Unite, Britain’s leading trade union, says it has secured increased pay for workers at Hitachi trains working on Great Western Railways (GWR), resolving an industrial dispute. However, Hitachi engineers, repairs and maintenance crews at LNER remain on strike though as Hitachi has not made the same offer to these workers.
Hitachi employees at GWR have secured the following two year pay increase following the threat of industrial action that would have led to trains remaining in the sidings without the repairs and maintenance necessary to run safely:
- Year 1 – 6 per cent on basic pay plus a £1,250 lump sum payment backdated from 1 April 2023 covering
- Year 2 – 5.2 per cent on basic pay effective from 1 April 2024.
Unite and RMT members at LNER who have not been offered the same deal are unhappy with their pay in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis says a statement from Unite. Especially considering when they perform highly skilled roles that are safety critical for the railway industry.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “By standing together in unity our members on the GWR contract have secured an improved pay increase but it is reprehensible that the same firm is dragging its feet for other workers at different depots doing the same job. “This nonsense needs to stop, especially considering Hitachi are rolling in cash and paying huge dividends to shareholders.”
The stoppages affecting LNER began on Saturday 27 January and will take place at Craigentinny, Bounds Green & Doncaster maintenance depots across the East Coast mainline and will conclude on Thursday 1 February.
Unite national officer John McGookin added: “The power of a union is plain to see as Unite has already secured an increase for the majority of our Hitachi members and will continue to take industrial action until all members are given the pay rise they deserve.”
Photo credit: Unite
