek to improve on this position in the ongoing negotiations. There may be an opportunity to secure better deals for you by engaging in grade specific productivity talks however we do not know at this juncture what financial compensation this will equate to and if it will be equitable across the different grades we represent. 

 As I am sure you all know the industry finds itself in a precarious situation and in a bid to resolve pay and job security threats a number of your railway colleagues are currently engaging in a series of industrial action ballots to protect their members. We know that TfW Rail Limited prides itself with its social partnership approach and so we are hopeful that we can resolve this year’s pay negotiations in a diplomatic fashion however you need to be aware that if we don’t secure a decent pay rise then we will need to consider all of the options available to us. 

 As ever please continue to engage with your reps if you have any questions and we commit to keep you informed going forward.