2026 Pay Award

[Ashfordian6]

Yes it did and being gradually introduced between now and December 2027. Little or no other strings attached to the deal either. Was rather odd as GA have absolutely no problem covering their Sunday shifts.

There were enough other strings, some which affected other GA depots way more than others! Eg Depot drivers

The big one which was Sundays were sold off cheaply. The union wanted Sundays in the working week as per their charter, and this allowed GA to negotiate a low ball figure for them without the union being able to push back on it! GA, unsurprisingly took full advantage of this!

If you worked your rostered Sundays in 2025 you will have earned more than you will take home in 2027. Too many people just blindly looked at the big number and ignored the conditions they were giving up.

Two years of 3.6% would have seen take home pay far higher on the 2025 conditions than they will see from the 2027 deal.

 

[officewalla]

There were enough other strings, some which affected other GA depots way more than others! Eg Depot drivers

The big one which was Sundays were sold off cheaply. The union wanted Sundays in the working week as per their charter, and this allowed GA to negotiate a low ball figure for them without the union being able to push back on it! GA, unsurprisingly took full advantage of this!

If you worked your rostered Sundays in 2025 you will have earned more than you will take home in 2027. Too many people just blindly looked at the big number and ignored the conditions they were giving up.

Two years of 3.6% would have seen take home pay far higher on the 2025 conditions than they will see from the 2027 deal.

Not really working for the members in that case. My ToC is yet to include Sundays and it is entirely possible that the members will say no to anything other than at least as much as committed Sundays currently pay.

 

[dk1]

There were enough other strings, some which affected other GA depots way more than others! Eg Depot drivers

The big one which was Sundays were sold off cheaply. The union wanted Sundays in the working week as per their charter, and this allowed GA to negotiate a low ball figure for them without the union being able to push back on it! GA, unsurprisingly took full advantage of this!

If you worked your rostered Sundays in 2025 you will have earned more than you will take home in 2027. Too many people just blindly looked at the big number and ignored the conditions they were giving up.

Two years of 3.6% would have seen take home pay far higher on the 2025 conditions than they will see from the 2027 deal.

Will be interesting to see how this pans out. I can only speak for Anglia Railways drivers not Great Eastern or West Anglia so can only assume it will affect those differently.

 

[whoosh]

There were enough other strings, some which affected other GA depots way more than others! Eg Depot drivers

The big one which was Sundays were sold off cheaply. The union wanted Sundays in the working week as per their charter, and this allowed GA to negotiate a low ball figure for them without the union being able to push back on it! GA, unsurprisingly took full advantage of this!

If you worked your rostered Sundays in 2025 you will have earned more than you will take home in 2027. Too many people just blindly looked at the big number and ignored the conditions they were giving up.

Two years of 3.6% would have seen take home pay far higher on the 2025 conditions than they will see from the 2027 deal.

Were Sundays paid at an enhanced rate at GA whilst outside of the working week?

Remember, the pay with Sundays inside the working week is for 35 hours with no overtime and is pensionable, and is the basic pay for if you are off sick.
I do however take your point of take home pay potentially being less.

 

[Teddyward]

Speaking only for Great Eastern side, works out about £700 rise per booked Sunday after deducting a 3.6 average for 2 years. 12-14 a year depending on position in link. Its roughly cost neutral by my calculations and working less days for it, and if people still want to work extra that will always be an option. Rest days (including extra Sundays) remains at 170%. Bank Holiday pay remains. Free days remain. Back to progression from depot to mainline. Very little given up. Lose one Academy day to self study so company gains one more day of productivity and lose cross cover payment for WA/Anglia headcodes. I'm not sure if the West or Anglia had anything more tenuous in their packages. Only about half the increase becomes pensionable due to previous restructuring agreements. it was very much welcomed at my depot.

 

[Ben.S.Trains]

WMT just received 3.6%..

 

[whoosh]

@Teddyward Thankyou for that info. Time + 70% is very good for rest day work!

Do you have people that swap for AMs/PMs/Nights currently, and if so do you know how that will be facilitated once Sundays become part of the working week? (Links designed around swapping, or separate early/late/night links etc.)

I know you have 8 weeks on 2 weeks off on GE, which includes banked rest days and annual leave weeks, so it may already be too difficult to have a regular swap partner. I know it's something that's done on West Anglia as their current roster makes it easy.

Anyone from West Anglia care to comment?

On Great Northern, where I am, a considerable number swap for the shift they prefer, so I am interested in how and if this could continue with Sundays inside the working week.

Currently, if a Sunday doesn't 'fit' in a week that's being swapped to, it can just be made unavailable, as it is overtime, or be given away to another driver. If it's in the working week, it could scupper a swap, as would have to be worked.

 

[Ashfordian6]

I know you have 8 weeks on 2 weeks off on GE, which includes banked rest days and annual leave weeks, so it may already be too difficult to have a regular swap partner. I know it's something that's done on West Anglia as their current roster makes it easy.

Anyone from West Anglia care to comment?

Under the old(current) system swaps are very easy to do. Even if there is a Sunday in the way it is very easy to move it on with the advanced Sunday rate.

Under the new system it will be a straight 4 working days for 4 working days swap. There will be no way to unblock a swap like before.

Let's look at this example:

Say you have a Mon/Tue/Sat/Sun or Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun rostered night week that you want to swap out of. Why would those who are currently happy to work nights swap to either of those weeks when they'll be able to cherry pick almost any of the night shift weeks that only have weekdays in them(thus allowing them a weekend with their families)? This situation is even worse for the Cambridge depot with the introduction of depot drivers making their night shifts much less desirable than before.

It's only supposition at the moment but I can see very few drivers wanting to give up the prime Sat/Sun RD's(which are also likely to be their long weekends off) to allow them to swap into their preferred shift, so I foresee a lot of unhappy drivers(particularly at the weekend) under the new system working shift times they don't want to be working!

 

[Teddyward]

@Teddyward Thankyou for that info. Time + 70% is very good for rest day work!

Do you have people that swap for AMs/PMs/Nights currently, and if so do you know how that will be facilitated once Sundays become part of the working week? (Links designed around swapping, or separate early/late/night links etc.)
.

Yes we do have quite a few swaps. We don’t have nights, only earlies and lates. Nights are only in the depot link. Swaps are not very common if at all in the depot link. Their roster rotates too much. We do one week early one week late alternating in the main link currently and the Sunday is always on a late week. If it’s an early Sunday the early person does it and if it’s a late Sunday the late person does it. Usually. It’s up to the drivers concerned to sort it out. Same goes for mis matched freedays. Dealt with by the drivers concerned on an ad hoc basis when required. We are moving to a 2 week late / 2 week early system in December and the LDC are working hard building the roster to try and make this fit in with swapping. How this pans out will remain to be seen.