London Underground’s proposed 4% pay rise for staff has been rejected by members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).
The proposal, which included pay increases for the next four years of inflation plus 0.25%, would have covered the period from April 2011 to April 2016.
In a letter to the union’s members, Bob Crow,
general secretary of the RMT, said: “The first thing to note is that, with February’s retail prices index (RPI) being 5.5%, then the first year of this offer is not a rise at all, but is actually a real-terms pay cut of 1.5%.
“This offer therefore falls well short of the union’s claim for a substantial, above-inflation, pay rise in a one-year deal and has been tabled despite London Underground carrying record numbers of passengers, charging high fares following above-inflation fare rises, cutting staff and thus increasing productivity, to say nothing of the continuation of London Underground in paying large numbers of senior managers excessive fat cat salaries.
“This is why the derisory offer has been rejected and why the union shall continue to press the organisation for significant improvements.”
Howard Collins, chief operating officer at London Underground, said: “We have made what we believe is a very fair and affordable multi-year pay offer to the trade unions, which will see staff gain real-terms pay increases and stability over the coming years.”
