More prepare strikes from finish of January 2024, says Aslef union
- Action throughout 9 days between Monday, January 29 and Tuesday, February 6
- Rail operators together with LNER, Avanti West Coast and Southern to be impacted
Britain’s rail community will probably be crippled by strikes as soon as once more later this month after prepare drivers introduced they’d stage a collection of contemporary strikes and an extra time ban.
The union Aslef revealed the wave of commercial motion would impression 17 totally different rail operators throughout 9 days between Monday, January 29 and Tuesday, February 6.
Their strikes will cripple prepare companies throughout England with rail companies together with LNER, Avanti West Coast, Great Western and CrossCountry all set to be affected.
Others operators set to be hit embody these on London commuter routes resembling South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink.
Aslef needs to place stress on ‘intransigent’ rail firms in addition to the ‘tone-deaf Tory authorities’ to provide prepare drivers their first pay rise in nearly 5 years.
But the motion may be the primary check of latest laws aimed toward guaranteeing a minimal stage of service throughout strikes, set at 40 per cent within the transport sector.
‘No trains’ indicators on the closed Kettering station throughout an Aslef strike on December 2, 2023
An nearly empty concourse at London Euston throughout an Aslef strike on October 4 final yr
East Midlands Railway trains sit at a depot in Derby throughout strike by Aslef on December 2, 2023
The 9 days of motion will start with the extra time ban commencing on Monday, January 29.
The following day, Tuesday, January 30, will see strikes on South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, Great Northern and Thameslink.
Then Wednesday, January 31, will carry strikes on Northern and TransPennine Express.
There will probably be no strikes on Thursday, February 1, though the extra time ban will proceed.
Friday, February 2, will then carry strikes on Greater Anglia, c2c and LNER.
And then there will probably be strikes on Saturday, February 3, on West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway.
The extra time ban will proceed with out strikes on Sunday, February 4.
And the final strikes will probably be on Monday, February 5, on Great Western, CrossCountry and Chiltern.
Tuesday, February 6, will then be the ultimate day of the extra time ban.
ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London are all not concerned within the motion, and neither are ‘open-access’ operators together with Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo.
Aslef basic secretary Mick Whelan mentioned at the moment: ‘We have given the Government each alternative to come back to the desk however it has now been a yr since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. It’s clear they don’t need to resolve this dispute.
‘Many of our members haven’t had a single penny improve to their pay for half a decade, throughout which period inflation has soared and, with it, the price of dwelling.
‘Train drivers did not even ask for a rise throughout the Covid-19 pandemic once we labored all through lockdown as key employees, risking our lives, to maneuver items across the nation and to allow NHS and different employees to get to work.
Members of Aslef on the picket line outdoors Reading station in Berkshire in September 2023
Sign at London Waterloo station in September 2023 warning of prepare strikes and extra time bans
Members of the Aslef union on a picket line close to Leeds prepare station throughout motion final June
‘The Tory authorities has now tried its previous trick of adjusting the foundations. When they could not win they introduced in minimal service ranges laws.
‘But this new legislation, as we informed officers throughout the session interval, will not ease industrial strife. It will simply make it worse.
‘There is, frankly, no excuse for this nonsense. The Government and prepare working firms (TOCs) ought to come to the desk with a practical provide so we are able to finish this dispute and work collectively to make sure the way forward for our railways.’
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson mentioned at the moment: ‘Nobody wins when strikes impression lives and livelihoods, and so they’re significantly troublesome to justify at a time when taxpayers are persevering with to contribute an additional £54million per week to maintain companies working post-Covid.
‘Despite the railway’s big monetary problem, drivers have been made a suggestion which might take base salaries to almost £65,000 for a four-day week with out extra time – that’s effectively above the nationwide common and considerably greater than a lot of our passengers that haven’t any choice to make money working from home are paid.
‘Instead of staging extra damaging industrial motion, we name on the Aslef management to work with us to resolve this dispute and ship a good deal which each rewards our individuals, and makes the adjustments wanted to make companies extra dependable.’
Last week a deliberate walkout on the London Underground by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union was referred to as off minutes earlier than it was because of start.
However, Mayor Sadiq Khan was accused of opening the door to extra Tube strikes after he discovered £30million to cease the walkouts.
