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Train drivers agree 28% pay rise to end Southern Rail strikes.
Crippling strikes on one of Britain’s busiest railway lines may finally be at an end after train drivers accepted a £14,000 pay rise.
Members of Aslef voted four to one in favour of a deal to end industrial action on Southern Rail, which has been hit by disruption for 18 months in a row over pay, working conditions and the introduction of driver-only operated trains.
Rail executives insisted that the move left the other main rail union — the RMT — “completely isolated” as it continues its dispute over driver-only control of carriage doors.
The RMT, which represents conductors, took strike action on five networks, including Southern, yesterday in the most widespread walkout of its kind in 20 years. However, fewer than one in ten Southern services were cancelled, whereas previous strikes by Aslef members have crippled the network.
Government sources said that the agreement with Aslef proved that driver-only operation could be safely implemented. It has been used on parts of the UK rail network for more than 30 years.
Under the Aslef deal, about 1,000 members will be given a 28.5 per cent pay rise over five years, taking their basic pay from £49,000 to £63,000 for a four-day week. Drivers had twice previously rejected lower offers made by the rail company, which carries 300,000 passengers a day between London and the south coast.
Aslef insisted it had secured fresh guarantees that trains would not run unless a second, safety-trained person was on board except in exceptional circumstances. These include a staff member calling in sick just before a shift or being taken ill during work.
Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, denied that it represented a full endorsement of driver-only operation. Mr Whelan, a vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, who has pledged to guarantee a guard on all services, said: “After one and a half years of industrial strife we wanted to find a way forward for our members who work on the railway in this region, for the passengers who use Southern trains, and for the businesses which depend on the service, as well as for the company, too.
“This deal is a resolution to an 18-month-long dispute. It is not a template for Britain’s railway in the 21st century.”
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: “This shoddy deal extends and institutionalises discrimination against disabled and older people.”