How much train drivers pocket for working overtime – and how it compares to Britain’s shift workers

Here we go again: another day, another rail drivers’ strike. If you’re currently stuck, stranded or squashed under an armpit on our ransomed transport network, you might hope for a tough negotiator that could bring the unions to heel. Dream on: instead, a recent deal has been cut between rail union Aslef and train company Avanti West Coast that will see drivers be paid a flat £600 a shift if they work overtime on top of their 40-hour-week contracts, for which they already receive an average salary of £70,000. This will mean many drivers’ average annual salaries could rise to almost £100,000.

Unsurprisingly, Avanti’s offer, designed to stave off future strikes by breaking the deadlock in an overtime row, was instantly accepted by Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan. The overtime agreement will last for one year and is set to reduce cancellations due to driver shortages. Figures released at the end of 2023 showed Avanti to be the least punctual of all train operators, with just 46 per cent of its services arriving on time.

Nonetheless, £600 for drivers to work on the rest days is a hell of a sweetener. A spokesman for Aslef points out that Avanti is a private company that makes a profit each year and returns some of that profit to its shareholders: it is not taxpayers’ money. But still, the deal has been criticised, with Conservative MP Greg Smith, a member of the Commons transport committee, calling the payments “totally outrageous”. “People are going to be very angry about this,” he said.

The inflated shift rate is certainly an outlier compared with most industries, and comes as many other workers are feeling the pinch. Recently, the Government brought in new rules with regard to holiday pay for irregular and part-time workers. This will mean that instead of receiving full holiday rights at the beginning of the year, as full-time workers do, the five million British workers on temporary or irregular contracts will have to gradually gain them during the year. Experts say alteration to holiday rights is one of the most significant erosions of employment protections since the UK left the EU.

The erosion in paid holiday for shift workers comes on top of a range of other downsides. Many of those on shift work are in the hospitality industry, where a typical payment might be £80-£150 a day. Chris Sanderson, founder of Limber, a flexible shift-working platform, says: “Shift work is popular, often because some people want to work several jobs to top up their money, or because people need flexibility due to child care commitments.

“But many on shift work are paid the minimum wage, which is £10.42 at present, but going up to £11.44 in April. This is just £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, though I’m aware many businesses are also struggling,” says Sanderson. “But equally £600 will seem like a lot to a lot of people.”

As well as poor pay on certain shift work, there are also health implications, especially for those who work nights, thought to be about one in nine. In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classed night shift work as “probably carcinogenic”. There is also strong evidence that night shift work can contribute to serious and chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. According to NHS data from 2023, 45 per cent of women in shift work have a longstanding illness, compared with 39 per cent who work non-shift hours. For men, the figures were 40 per cent compared with 36 per cent. And precious few are getting £600 to counter these downsides. So how do other shift rates compare?

Entry requirements: To work as a slaughterman or slaughterwoman you must be licensed by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and aged 18 or over. You might need a driving licence if your job includes delivery duties. You can get into this job through a 1.5-year college course, apprenticeship or applying directly.

Perks: You could become a shift supervisor or manager or involved in quality control, product development or food marketing. You could end up preparing meat for specialist catering orders in butcheries – butchery is a highly skilled profession.

Downsides: It’s potentially dangerous and grim.

Entry requirements: None for seasonal work. Regular farm work can be applied for directly or after a college course, such as a diploma in agriculture. To do this, you need to pass five GCSEs. You need a good level of fitness.

Perks: You’re working outdoors planting and packing crops, so while demanding, it comes without the stress of a public-facing role.

Downsides: Work is seasonal, and you are out in all weathers.

Entry requirements: Six months’ vocational experience, or the ability to demonstrate practical experience in land, conservation and access management.

Perks: Working outdoors, and the rewards of protecting nature. Equally rewarding if you’re comfortable dealing with people.

Downsides: Working outdoors whatever the weather, working nights.

Entry requirements: None essential, although you can do a college course in barista skills or food and beverage services.

Perks: Your skills will always be in demand, and you’ll benefit from employee discounts.

Downsides: It’s poor pay for fast and demanding work with early starts.

Entry requirements: Full UK driving licence, with class 2 entitlement; need to undergo a theory and practical assessment to ensure compliance with safety and operational standards.

Perks: Often discounts at high-street stores, financial and legal aid.

Downsides: Steering a lorry through narrow roads and busy city centres is trickier than driving a train on two clear tracks. Night work is bad for mental and physical health.

Entry requirements: You can apply for roles directly, or undertake a college course, either a diploma in care or a certificate in health and social care. Can involve one or two years of training.

Perks: The rewards of caring for elderly and vulnerable people, workplace pension scheme, paid breaks and free meals on shift.

Downsides: Night work is bad for mental and physical health.

Entry requirements: You must be a fully qualified, registered pharmacist (which takes four years of training – at least two years more than a train driver) plus at least six months’ experience in a dispensary setting.

Perks: You can usually negotiate rates and ask to work within your community.

Downsides: Constantly changing companies can be lonely.

Entry requirements: After a five-year dentistry degree (which is already at least three years more training than an Avanti train driver) you typically need one or two years’ experience working in an NHS/mixed dental practice.

Perks: They’re in high demand, with jobs on a full-time, part-time or freelance basis.

Downsides: Can involve lots of travel and being thrown in at the deep end. A lack of support from regular colleagues can also be an issue.

Entry requirements: Must have GMC registration with licence to practise. Can take up to 10 years to train as a consultant. Must be DBS-checked and have two references from the last employer plus extensive clinical experience. Consultants can be in a range of fields, such as emergency medicine, paediatrics and oncology.

Perks: A generous way to top up your regular NHS salary.

Downsides: As with the locum dentist above. And although they are the only shift workers on the list to earn more per shift than an Avanti train driver, many will have done eight years’ more training to get there.