Train drivers secure 3.6% pay rise after threat of strikes on busy UK routes
Guardian AU Business
•Sun, 30 Aug 2026 10:32:51 GMT
📰 What Happened
Train drivers secured a 3.6% pay rise in a deal agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Aslef union — 0.7 percentage points higher than the latest inflation rate — along with time and a half pay for working Sundays and £720 for working a fifth day in the week. It is the first pay deal approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership, and it follows Aslef's announcement in June that it would ballot members over possible strike action.
🔍 The Backstory
The deal covers busy routes including the London-Manchester line, which is likely to see increased ministerial traffic after the establishment of the No 10 North office. Avanti is set to be renationalised under the Labour government by spring 2027, with all rail companies due to come under government control by the end of that year.
🎯 Why It Matters
The agreement heads off disruptive strikes on key intercity routes and will be seen as a victory for the union — and a test of the new government's approach to industrial relations. It also signals how rail pay is being settled in the run-up to renationalisation.
Train drivers secured a 3.6% pay rise in a deal agreed on Saturday between Avanti West Coast and the Aslef union — 0.7 percentage points higher than the latest inflation rate — along with time and a half pay for working Sundays and £720 for working a fifth day in the week. It is the first pay deal approved by Andy Burnham in his premiership, and it follows Aslef's announcement in June that it would ballot members over possible strike action.
The deal covers busy routes including the London-Manchester line, which is likely to see increased ministerial traffic after the establishment of the No 10 North office. Avanti is set to be renationalised under the Labour government by spring 2027, with all rail companies due to come under government control by the end of that year.
The agreement heads off disruptive strikes on key intercity routes and will be seen as a victory for the union — and a test of the new government's approach to industrial relations. It also signals how rail pay is being settled in the run-up to renationalisation.