UK Train Drivers Back Govt Pay Deal To End Strikes

Train drivers in Britain have overwhelmingly accepted a government pay deal, their union said on Wednesday, ending a two-year dispute at 16 rail companies.

Aslef said its voting members had been 96 percent in favour of the offer by the new Labour government, and said it amounted to a 15-percent rise over three years.

Britain has been hit by a wave of public and private sector strikes in the last two years, calling for wage increases due to the increase in the cost of living.

The industrial action has included nurses, doctors and lawyers, as well as teachers, refuse collectors, bus drivers and rail workers.

Aslef, which represents 21,000 members in train and freight companies, as well as London Underground, accused the previous Conservative government of "sitting on its hands" and refusing to negotiate.

Most train services in Britain are run by private companies that are awarded government contracts.

Labour, elected by a landslide in July, made resolving the strikes a priority and proposed a new deal in August which was then put to members in a ballot.

"It just shows what can be done when the grown-ups come into the room," said Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan.

"The offer is a fair offer and it is what we have always asked for, a clean offer, without a land grab for our terms and conditions."

Labour recently introduced long-promised draft legislation to fully renationalise the country's rail services.

Aslef, one of the 11 trade unions affiliated to Labour, accused the Tories of politicising the dispute, which saw 18 days of strike action that hit services across the country.

The Conservatives maintained that the pay demands were too onerous and have since accused Labour of caving in to union pressure.

On Tuesday, hospital doctors below consultant level, voted in favour of a 22.3-percent pay offer, ending the threat of more strikes going into the cold winter months, when the health service is under strain.

Labour has repeatedly said the Tories left them a disastrous legacy from their 14 years in power, including a £22-billion ($29-billion) black hole in the public finances.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh called the deal "an important step towards fixing our railways and crucially, it clears the way for vital reform... to ensure a better performing railway for everyone".

Aslef donated £100,000 ($132,000) to Labour in June for its general election campaign, according to the Electoral Commission, which regulates party and election finance.

The Times newspaper in August called the government's offer a "capitulation" and "a green light for inflationary pay awards and more union militancy".

"Ministers seeking a quick fix will repent at leisure," it added in an editorial.

Source: AFP