A fresh round of strikes by train drivers over pay is set to take place, according to the Aslef union. Beginning on 2 December, the “rolling programme” of walkouts will run until the 9th, affecting different train companies on each day. The industrial action will also see drivers refusing to undertake overtime work from 1 December. The pay dispute has been ongoing for 18 months and no significant progress has been made, with union bosses rejecting a pay offer made in April.
“Our members have spoken and we know what they think,” said Aslef’s general secretary, Mick Whelan. “Every time they vote, and they have voted overwhelmingly, for strike action in pursuit of a proper pay rise, it is a clear rejection of the offer that was made in April.” Services on strike days are expected to be cancelled, causing significant disruption to passengers.
The offer put forward in April included a pay deal that was backdated for 2022, including a 4% wage increase, and a further 4% increase for 2023. The median salary for train drivers in 2021 was £59,189 per year. Whelan has criticised Transport Secretary Mark Harper, describing him as “missing in action during this dispute”. The union boss also said that the pay offer made by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, was “risible”.
Meanwhile, rail workers who are members of the RMT union are voting on whether to accept a deal to end their own dispute over pay, job security and working conditions. That vote is scheduled to close on 30 November, the day before Aslef’s industrial action begins. Both unions have been involved in a dispute with train companies over pay and working conditions, leading to regular strikes over the past 18 months. Aslef has held 14 one-day strikes so far, often coinciding with RMT walkouts
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