Rail strikes: Elizabeth line workers vote to walkout after rejecting pay offer

Elizabeth line workers have voted to take industrial reactions after rejecting a pay offer below inflation levels.

Members of the Prospect union working for Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) on the project - previously known as Crossrail - voted to decline the 4% pay offer for 2022.

It comes as London Underground (LU) workers received 8.4%, as well as MTR who operate the trains on the Elizabeth Line, Prospect said, meaning their members who carry out safety and maintenance work on the line are “well behind” their equivalent roles.

Mike Clancy, Prospect general secretary, said: “Our members have worked incredibly hard to get the Elizabeth Line ready to go safely into operation yet they are being treated significantly worse than equivalent workers on the rest of London’s network.

“Our members don’t want to go on strike but pay is so far behind inflation that they simply cannot manage.”

A total of 94% of members voted for strike action, while 92% voted for other forms of industrial action. The regulatory threshold for a walkout is 50%.

A Prospect spokesperson said the current Elizabeth Line budget is underspent by £38m and that “there is money available to provide an increased pay offer”.

Exact form and any dates for industrial action will be decided in consultation with members.

Mike Clancy added: “The Elizabeth Line itself is now bringing in large extra passenger revenue for TfL and is underspent on its budget so there really ought to be room for some movement on pay.

“We remain open to negotiation and it is our hope that RfLI will come back to the table with an offer sufficient to avert industrial action.”

The Prospect union has members working in aviation, road, rail and maritime transportation, as well as regulation and research.

Howard Smith, director of the Elizabeth line for TfL, told the BBC: "Strikes are bad news for everyone, and we urge Prospect to work with us and avoid the need for industrial action."