Here we go again: a new day, a new train driver's strike. If you're currently stuck, stranded, or under the armpit of our hostage transportation network, you may be hoping for a tough negotiator who can rally the unions. Dream on: instead, a deal has recently been struck between rail union Aslef and train company Avanti West Coast, which will see drivers paid a flat rate of £600 per shift if they work overtime on top of their 40-hour-a-week contracts, for which they already receive average salary of £70,000. This means that the average annual salaries of many drivers could rise to almost £100,000.
Unsurprisingly, Avanti's offer, intended to avert future strikes by breaking the deadlock in a series of overtime, was immediately accepted by Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan. The overtime agreement has a term of one year and is intended to reduce the number of cancellations due to a shortage of drivers. Figures released at the end of 2023 show Avanti to be the least punctual of all train operators, with only 46 percent of services arriving on time.
Nevertheless, £600 for drivers to work on the rest days is a great sweetener. A spokesperson for Aslef points out that Avanti is a private company that makes a profit every year and returns part of that profit to the shareholders: it is not taxpayers' money. Yet the deal has been criticised, with Conservative MP Greg Smith, a member of the House of Commons transport committee, calling the payments "completely outrageous". "People are going to be very angry about this," he said.
The inflated shift count is certainly an outlier compared to most industries, and comes just as many other workers are feeling the pressure. The government recently introduced new rules regarding holiday pay for irregular and part-time workers. This will mean that instead of receiving full holiday entitlements at the start of the year, as full-time workers do, Britain's five million workers on temporary or irregular contracts will have to acquire them gradually over the year. Experts say changes to holiday entitlements are one of the biggest erosions of employment protection since Britain left the EU.
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The erosion of paid holidays for shift workers comes on top of a series of other disadvantages. Many of the people who work shifts work in the hospitality industry, where a typical salary is between £80 and £150 per day. Chris Sanderson, founder of Limber, a flexible shift working platform, says: "Shift work is popular, often because some people want to work multiple jobs to supplement their finances, or because people need flexibility due to childcare commitments.
"But many who work shifts are paid the minimum wage, which is currently £10.42 but will rise to £11.44 in April. This is only €83.36 for an eight-hour shift." The Living Wage Foundation suggests people should be paid an hourly rate of £12, or £13.15 in London, or £105.20 per shift. "I certainly wouldn't want to live on £83.36 a day, although I know many businesses are struggling too," says Sanderson. "But equally, £600 will seem like a lot to a lot of people."
As well as poor pay on certain shifts, there are also health consequences, especially for those who work at night, estimated to be around one in nine. In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified night work as "probably carcinogenic." There is also strong evidence that night work can contribute to serious and chronic health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. According to 2023 NHS data, 45 percent of women on shifts have a long-term illness, compared to 39 percent who don't work shifts. For men the figures were 40 percent, compared to 36 percent. And very few get £600 to counter these disadvantages. So how do other shifts compare?
Admission requirements: To work as a slaughterer or slaughterwoman you must be licensed by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and be 18 years or over. You may need a driver's license if your work includes delivery duties. You can get into this job through a 1.5-year higher professional education course, an internship or apply directly.
Advantages: You can become a shift leader or manager or be involved in quality control, product development or food marketing. You could end up preparing meat for specialist catering jobs in butchers' shops - butchery is a multi-skilled trade.
Cons: It's potentially dangerous and grim.
Admission requirements: None for seasonal work. Regular farm work can be applied for immediately or after a college education, such as an agricultural diploma. To do this you need to achieve five GCSEs. You need to be in good shape.
Advantages: You will work outside planting and packing crops, so although demanding, without the stress of a public role.
Cons: The work is seasonal and you are outside in all weather conditions.
Admission requirements: Six months of professional experience, or the ability to demonstrate practical experience in land, conservation and access management.
Advantages: Working outside and the rewards of protecting nature. It's just as rewarding when you're comfortable interacting with people.
Cons: Working outside, regardless of the weather, night work.
Admission requirements: Nothing essential, although you could take a university course in barista skills or food and beverage.
Advantages: Your skills will always be in demand and you will benefit from employee discounts.
Cons: It is a poor reward for fast and demanding work with an early start.
Admission requirements: Full British driving licence, with class 2 entitlement; must undergo a theory and practical assessment to ensure compliance with safety and operational standards.
Advantages: Often discounts at shops in the shopping streets, financial and legal help.
Cons: Driving a truck through narrow roads and busy city centers is more difficult than driving a train on two free tracks. Night work is bad for mental and physical health.
Admission requirements: You can apply for a role directly or pursue a college degree, a diploma in healthcare or a certificate in health and social care. It may involve one or two years of training.
Advantages: The rewards of caring for the elderly and vulnerable, a workplace pension scheme, paid breaks and free meals during shifts.
Cons: Night work is bad for mental and physical health.
Admission requirements: You must be a fully qualified, registered pharmacist (which requires four years' training - at least two years more than that of a machinist) plus at least six months' experience in a pharmacy environment.
Advantages: You can usually negotiate rates and ask to work within your community.
Cons: Companies that are constantly changing can be lonely.
Admission requirements: After five years of dental training (which is already at least three years more training than that of an Avanti train driver) you will typically need one or two years of experience in an NHS/mixed dental practice.
Advantages: They are in high demand, with jobs available on a full-time, part-time or freelance basis.
Cons: It can involve a lot of traveling and being thrown in at the deep end. A lack of support from permanent colleagues can also be a problem.
Admission requirements: Must have a GMC registration with a license to practice. It can take up to 10 years to train as a consultant. Must be DBS checked and have two references from last employer plus extensive clinical experience. Consultants can be in a variety of areas, such as emergency medicine, pediatrics and oncology.
Advantages: A generous way to top up your regular NHS salary.
Cons: As with the locum dentist above. And while they are the only shift workers on the list who earn more per shift than an Avanti train driver, many will have had eight more years of training to get there.
