Drivers demanded parity with colleagues

Union members will now be balloted on the offer, with the result expected early next month.

ScotRail said it was delighted by the unions' decision to accept the offer.

Drivers have been calling for wage parity with colleagues in some services south of the border.

'Basis for agreement'

ScotRail introduced an emergency timetable of restricted services when drivers withdrew overtime at Christmas and that timetable remains in place.

ScotRail passengers then endured more misery when drivers began a series of one-day strikes, bringing the network to a halt on four occasions.

Talks between the unions and ScotRail management were often acrimonious but a breakthrough was achieved at the end of March.

I think we are well on the way to resolving this dispute

Nick Brown ScotRail

Union officials announced that further one-day strikes would be called off, with a spokesman saying that both sides had the "basis for agreement".

Aslef's Kevin Lyndsay said: "Our dispute was never with the passengers or commuters of ScotRail.

"We never set out to upset the travelling public. All we wanted was comparable earnings with train drivers in England and Wales.

"We feel we have now achieved that."

The offer means that a train driver's basic salary would rise from �23,000 to �26,200 from 1 June.

That would then rise to �27,000 in January 2003 and to �28,000 in January 2004.

The increase is linked to increased productivity.

Nick Brown, ScotRail's acting managing director, said he was delighted by the decision.

"I think we are well on the way to resolving this dispute," Mr Brown said.

"We would obviously like the train drivers to move a little faster.

"They have got their procedures to go through, but we have made a very fair offer.

"We would like the train drivers to accept it so we can get back to normal as quickly as we can."