UK train drivers back govt pay deal to end strikes

London: Train drivers in Britain have overwhelmingly accepted a government pay deal, their union said on Wednesday, ending a two year dispute at 16 ra...

London: Train drivers in Britain have overwhelmingly accepted a government pay deal, their union said on Wednesday, ending a two-year dispute at 16 rail companies.

Aslef said its voting members had been 96 percent in favour of the offer by the new Labour government, and said it amounted to a 15-percent rise over three years.

Britain has been hit by a wave of public and private sector strikes in the last two years, calling for wage increases due to the increase in the cost of living.

The industrial action has included nurses, doctors and lawyers, as well as teachers, refuse collectors, bus drivers and rail workers.

Aslef, which represents 21,000 members in train and freight companies, as well as London Underground, accused the previous Conservative government of "sitting on its hands" and refusing to negotiate.