TUBE PAY WIN

5 RMT has won a three-year pay deal on London Underground following strike action and sustained negotiations with the employer. The union also secured commitments addressing work-life balance among staff, including ‘fatigue friendly’ rosters, further discussions on staff travel, and a consistent Boxing Day payment of £400. The deal will keep pace with the Retail Price Index of inflation, protecting the value of RMT members’ wages over the next three years. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the deal was a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of strike action and strong negotiation by members. "It is significant that RMT has secured a long-term RPI deal that departs from the recent industry approach of linking pay to flawed productivity discussions and measures of inflation that do not include housing costs known as CPI. "More widely, RMT members will expect to see a similar approach in other parts of the transport industry. "I want to congratulate our members for securing an inflation-proof pay rise until 2028, and we look forward to working with the employer in moving forward on fatigue and staff travel provision," he said. Under Boxing Day arrange- ments which covers 80 per cent of staff, there will be a £400 payment in addition to normal salary to all staff who work a rostered duty or authorised overtime. LUL will continue its discussions with the Rail Delivery Group regarding staff leisure travel. Further discussions have also taken place over the issues of fatigue, rosters and vacancies. LUL confirmed that it is actively filling vacancies in Customer Operations and arrangements are in place for training new starters. Stations vacancies will be filled through two upcoming recruitment campaigns. LUL has also agreed to withdraw the current 95 per cent cap on headcount in Fleet and 100 positions will be filled. In accordance with existing collective arrangements, LUL has committed to ensuring that an annual headcount review takes place in all functional areas going forward. An initial review will take place in the new year and any issues which are identified will be referred to the relevant Functional Council. TUBE PAY WIN RMT secures three-year no strings pay deal on London Underground THE PAY ELEMENT OF THE DEAL:  Year 1 – 3.4 per cent increase, backdated to April 1, 2025 (equivalent to February 2025 RPI) Year 2 – RPI at February 2026 increase, effective April 1, 2026, with a guaranteed minimum award of three per cent Year 3 – RPI at February 2027 + 0.2 per cent increase, effective April 1, 2027, with a guaranteed minimum award of 2.5 per cent A minimum uplift of three per cent in 2026 and 2.5 per cent in 2027 offers the possibility of a further above RPI increase, should RPI fall significantly. These minimums provide a degree of certainty up to 2028. Picture Credit: Beth Dempsey