News - TSSA considering offers in national rail dispute  

Rail union TSSA has today received two formal offers in relation to all members employed by the train companies in the national rail dispute over pay, job security and conditions.  

For the first time the offers cover management and control staff, as well as stations and other grades within the rail industry.  

The union’s Executive Committee will now consider the offers and consult representatives at more than a dozen train companies before deciding whether these are sufficient to put to thousands of members at the companies in a vote.  

The offers come after several rounds of talks with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of the train operating companies and include -  an improved pay deal over two years, commitments for no compulsory redundancies until the end of 2024, improved opportunities for redeployment, as well as full consultation over proposed reforms to ticket offices and any changes to terms and conditions. 

The union is in the process of re-balloting members across thirteen train companies for further industrial action. That ballot will continue during this period. 

In December last year the RDG made an offer which failed to include Managers or Controllers at train companies. The new offers include all members in the scope of the dispute and affords redundancy protection for Control and Revenue staff. 

The train companies involved in the scope of the new offer are - Avanti West Coast, C2C, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains Limited, South Eastern Railway, South Western Railway, Trans Pennine Express, West Midlands Trains. 

Commenting, TSSA Organising Director, Luke Chester said: “The new offers from the train companies are a result of hard work by our negotiating teams and the strong commitment of members in this dispute.  

“There has been progress on a number of fronts - on pay, job security and the future working conditions of many members. The offers also now cover all those involved in the dispute - which was a key point for the union. 

“This has only happened through careful and detailed negotiations and shows the value of our collective action. We will now work with our Reps to fully consider whether the terms being offered are fair, and good enough to put to members in a vote.  

“In the meantime we will continue with our plans to ballot for further industrial action as the dispute remains live.” 

*The offer on pay to TSSA from the train companies is a two year pay deal covering 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 which provides for a 5 per cent increase or a minimum increase of £1,750 whichever is the greater in year 1 and a further 4 per cent increase in year 2.    

*No compulsory redundancies of employees within the grades directly affected by the Workforce Changes (see below) from the date of the agreement until 31st December 2024. 

The grades directly affected by the workforce changes are: - All station-based grades, all on board grades including catering and train-crew, all administration grades, all Fleet & Engineering grades. All Revenue Protection and Train Service Controller grades will be regarded as in scope for the purposes of the no compulsory redundancies commitment. 

*Voluntary Redundancy Scheme (VRS) – offering the terms set out under the RIRG Enabling Framework Agreement in 2021, to allow affected employees the opportunity to leave the industry should they wish to apply to do so.