Tube drivers offered £50,000 to reduce strike fears

Tube unions and London Underground hopeful of deal on four-year pay offer

London Underground (LU) has offered a 4-year pay deal to tube unions. LU said the deal would be the longest ever achieved and would offer “stability and the prospect of no industrial action over pay until at least 2015”.

The LU offer is for a 5 per cent pay increase this year followed by retail price index (RPI) inflation plus 0.5 per cent rise in the subsequent three years. The deal is estimated to increase annual salaries of tube drivers from £46,000 to more than £50,000 and some staff could receive a £10,000 pay rise over the four years.

Following a meeting with the conciliation service Acas last week, the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and train drivers’ union Aslef reacted positively and today began consulting with their members on LU’s offer.

LU: “Platform for stability”

Mike Brown, managing director of LU, said: “This fair and affordable multi-year pay deal is a good deal for London – providing a platform for stability over a crucial time for the tube network. This deal enables our employees’ salaries to keep pace with the cost of living while being realistic given the current economic situation and the pressure on Transport for London’s finances.

“We can now get on with the vital task of delivering the huge improvements to the network that Londoners need and deserve while we continue to develop our detailed plans to keep London moving during next summer’s Games.”

LU had made a number of pay offers in recent months which had been rejected by unions.

Crow: “Best deal on offer”

Bob Crow, general secretary of RMT, said: “By standing firm in these days of austerity our members have secured one of the best pay offers in the country and one that protects their standards of living well into the future.

“This offer proves that strong trade unionism is the only defence that workers have when jobs and pay are under attack. We will now be consulting our local reps before putting the detail of the offer to our executive for consideration.”

The deal covers the period from April 2011 to March 2015.