General
grades
members
of
the
RMT
at
ScotRail
have
voted
to
accept
an
improved
pay
offer.


The
union
had
recommended
that
its
members
accept
the
deal
when
it
was
put
to
a
vote,
which
closed
yesterday.
The
new
terms
only
apply
to
ScotRail
employees
and
are
not
applicable
to
Network
Rail
staff
in
Scotland
who
are
still
set
to
strike
in
December
and
January.
ScotRail’s
head
of
customer
operations
Phil
Campbell
said:
‘We
are
delighted
that
RMT
members
have
voted
to
accept
this
pay
offer.
We
worked
hard
to
put
forward
an
offer
which
recognises
the
hard
work
of
staff,
as
well
as
the
financial
challenges
faced
by
the
railway
as
we
recover
from
the
pandemic.’
The
offer
includes
an
increase
in
minimum
flat
rate
pay
to
£10.50
an
hour
as
well
an
increase
from
£500
to
£750
for
acceptance
of
technology,
consolidated
into
basic
pay,
on
top
of
a
5
per
cent
basic
increase.
There
are
other
benefits,
including
a
10
per
cent
increase
in
the
Sunday
Working
Allowance.
Meanwhile,
RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
described
a
meeting
yesterday
with
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
as
‘positive’,
but
Mr
Harper
said
that
although he
had
a
‘role
in
the
process’
he
would
not
be
involved
in
detailed
negotiations.

ASLEF
drivers
set
to
walk
out
tomorrow

Members
of
ASLEF
are
set
to
stage
a
24-hour
strike
at
11
train
operating
companies
tomorrow,
as
the
union’s
dispute
over
pay
continues.
ASLEF
general
secretary
Mick
Whelan
said:
‘We
regret
that
passengers
will
be inconvenienced
for
another
day.
We
don’t
want
to
be
taking
this
action.
Withdrawing
our
labour
is
always
a
last
resort
for
a
trade
union.
We
have
come
to
the
table,
as
we
always
will,
in
good
faith
but
while
the
industry
continues to
make
no
offer,
due
to
the
dodgy
deal
they
signed
with
the
DfT,
we
have
no
choice
but
to
take
action
again.’
The
Rail
Delivery
Group
has
warned
that
the
strike
will
cause
‘severe
disruption’
on
many
lines.
The
operators involved
are
Avanti
West
Coast,
Chiltern
Railways,
CrossCountry,
East
Midlands
Railway,
Great
Western
Railway,
Greater
Anglia,
LNER,
Northern,
Southeastern,
TransPennine
Express
and
West
Midlands
Trains.
Some
operators will
not
be
running
any
services
at
all.
However,
an
ASLEF
walkout
which
had
been
called
on
London
Overground
tomorrow
has
been
suspended,
after
Overground
operator
Arriva
Rail
London
had
made
a
new
pay
offer
which
has
been
put
to
members
in
a
ballot.

Chancellor
visits
HS2
station
site

HS2
CEO
Mark
Thurston
welcomed
chancellor
of
the
exchequer
Jeremy
Hunt
and
West
Midlands
Mayor
Andy
Street
to
HS2’s
interchange
station
construction
site
in
Solihull
yesterday.
The
Chancellor’s
visit
followed
last
week’s
Autumn
Statement
in
which
he
committed
to
investment
in
infrastructure
and
to
continue
building
HS2
to
Manchester
as
well
as
East
West
Rail
and
‘core’
elements
of
Northern
Powerhouse
Rail.
Mark
Thurston
took
his
guests
on
a
tour
of
the
site
to
see
progress,
meet
site
engineers
and
apprentices,
and
to
hear
how
HS2
is
already
improving
the
Midlands
economy.