Andy Burnham has agreed to give train drivers on the frequently used line from London to Manchester an above-inflation pay rise of 3.6% - avoiding strikes that could have caused delays for thousands of commuters.
The wage deal between Avanti West Coast and their union representatives, the Aslef union, is the first to be approved under the new prime minister. Aslef has secured time-and-a-half pay on Sundays, a single-year wage rise of 3.6% – 0.7% higher than the latest inflation rate of 2.9% – and up to £720 for turning up to work on a fifth day of the working week.
This agreement comes after the union announced plans at the end of June to ballot members in the following weeks on whether to launch strikes in a dispute over pay.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said, reported by The Independent, that the Labour government has prioritised resolving rail union disputes, improving services for passengers and saving hundreds of millions in lost revenue.
Avanti runs services from London to destinations including Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool, with Avanti drivers typically starting on salaries of around £70,000. Currently, Avanti is ranked as Britain's least punctual rail firm, with just over half of rail services running on time over the last 12 months.