The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (the RMT) has confirmed it has reached a deal with train operators that could bring their long-running rail dispute to an end.

The union confirmed in a statement that it had come to a “mutually agreed way forward” with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) that would see staff get a pay rise backdated to 2022, along with “job security guarantees”.

They will now put the deal to their members in a vote, and if they give it their support, it will end the RMT’s strike mandate, leading to “a pause and respite from industrial action over the Christmas period and into spring next year”.

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The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “This is a welcome development and our members will now decide in an e-referendum whether they want to accept this new offer from the RDG.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said they welcomed the RMT’s decision to put the “fair and reasonable offer to its members in a referendum, marking a positive step towards resolving this dispute”.

They added: “The Rail Delivery Group’s offer guarantees no compulsory redundancies and a fair pay rise, while ensuring we can take forward much-needed reform to secure the future of our railways.

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“We hope RMT members will recognise the benefits, accept this offer and put an end to the RMT’s industrial action.”

The breakthrough in negotiations comes after almost 18 months of industrial action from the union, which represents workers from across the rail industry, including station staff and guards.

However, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) – which represents train drivers – has still not come to an agreement over their own pay and conditions.

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