Employment

Tory MPs have been saying railway workers earn more than they actually do

Independent fact checker Full Fact has waded in to set the record straight on how much railway workers really earn after the transport secretary got it wrong.

A protestor shows his support for striking transport workers at the We Demand Better rally in London on June 18. Image Eliza Pitkin / The Big Issue

Conservative MPs have been sharing false information about the average salary of rail workers currently on strike over pay.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps and Conservative MPs Nick Fletcher, Jonathan Gullis and Chris Philp have all claimed the average rail worker earns £44,000 per year, but independent fact checking organisation Full Fact says it’s not true. 

Government critics of the strike have used the figure to suggest it would be unfair for railway workers to be given a pay rise by suggesting they earn more than nurses.

Over 40,000 RMT members are currently taking part in their second of three days of planned strike action, making it the biggest rail strike in 30 years.

The union says its members working for National Rail and Transport for London haven’t been given a pay rise for two or three years, despite inflation reaching 9.1 per cent in May.

“The average train driver earns £59,000, the average rail worker earns £44,000, the average nurse, £31,000,” tweeted Shapps.

But union the RMT has hit back, saying the average salary of its striking members is at least £10,000 less than the MPs are saying, at £33,000. The Office for National Statistics produced an average of £36,800 in 2021.

Shapps’ figure includes the salaries of train drivers – who are paid a lot more but are not striking. It does not include the salaries of cleaners – who earn a lot less and are on strike. 

“It would appear that the median salary of those participating in the current RMT national rail strike action is significantly below the median rail worker salary of £44,000 being referenced by the government”, Full Fact said. 

Morgan Paulett, who earns £21,000 a year as a station support assistant, spoke to The Big Issue at the Kings Cross Station picket line.

“There has been no change in pay over the last three years because workers have been subject to a pay freeze,” he said.  

“Most of all, even though pay is a big issue for me personally, the cuts they are going to make to the railways are going to be incredibly dangerous.”

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
'I skip meals to save money': Life on social care frontline is leading to a support worker exodus
Image of carer holding elderly person's hand
Social care

'I skip meals to save money': Life on social care frontline is leading to a support worker exodus

'All my earnings go on rent:' Millions of women in UK struggling to make ends meet in low-paid jobs
People on legacy benefits are being pushed into poverty
employment

'All my earnings go on rent:' Millions of women in UK struggling to make ends meet in low-paid jobs

What the disastrous 'Willy Wonka experience' tells us about AI and its 'pollution' of bad content
Artificial Intelligence

What the disastrous 'Willy Wonka experience' tells us about AI and its 'pollution' of bad content

Over 500 employers named for 'cheating workers' out of minimum wage – but it's worse than you think
Minimum wage

Over 500 employers named for 'cheating workers' out of minimum wage – but it's worse than you think

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know