Train guards will be given a £300 bonus for every time they work a five-day week under a new overtime deal approved by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
According to The Sunday Times, the agreement was struck at the end of last month to prevent planned strikes every Saturday this month by CrossCountry, which operates a patchwork of intercity services from Penzance to Aberdeen.
The operator, which is the second-worst performing in the country after Avanti, had been using managers to fill in for rank and file staff at the weekends, which angered the RMT union.
Staff typically work a four-day week and are paid time and a half for working on a Saturday but will now get a £300 bonus and their pay at the normal rate until the middle of next month.
After this date, they will return to their normal rate until the middle of next month.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh struck at the end of last month to prevent planned strikes every Saturday this month by CrossCountry
Staff typically work a four-day week and are paid time and a half for working on a Saturday but will now get a £300 bonus and their pay at the normal rate until the middle of next month (file image)
The Saturday bonus payments will be backdated to August under the deal and comes days after Labour struck a nationwide deal that gives guards and other rail workers a 9.5 per cent pay rise over two years.
Helen Whately, the shadow transport secretary, said: ‘Rail unions can’t get enough of this government. They now know that every time they go on strike Labour will cave.’
A DfT spokesperson said: ‘While this is a local matter for CrossCountry, it’s crucial that passengers receive a more reliable service, on every day of the week – something our overhaul of the railways will help deliver.’